Family Class Sponsorship Program

What is the Family Class Sponsorship Program?

Early in 2022, the Canadian government announced an immigration target of 105,000 under the Canadian Family Sponsorship Programs for the year. This figure is projected to increase in the coming years as more families are reunited.

Through the various Canadian immigration programs, Canada has shown that family lies at the core of its values.

The Family Class Sponsorship Program allows adult Canadian permanent residents or Canadian citizens to sponsor eligible relatives to come to Canada.

Who can be a Sponsor?

You must meet the following requirements to be eligible to sponsor a family member to come to Canada:

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must be either a Canadian citizen, a Canadian permanent resident or an individual registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
• You must be able to financially support your sponsored family member(s) when they arrive, provide basic needs for them and ensure they do not require social assistance. In most cases, you must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) requirements.
• Your sponsored person must sign an official agreement form stating that they will make effort to support themselves except if they are aged below 18 years while applying.
• You must be residing in Canada at the time you apply except if you are a Canadian citizen residing overseas but who plans to return to Canada when your family member arrives in Canada.
• If you and your sponsored family members will live in Quebec, you must follow Quebec’s specific procedures under the Family Reunification Program.

Although other reasons may cause you to become ineligible, the following are common conditions that may negatively impact your eligibility to sponsor your family member:

• You have had a permanent resident status for less than five years and you were also sponsored by a spouse or common-law partner.
• You have not completed the specified period of offering financial support to a previously sponsored spouse or common-law partner.
• You have a pending Family Class Sponsorship application while applying for another.
• You were in jail, prison or penitentiary at the time of sponsorship application.
• You did not provide financial support to a previously sponsored person in the past.
• You have been convicted of a violent criminal offence in the past in Canada or abroad.
• You did not pay back an immigration loan, performance bond or legal family support payment of any kind.
• You have declared bankruptcy but have not been discharged.
• You have received social assistance in the past for reasons other than a disability.
• You have been given a Removal Order and have to leave Canada.

Family members I can Sponsor under the Family Sponsorship Programs

You can sponsor the following persons under this program:

Spouse

You must be legally married to this person in his or her country of origin and must be able to prove this with supporting documentation.

Common Law Partner

You must show that you have been cohabiting with your partner in a conjugal relationship for a year at least.

Conjugal Partner

Your partner must be living outside Canada and you must show proof that you could not live in or get married in your conjugal partner’s country because of legal and immigration reasons.

These reasons include marriage reasons (they could not get a divorce in their country), sexual orientation (you are in a same-sex relationship but same-sex relationships are not permitted in their country), and religious stance (your relationship is at risk of legal or social sanctions).

Parents and Grandparents

You must officially agree, by signing a sponsorship agreement, that you will meet their basic needs and offer them financial support for the next 20 years regardless of any factor that affects their status or relationship with you.

If the sponsored individual receives social assistance during the time you’re responsible for them, you would have to pay it back.

In addition, you must show proof that you meet the income requirement for the last three tax years before you commenced your sponsorship application by providing your Notices of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for those tax years.

Sponsored persons must agree to make efforts to support themselves and their family members in the sponsorship agreement.

If you live in Quebec, you must meet the province’s Sponsorship requirements after the Canadian Government has approved you as a sponsor.

Dependent Children

Each of your children qualifies as a dependent child if he or she is aged 22 years or below and does not have a spouse or common-law partner.

If your dependent children are aged 22 years or over, you must show proof that they have depended on you since before they were 22 years old and that they suffer from a mental or physical condition that makes it impossible for them to financially support themselves.

If your child is an adopted child, you can apply for sponsorship and permanent residence for the child. However, you must complete the adoption process legally before your child can become a Canadian citizen.

If you fill out a dependent child sponsorship application and do not include your partner or the other parent of the child, you must show acceptable proof of agreement that the other parent agrees to your child immigrating to Canada.

An acceptable proof will be highlighted in the document checklist specific to your country, and name the child as the principal applicant. You may use this online tool to determine your child’s eligibility.

If you want to sponsor a spouse or partner whose child is not yours, you must indicate your spouse as the principal applicant while the child is named a dependent. Also, if the child you intend to sponsor has children, you should include the grandchildren as dependent children.

In addition to other eligibility requirements, you will be considered eligible to sponsor an orphaned relative only if you do not have any other relative who is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or an Indian living in Canada under the Indian Act. Categories of orphaned relatives you can sponsor are as follows:

• Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild only if their parents are deceased, they are aged below 18, they are single, and they are related to you by blood or adoption.
• One relative related to you by blood or adoption, of any age only if you do not have any other closer living relative you could sponsor or any relative who already is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or an Indian living in Canada under the Indian Act.

Requirements for Family members if you are a Sponsor

Family members you intend to sponsor to come to Canada must meet the following requirements to be eligible:

• They must fill out all required forms and submit them along with all requested documentation.
• They must provide a medical report that meets health requirements.
• They must also provide a police certificate that would help in determining their admissibility.
• They must give their biometric information at a Visa application centre.

Find out more about the eligibility requirements of relatives you plan to bring to Canada.

How can I apply to Sponsor a Family member?

The right steps to take in making a Family Sponsorship application differ slightly for family members.

