Canadian citizens and permanent residents can bring their loved ones to live in Canada through the family sponsorship program. Some parents may join their Canadian family members to live in Canada as permanent residents due to family ties.
Family sponsorship involves acting as guarantor for your family member and taking on financial responsibilities for them. Although various programs are available depending on the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored person, the process is similar. You will need to apply with all appropriate documentation and prove to the government that your relationship is genuine, whether through blood ties, marriage documents, co-dependency and mutual finances, adoption documents, etc.
Spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, dependent children, parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents can come to Canada to live, work or study. Depending on the route you choose to take to apply, your family member may become a permanent resident after a period of time.
The spouse sponsorship program and a subcategory of family reunification. Under this program, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor a spouse or common-law partner to obtain Canadian permanent residence.
Both the Canadian citizen or permanent resident (also called the “sponsor”) and the foreign national (the “sponsored person”) must be approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, previously known as Citizenship and Immigration Canada) for the sponsored person can receive a visa.
Criteria for sponsorship of a spouse or common-law partner
In order to obtain a visa under this program, the sponsor and sponsored person must demonstrate that they are involved in one of the following relationships:
• Spouse
• Law partner
• Marital partner
A Family Sponsorship in St. John's application for spouses or common-law partners outside of Canada is generally pursued when the sponsored person resides outside of Canada. However, the applicant may remain within Canada and submit an application under the external category, and may be able to enter and leave Canada while their application is being processed. External applications are processed by the visa office linked to the applicant's country of origin, or the country where he or she has legally resided for at least one year.
The other option for spousal or common-law partner sponsorship and the internal category. Applicants may choose this option when they are staying together in Canada and the foreign national (the sponsored person) holds temporary status in Canada as a temporary worker, student, or visitor. The sponsored person may be eligible for an open work permit, which allows them to work for any employer in Canada while their application is processed.
Fees: Applicants will be charged a fee. For the sponsorship of a spouse, the fees are approximately $570, to which is added $515 for the right of permanent residence. For dependent children, the fee is approximately $150. If the government requires biometric data, an additional fee of $85 per person will be required for processing biometric data.
When sponsoring a family member under Family Sponsorship in NOVA Scotia, the sponsor agrees to provide for the essential needs of the sponsored person and their dependent children.
If the sponsored person must undergo a medical examination, additional fees may be required for Family Sponsorship in Northwest Territories.
The sponsor (and co-signer, if applicable) will be required to demonstrate financial ability to support all sponsored individuals as well as their own needs. This generally means that the sponsor must meet the income requirements for each of the three tax years preceding the application date.
Skywheel Immigration is responsible for providing refugees with assistance in the settlement process, as well as materially and financially, for the duration of the sponsorship period – usually up to one year after their arrival in Canada.
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