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Family Sponsorship

Canada believes in family reunification. A sponsorship can be one of the best ways for your family to get permanent residence in Canada. A sponsor that is a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen, can sponsor one or more of their family members living in Canada or outside of Canada. The following people can be sponsored for permanent residence in Canada:

  • spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner
  • dependent child below the age of 22, in some case, even above this age
  • parents and/or grandparents and their dependents
  • orphaned nephews or nieces
  • siblings in limited circumstances
  • any other relative in very limited circumstances

Who Can Be A Sponsor

All sponsors in Canada must meet a strict set of criteria to be eligible to sponsor their relatives. A sponsor must be able to demonstrate that they meet the following:

  • you must be above the age of 18
  • be a permanent resident, a Canadian citizen, or a registered Indian
  • you must sign a contact with the Government of Canada to financially provide for your relative for a limited period of time
  • you must be either living in Canada or intend to live in Canada
  • you cannot have a criminal conviction for a serious offence
  • you cannot be in a breach of previous undertaking
  • you cannot be receiving social assistance
  • you cannot be under a removal order

Family Class Spousal Sponsorship

If you are married, you can sponsor your spouse. In certain cases, you can also sponsor your common-law partner, where you must show that you are in a marriage-like relationship and have lived together continuously for a period of one year.

In cases where you are in marriage-like relationship but are not able to live together for reasons related to your safety, you may be able to sponsor your spouse as a conjugal partner.

In Canada immigration law, a person is allowed to sponsor their same-sex partner. However, family class spousal sponsorship is subject to one strict rule that the relationship is genuine (real) and must not have been entered into primarily for sponsorship purposes.

In-Canada Spousal Sponsorship

If you have a partner that is living in Canada, you may be able to sponsor them. The requirements for in-Canada spousal sponsorship are similar to family class spousal sponsorship. For permanent residence, this class has additional criteria that has to be established by both the sponsor and the applicant seeking permanent residence.

  • the applicant must either be a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner of the sponsor
  • the couple must be living together
  • the applicant must have temporary resident status in Canada

Parents or Grand-Parents Sponsorship

This family class sponsorship requires a sponsor in Canada to submit an express of interest (EOI) to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”). The EOI is placed in a pool with other people that have expressed interest to sponsor their parents or grand-parents.

Normally, IRCC will select EOI through a lottery system, and if you are selected, you have to file a permanent resident application within 60 days.

In addition to meeting general requirements to be a sponsor, there are additional requirements that a sponsor must demonstrate in order to sponsor their parents or grandparents:

  • A sponsor must sign a contract with the Government of Canada to financially provide for their parents and/or grandparents for a period of twenty years
  • A sponsor must have income that meets the low income cut off, plus 30% for the previous three years preceding the year in which the sponsorship application is filed.

Family class sponsorships are some of the most complex and time-consuming applications. If these applications aren’t done correctly there is a risk that your relative’s permanent residence may be delayed or denied.

At Parush Mann Law we can help you with your family class sponsorship application. Our Canadian immigration lawyer(s) have extensive experience working on these cases and has worked on some very difficult and complex family sponsorship cases.

Why take a risk? We have the expertise and experience to assist you in reuniting with your family in Canada. We can be your pathway to a new life in Canada. Call us today and get your journey to Canada started.