Spousal immigration is an important aspect of Canadian immigration and thousands of people apply under this category every year. If you have a spouse who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, he/she can sponsor you to immigrate to Canada under certain conditions. This is a useful program for those people who cannot qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker or the Canadian Experience Class. Moreover, the applicant doesn’t have to meet strict policies as it would have to meet under the skilled worker programs. However, the sponsor must meet the eligibility criteria to be able to sponsor the spouse.

Changes to Spousal Sponsorship application in December 2016

Sponsoring Spouse to Canada

On December 15, 2016, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made some changes to spousal sponsorship application in order to reduce processing times. Spousal Sponsorship program is part of the Family Class immigration. Under this program a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident can sponsor their spouse, common-law or conjugal partner to Canada for permanent residency options. In 2015, over 70,000 applicants applied through Spousal Sponsorship program but only 48,000 applications were processed that year due receiving more applications than expected. This increase delayed processing times and therefore applicants have no choice but wait for their application being reviewed. So if you submitted an inland application the expected wait time was approximately 26 months and 18 months for an overseas application. The minister of IRCC John McCallum noticed this problem and announced that Canadians should not be apart from their loved ones for long periods of time and therefore processing times have now been reduced to 12 months. What this means anyone with a sponsorship application already in the system will receive a decision on their case by December 2017 at the latest and about 80 percent of the new applications will be processed within 12 month time frame.

Spousal Sponsorship Reducing the Backlog

As large number of applications began to pile up in immigration office, the government of Canada decided to take some necessary measures to reduce it. This backlog was not only causing delays to existing applications but was also debilitating the government’s capacity to attract potential new applicants. Along with many other immigration programs, the spousal sponsorship program also saw important changes. Generally, the assessment process became more stringent and only after a long and thorough scrutiny process, do the applications reach a decision. This takes a lot of time.

Were You Yourself Sponsored a Few Years Ago?

If you wish you sponsor your spouse, and you were yourself sponsored by a permanent resident in Canada a few years ago, it is legally possible. However, according to the latest requirement, you must wait for at least five years before you can sponsor your spouse. The time starts after you have received your permanent residence.

Have you Previously Sponsored a Relative?

Your history matters a lot when you are applying under the spousal sponsorship immigration. The government of Canada is interested to know how you have been in paying your credits or supporting an invited immigrant in the past, when you are applying to immigrate to Canada. If you have sponsored a relative in the past and were not able to meet his/her requirements as promised, this is a red sign for you. You must prove that your circumstances were different then and must provide documents that prove your current financial standing.

Spousal Sponsorship Roles and responsibilities of the CPC-V

The CPC-V will:

• Review both the sponsorship and permanent residence applications to ensure that they are correctly completed and signed and contain the minimum requirements stipulated in the Regulations,
• Ensures that the application includes proof of payment of applicable fees at a Canadian bank. Fees include:
• sponsorship processing fee (non-refundable);
• application processing fee for each person included in the application (refundable in certain circumstances); and
• Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) (may be deferred, or is refundable if permanent residence not received).
• Processes the sponsorship application and assesses sponsors against sponsorship criteria and eligibility requirements including reviewing the application against the spousal policy criteria as needed,
• Processes the application for permanent residence and assesses the applicant against eligibility requirements, including reviewing the application against the spousal policy criteria as needed;
• Refuse the application or grants “approval in principle” based on sponsorship eligibility requirements,
• Requests admissibility assessment for family members residing overseas from appropriate visa office, providing visa office with a copy of the application listing the names and addresses of these individuals,
• Initiate request for background/security checks for applicant and in-Canada dependent children through an electronic download of required information with appropriate policing authority,
• Refer to local CIC any cases requiring in depth investigation,
• Completes admissibility checks (i.e. medical, security and background) and updates electronic record in FOSS. Once these updates are completed in FOSS, the local CIC will contact the applicant for a permanent residence interview and complete the permanent residence process

We can Help You With your Spousal Sponsorship Application!

We have dealt with hundreds of Spousal Sponsorship application cases. We have helped our clients in their difficult situations and have guided them to draft a more effective application. We can help you draft your application and arrange the required documents. A well-planned and complete application will increase your likelihood of acceptance and will save your from hassle.

If you are worried about the legal fees, don’t be! Our goal is to help everyone that is interested in immigrating to Canada. Contact us and we can provide numerous options for you. You can also purchase our very affordable Do it Yourself Immigration Kit which details everything for you. If you are still not sure, feel free to get back to us. We will review your case before you submit it to give you the best possible outcome.

Many changes have been made to the sponsorship applications to reduce processing times and have family members reunited faster. As simplified the process has been made it is still recommended to hire an immigration expert to assist you with application process. Many clients still tend to make errors on their application that could potentially harm the decision on their application. To avoid delays or refusals on your application then contact Akrami & Associates for the best possible outcome. Akrami & Associates has submitted many successful sponsorship application and we can help you too! Contact us today at 416-477-2545 to get your application started today.