About Family Class Sponsorships

About Family-Class Sponsorship

Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada with family overseas who you wish you could be closer to? Do you and your family wish to reunite and live together in one place? The Canadian government recognized oftentimes many families are separated against their wishes, and works to help reunite these families whenever possible. Therefore, there is the family class sponsorship program which allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada to sponsor their loved ones who are living overseas, to allow them to come to Canada as permanent residents. This blog will aim to break down the different streams of family class sponsorship, and explain the process submitting this type of application.

Who Can I Sponsor Under the Family Class Sponsorship Program?

As the name suggest, the family class sponsorship stream allows you to sponsor members of your immediate family, if you are a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen. The relatives you may sponsor are as follows.

• Your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner,
• Your dependent child(ren),
• Your mother or father,
• Your grandmother or grandfather,
• Your brother or sister,
• Your nephew or niece,
• Your grandchildren IF their parents are deceased and they are unmarried under 18 years of age.

Beyond these common applications, there are two situations in which you can sponsor someone who is not a relative listed above.

1. Orphaned close relatives

If a blood or adoptive relative of yours is orphaned, unmarried and under the age of 18, you may apply to sponsor them to come to Canada. However if they fail to meet any of these conditions, you cannot sponsor them under the family class sponsorship stream.

2. Other close relatives

If you have no living relatives included in the list above either abroad or in Canada, then you may apply to sponsor one other member of your family to whom you are related by blood or adoption.

Who can Sponsor a Family Member? 

To be able to sponsor a family member, you must first ensure you are qualified to sponsor someone to come to Canada at all. To sponsor someone’s journey to Canada, you must conform to the following requirements:

• Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada,
• Be over the age of 18,
• Meet the Low-Income Cut off (LICO) requirements to ensure you can and will financially support the individual you sponsor for the necessary length of time, depending on the type of relative you’re sponsoring. (Not applicable for those applying to sponsor a spouse, conjugal or common-law partner),

The Various Family Class Sponsorships 

There are a variety of different relatives one could sponsor through family class sponsorship. Though these applications are the same for the most part, there are some provisions which are dependent on the specific type of application which is being submitting. Following are some important things to be aware of for each of the different family class sponsorship applications.

1. Sponsoring a Spouse

First and foremost, if you are submitting an application for spousal sponsorship, you must first determine if you are applying to sponsor someone who is legally your spouse, conjugal partner or common-law partner. Next, it is important to understand whether you should be submitting an inland or overseas spousal sponsorship application, depending on where your significant other is residing at the time. Also, it is necessary to understand that when you submit this type of application, there is no LICO requirement the sponsor must meet to be eligible to sponsor. Though, to sponsor your spouse you must agree in writing to a three year undertaking, which means you agree to be financially responsible for your partner for the first three years they are in Canada, regardless of any change in circumstance to either of your situations.

2. Sponsoring a Parent or Grandparent

To help bring your parents or grandparents to Canada, there is more than one option. Firstly, there is the parents and grandparents sponsorship program, under the family class sponsorship program. Unfortunately though, this program has an annual capacity limiting the number of applicants who are permitted to enter the country annually. Every year, individuals express interest to sponsor their parents or grandparents between January and February, and then 10’000 applicants are randomly chosen who now have the chance to submit an application to sponsor their parents or grandparents. If you are selected to submit an application, you have 90 days to do so. Once the annual capacity is reached, there is still the second option of applying for a Super Visa, to help you see your parents and grandparents more often. The super visa is valid for 10 years, and allows your parents or grandparents to come and go from the country as often as they please, and stay for a maximum of two years at a time. Though this is not the same as achieving permanent resident status, it is a good alternative provided by the Canadian government to help reunite families.

Please note, if you are looking to apply to sponsor you parents or grandparents, you will be subject to the LICO requirements. As well, it is important to understand as a sponsor, you have agreed to be financially responsible for them for a period of time from 3 to 20 years after they arrive in Canada.

3. Sponsoring Dependent Children

If you have a dependent child, meaning they are under the age of 22, who is currently living abroad, you may sponsor them to come to Canada. Furthermore, your child must be unmarried and not in a legal common-law or conjugal relationship to be eligible as a dependent. Sponsoring dependent children occurs through the dependent child sponsorship program. Obviously, because they are dependent children, you are financially responsible for them upon their arrival in Canada. You could obligated to be financially responsible for them for up to 10 years.

Also, please note, if your child has been financially dependent on you since before the age of 22, and is unable to support themselves because of a mental or physical condition, you may still be able to apply to sponsor them as dependent children. This is because they legally qualify as an overage dependent child.

4. Sponsoring Other Relatives

As mentioned, you can sponsor other relatives who are listed above. When sponsoring these relatives, it is important that you know you will be subject to the LICO requirements. Also, please note, if the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse or any dependents, they must be included on the sponsorship application.

Contact Akrami & Associates

It is essential that you have taken all of the aforementioned important information in consideration prior to applying under the Canadian Family Class Sponsorship. Additionally, if you are unsure what requirements are needed from you, it is always best to ask questions before applying. Submitting an application for family class sponsorship in Canada is a difficult task to do on your own; therefore, it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit the application. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients reunite with their family members and have helped them obtain permanent residency in Canada. If you believe that you might be eligible, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advice.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!