Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada can sponsor their close relatives or family members who wish to become permanent residents of Canada. Sponsors must promise to support their relatives or family members for a period of 3 to 10 years to help them settle in Canada
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To qualify under Canada Family Class Sponsorship:
The relationship between the Sponsor and the Sponsored Person (the Family Class immigrant) must be one of the following:
1) Spouse common-law partner, or conjugal partner; or
2) Parents and Grandparents
3) Dependent Children
4) Brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild who is orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
5) Intended adopted child under 18 years of age; or
6)Other relative, if the Sponsor has no relative listed above and no relatives who are Canadian citizens or Canadian Permanent Residents (limited to one relative only).
The Sponsored Person must have a Sponsor who:
Is a Canadian citizen or a Canadian Permanent Resident;
- Must demonstrate the Financial ability to provide the Family Sponsorship Immigrant and dependents with their essential needs (Food, clothing, shelter, other basic requirements of everyday living; Dental, eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services available to all Canadian citizens and Canadian Permanent Residents)
- Must be willing to enter into an agreement with the Government of Canada or Quebec, whereby he or she agrees to provide the above essential needs for a prescribed period of time;
- The Sponsored relative (if over 22 years of age and not elderly), whereby the Sponsor promises to support the Sponsored person(s) for a prescribed period of time, and the Sponsored person(s) promises to make every effort to become self-supporting.
- must have either Physical residency in Canada; or for Canadian citizens sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child, a demonstrated intention to reside in Canada by the time the Sponsored family member lands in Canada as a Permanent Resident.
- Also, after arriving to Quebec, for at least a year out of the 3 years after being a permanent resident, applicant must follow the following conditions:
- Have a business that is either a part of or a whole of agricultural, commercial or industrial industry that is established in Quebec which would be able to employ a Québec resident on a permanent basis for at least 30 hours a week.
- Be involved in the managing and operating of the business.
- In addition, the Sponsor must be: at least 18 years old; not in prison; not bankrupt; not under a removal order if a Permanent Resident; and not charged with a serious offence.
There are certain Relationships that are not eligible
You cannot be sponsored as a spouse, common-law partner or a conjugal partner if:
- you are under 16 years of age
you (or your sponsor) were married to someone else at the time of your marriage,
- you have lived apart from your sponsor for at least one year and either you (or your sponsor) are the common-law or conjugal partner of another person,
- your sponsor immigrated to Canada and, at the time they applied for permanent residence,
- you were a family member who should have been examined to see if you met immigration requirements, but you were not examined or
- your sponsor previously sponsored another spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner, and three years have not passed since that person became a permanent resident.
Processing Times
Family Sponsorship processing times vary from one Canadian Immigration Visa office to another: