Categories of Family Sponsorship:
Category A:
Spouse:
Married to sponsor and at least 18 years of age
Common Law:
has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart
Conjugal Partner:
can’t live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant matters like:
- their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible)
- their sexual orientation (ex; same-sex marriage is illegal where they live, socially not accepted)
- persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups which is not accepted and they may be punished legally or socially)
Dependent children:
Depenent children of less than 22 years of age
Sponsorship Types:
1. In Canada sponsorship
2. Overseas spousal/common law partner/conjugal partner, dependent children application
In Canada Sponsorship
- Sponsor: Lives in Canada
- Applicant: Lives in Canada
- If the application is refused, No appeal allowed
- Applicant can apply for open work permit
Overseas Sponsorship
- Sponsor lives in Canada
- Applicant: May be in Canada or living overseas
- If the application is refused, sponsor can appeal the refusal to Immigration Appeal Board
- For applicant: No work permit provision
All other requirements are same which are as below:
- Sponsor must be 18 years of age or more
- IF PR: Must be living in Canada
- IF Citizen of Canada: If living overseas, you MUST show plans that you will come back to Canada once the applicants become Permanent Resident.
- Not on Social welfare other than disability reasons
- INCOME req: No income requirement to sponsor spouse and/ dependent children. Should prove that the sponsor will provide basic needs of the persons sponsoring.
- If married before and divorced:
a) Sponsored your previous spouse: From the day your previous spouse became PR to three years you can not sponsor your current spouse.
b) Your previous spouse sponsored you: From the day you became PR to 5 years time you can not sponsor your current spouse
Other matters that may impact your eligibility to sponsor:
- If sponsor is in jail, prison or a penitentiary
- Did not pay back any Immigration loan, amounts claimed by any person sponsored previously and claimed welfare, filed bankruptcy and not discharged
Sponsoring other relatives
Parents and Grand Parents Sponsorship:
Eligibility to sponsor:
Sponsor must be
- PR or Canadian Citizen
- 18 year of age or older
- Must be living in Canada at time of application and when your parents get PR status
- Have enough income to sponsor (Three years income LICO +30%) is required to sponsor
These are the basic requirements. For more detailed information or assessment of your eligibility please contact us.