Spouse, Common Law Partner and Children

For this group, there are two separate applications which must be submitted together. They are the sponsorship application and permanent residence application to be filled by your family member.

To apply to be a sponsor:

• You must first get the application package which contains the list of documents and forms you and your family member must submit and fill out respectively. It also contains an instruction guide to help you and your family member fill out the form correctly.
• Make sure all information supplied in your application is true and be sure to include all your family members for future reasons. If you are helping them with their application for permanent residency, find out how to act as their representative.
• Pay your application fees online. These fees include the processing fee for you, your sponsored persons and their dependents, the right of permanent residence fee and the biometrics fee.
• Submit your application using the mailing information in the guide. You may opt for a courier to track your application. Your application may be returned to you if found to be incomplete or if your fees have not been paid.
• If you are contacted for additional information, respond promptly. You must also inform Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) of any changes in your circumstances or that of your sponsors.

After application, your family members’ eligibility for permanent residence and yours as a sponsor would be assessed. You would receive a mail acknowledging receipt of your application including an application number once it is received.

Each of your family members must provide their biometric information and send any requested supporting documentation within the stipulated time.

If you live in Quebec, your sponsored person must fill out a form and send it to you so that you can include it when sending your application to the Government of Quebec.

Once your sponsorship application and your family members’ application for permanent residence have been approved, your family members will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document and a permanent resident visa.

They must travel to Canada before the expiration of these documents.

Relatives

The steps to apply to the Family Class Sponsorship Program for relatives are similar to that of Spouse, Common-law partner and children outlined above. Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements to sponsor a relative before applying as the sponsorship fee will not be refunded.

Parents and Grandparents

To sponsor this group, you must take the following steps:

• Fill out and submit an Interest to Sponsor form.
• Find out if you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). If you do not receive an invitation, your parents and grandparents can still apply to visit you under the Super Visa program. A Super Visa is a long-term visitor visa that allows them to stay in Canada for up to five years at a time.
• If you are invited to apply, you and your sponsored persons must use the Instruction guide to fill out all necessary forms. You may also apply to be their representative. Bear in mind that this application typically takes 36 months to process.
• Pay your application fees online. These fees include the biometric information fees, your application fees and theirs including their dependents, and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee for Sponsored family members and their dependents.
• If applicable to you, some third-party payments such as medical and police certificates will also be made.
• Submit your fully completed application forms, including all supporting documentation and receipts of the fee.
• Send any additional information requested promptly.
• If you desire to get updates concerning your application, you must open an account and link it to your application.

After application, your family members’ eligibility for permanent residence and yours as a sponsor would be assessed. You would receive a mail acknowledging receipt of your application including an application number once it is received.

Each of your family members must provide their biometric information and send any requested supporting documentation within the stipulated time.

If you live in Quebec, your sponsored person must fill out a form and send it to you so that you can include it when sending your application to the Government of Quebec.

Once your sponsorship application and your family members’ application for permanent residence have been approved, your family members will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document and a permanent resident visa.

Adopted Children

Each province or territory in Canada is directly responsible for adoption approvals. Therefore, you must contact your Province or Territorial Government to know all the eligibility requirements for adopting a child.

Be informed that you are committing to take total care of the adopted child for 10 years or till he or she is aged 25 years, whichever applies to you.

After you have confirmed that you meet these requirements to adopt a child in your territory or province, you may proceed to take the following steps:

• Download the application package and read the application guide which helps you to fill the forms correctly and include the right documents.
• Pay your application fees online.
• Mail your completed and signed application forms, supporting documents, and receipt of fees paid to the address specified in the application guide.
• If your sponsorship application is approved, the Canadian Visa office in the country of the adopted child will be informed and you will receive a form to apply for Permanent residence on behalf of the adopted child or send it to the child’s guardian to fill out.
• You must mail back the filled form to that Canadian Visa office where appropriate checks will be carried out. The child may be interviewed if he or she is not an infant.
• Be sure to reply and supply any requested information promptly to avoid delays.
• You will be informed when your adopted child is ready to be issued a permanent resident visa. However, be sure not to return to Canada with the child unless you are sure all immigration requirements have been satisfied.
• Obtain the child’s passport and present it to the Canadian Visa Office of the child’s country for the child to receive a permanent resident visa. An official from the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) will meet you when you both arrive in Canada and confirm the child’s entry.
• Ensure you have letters of permission from the child’s guardian or adoptive parents, if any, to speed up entry into Canada. After the child has become a Canadian permanent resident and received a permanent resident card, you may apply for citizenship for the child.

What is the Cost of Sponsoring a Family Member to Canada?

For Family Sponsorship programs, the sponsorship fee is Can$990, the principal applicant processing fee and Right to Permanent Residence fee is Can$1,590, and the Right of Permanent Residence fee is Can$660. All fees are in Canadian dollars.

Find out more about the sponsorship and processing fees for dependent children.

How Can IAS Help?

We are a reliable and affordable team of UK immigration lawyers who care about your future.

If you are planning to sponsor your family members to the UK, our specialist advisers are here to help you and your family with our tailored immigration advice services.

You will be assigned an immigration lawyer who perfectly matches your needs, maximizing your chances of a successful outcome.

Call us now on 0333 305 9375 for immediate help & assistance with your family sponsorship application. We’re here to help you in person, via the phone or online.