Sponsoring Your Relatives

Help Your Relatives Immigration to Canada

As you may know, you can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner to obtain permanent residency in Canada, given the fact that you and your significant other both qualify for the sponsorship. But did you know you could also sponsor your relative as well? The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has certain requirements in order for Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents to sponsor their relatives. In this article, you will learn about the requirements for both the sponsor and the principle applicant, the essential documents needed for this type of sponsorship applications, as well as other information regarding this type of sponsorship.

Eligibility of the Sponsor

First and foremost, the person needs to be 18 years of age or older. They also need to be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or in some special cases, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act. Last but not least, the sponsors need to financially support themselves and their relatives. That being said, the sponsor needs to meet certain income requirements to be able to sustain their relatives’ basic needs. This includes shelter, food, water, safety, clothing, and so on. The sponsor also needs to write an agreement, stating he or she will give financial support to the relative and any other eligible relatives coming along on the date they become a permanent resident for up to 20 years.

Who Cannot be a Sponsor

There are many reasons that will prevent you from becoming a legal sponsor. One of the reasons is financial support. If you are still going through the process of bankruptcy, or if you have received social assistance for something other than the reason of a disability, you are not eligible to be a sponsor. This proves to an immigration officer that you are clearly unable to financially support yourself and the person being sponsored (the principle applicant).

You will not qualify to sponsor if you attempted, threatened, or were convicted of a violent or sexual offence, or an offence that caused bodily harm to a relative. You will also be disqualified to sponsor your relatives, if you are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison. Criminal offences all show that you are to be considered an ongoing threat to Canadian society or your relatives, hence the disqualification of being a sponsor. You may not be a sponsor if you have sponsored

Some other reasons include currently being in jail or prison or having already sponsored another relative in the past.

Eligibility of the Principle Applicant

The principle applicant refers to the person who is being sponsored. Under two circumstances, you may sponsor your relatives.

Circumstance 1: you have an orphaned relative (i.e. brother, sister, niece, nephew, or grandchild) who is under the age of eighteen and does not have a spouse, common-law partner, or a conjugal partner. This relative must be related to you by blood or adoption.

Circumstance 2: you may sponsor a relative if you do not have a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, child(ren), parent(s), grandparent(s), sibling, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece to sponsor. In addition, you may sponsor a relative, given the fact that you do not have any of the above-named relatives who is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a registered Indian under the Indian Act.

Please note, if any of the aforementioned relatives is not eligible for this type of sponsorship, he or she may still be able to gain permanent residency through Express Entry.

How to Apply

There are two stages in this type of application.

1. You must apply to sponsor your relatives

2. Your relatives must apply for permanent residence

These two applications must be submitted at the same time.

As previously mentioned, you must prove the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada your ability to financially support your relatives’ basic needs. As a result, the most important document of this sponsorship application is your proof of income. You must also provide a written agreement, stating you will support your relatives’ basic needs for a set amount of time. On the other hand, the principle applicant must also provide a written statement about how they will try to financially support themselves. Last but not least, any information you provide regarding your marital status and all of your family members must be true. Failure to provide accurate information or all requested documents will result in the delay, or possibly, the refusal of your application.

Please note, for this type of application, you and the principle applicant will need to pay two separate fees. You, as a sponsor, will need to pay the application processing fee. The relative, as the principle applicant, will need to pay the right of permanent residence fee (RPRF).

Contact Akrami and Associates

The requirements of the sponsor and the principle applicant and the required documents are all essential information you must know and take into consideration when you are trying to sponsor your relatives. Having to understand all the information and having to prepare the application can be exhausting and overwhelming. Akrami and Associates have dealt with many family-class sponsorship applications and have in-depth knowledge of the relative sponsorship applications. Please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at 416-477-2545 for more information, or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.

With Akrami and Associates, there is always a way!