Canada offers individuals the opportunity to sponsor their family members to come to the country and live together. There are various types of sponsorship visas, each with specific conditions and requirements. Here’s a brief overview of the different types of family sponsorship visas available in Canada:
Sponsoring Your Family in Canada
- Spousal Sponsorship Visa: This visa allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner to live with them in Canada. The couple must prove the authenticity of their relationship.
- Child Sponsorship Visa: Canadian citizens or permanent residents can sponsor their dependent children to join them in Canada. This includes both biological and adopted children, provided they meet specific age criteria.
- Parent Sponsorship Visa: This visa permits Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents to come and live in Canada. There are specific income requirements that sponsors must meet to ensure they can support their parents financially.
- Grandparent Sponsorship Visa: Similar to the parent sponsorship, this allows Canadians to sponsor their grandparents to live with them in Canada. The process typically involves demonstrating the relationship and financial capability.
- Common-Law Partner Sponsorship Visa: This visa is for those who have been living in a conjugal relationship for at least one year but are not legally married. Sponsors must provide evidence of their shared life together.
Eligibility Guidelines for Sponsoring
If you’re considering sponsoring your spouse, partner, or dependent children to live in Canada, it’s essential to understand the eligibility criteria:
Who Can Sponsor?
- Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old.
- Residency Status: You should be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or registered as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
Note: Canadian citizens living abroad need to demonstrate an intention to return to Canada when the sponsored individuals become permanent residents. Permanent residents living outside Canada cannot sponsor. - Financial Stability: You must not be receiving social assistance (except for disability) and should have the means to support those you wish to sponsor.
Commitment to Support
If you reside outside Quebec, you must enter into a financial commitment, known as an undertaking, which includes:
- Providing financial support to your sponsored family members upon their arrival as permanent residents.
- Repaying any provincial social assistance they may receive during this time.
Both you and the sponsored individuals must agree to a sponsorship agreement, which outlines mutual responsibilities, such as ensuring basic needs are met and that the sponsored individuals will strive for self-sufficiency.
Income Requirements
Typically, there are no strict income requirements unless you are sponsoring:
- A dependent child with their own children.
- A spouse or partner who has dependent children.
Special Considerations for Quebec
If you live in Quebec, you must comply with provincial requirements after your sponsorship is approved, including signing an undertaking specific to Quebec.
Ineligibility Criteria for Sponsorship
You may be unable to sponsor if you:
- Are under 18 years old.
- Plan to live outside Canada when your sponsored family members become residents.
- Are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- Are a temporary resident in Canada.
- Have any pending immigration applications.
- Lack the financial means to support those you wish to sponsor.
Additional disqualifications include previous sponsorship obligations, legal issues, or failure to meet financial commitments in past agreements.
Eligibility for Sponsorship in Canada
As a sponsor, you can bring your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent children to Canada. Below are the details for each category:
Spouse
Your spouse must:
- Be legally married to you.
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be of any gender.
Common-Law Partner
A common-law partner is defined as:
- Not legally married to you.
- At least 18 years old and of any gender.
- Living together with you for a minimum of 12 consecutive months in a genuine conjugal relationship, without significant time apart.
Note: If the relationship ends, it is considered concluded.
Conjugal Partner
A conjugal partner must:
- Not be legally married to you or in a common-law partnership.
- Be at least 18 years old and of any gender.
- Have been in a relationship with you for at least one year.
- Reside outside Canada and face significant legal or immigration barriers that prevent living together or marrying, such as:
- Being married to someone else where divorce is not an option.
- Legal restrictions on same-sex relationships or marriage.
- Risks of persecution due to differing religious or cultural backgrounds.
Proof of these circumstances is required.
Dependent Children
Children can be classified as dependents if:
- They are under 22 years old and unmarried.
- If they are 22 or older, they must:
- Be unable to financially support themselves due to a mental or physical condition.
- Have been financially dependent on their parents since before turning 22.
Dependent children must continue to meet these criteria throughout the application process.
