Canadian Family Sponsorship Immigration Programs – The Ultimate Guide

Do you want to immigrate to Canada? Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident with a family living in another country? If so, there are several Canadian family sponsorship immigration programs that can make this possible. Including the Family Class and the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa program. Let’s look at what these options mean and how you can use them to sponsor your relatives to come live with you in Canada.

Certain qualifying relatives of Canadian citizens and permanent residents can move to Canada more quickly thanks to the family sponsorship immigration scheme in Canada. Through the Canadian Family Sponsorship Immigration Programs, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their relatives to immigrate to Canada. In addition to other qualified relatives, this includes parents, grandparents, kids, grandkids, siblings, spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners.

The simplest approach to bringing your family to Canada is frequently through one of the numerous programs that are available depending on your circumstances. We’ll go through the fundamentals of these programs in this article. And also offer you advice on how to apply, and provide connections to useful tools that can aid you in your application.

Understanding the Canadian Family Sponsorship Immigration Programs:

Family reunification is one of the pillars of Canada’s immigration system. The concept of maintaining family unity and upholding traditional values is strongly emphasized by the Canadian government. This goal is reflected in Canadian immigration legislation through a number of family reunification-related streams. However, since the end of World War II, Canada has worked to welcome immigrants in order to boost its economy, reunite families, and for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

In addition, the second-largest group of immigrants accepted by Canada under the Immigration Levels Plan belongs to the family class. To help its post-COVID economic recovery, Canada is pursuing the highest levels of immigration in its history. As a result, Canada expects to accept over 400,000 new immigrants annually, of whom over 100,000 belong to the family class.

The Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada also oversees the nation’s immigration program (IRCC). Previously, the division was known as Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The Canadian government’s family sponsorship program is created and managed by IRCC. In order to do this, program requirements must be established. Additionally, applications for family sponsorship must be accepted and evaluated.

What is Canadian Family Sponsorship?

The country offers sponsorship opportunities for citizens or permanent residents who want to bring their relatives to Canada. Certain family members may be granted permanent residency in Canada under these programs. Because Canada understands that family should never be put on hold, one of the most popular immigration streams allows citizens and permanent residents to easily sponsor their spouses and immediate family members to immigrate to Canada with shorter processing timelines.

However, there are two main aspects to sponsorship:

• Family sponsorship allows your family member to immigrate to Canada and get permanent residence (PR).
• It requires you, as an individual, to make a commitment to provide for basic needs and to support that person financially.

Who Can be Sponsored for Permanent Residency in Canada?

Here’s a summary of the different family members that may be sponsored under the Family Class Sponsorship Program.

Spousal and Common-Law Partner Sponsorship

After receiving IRCC approval, a citizen or permanent resident of Canada may sponsor their non-Canadian spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner. The Canadian government also takes into consideration candidates who are in same-sex relationships. The Outland or Inland Sponsorship are two options for sponsorships.

Parents and Grandparents’ Sponsorship

With the help of this program, you can apply for permanent residence in Canada on behalf of your parents and grandparents. They must not require government social assistance, and you must be able to support them and any dependents they have financially. To be one of the 10,000 sponsors invited to apply for this sponsorship scheme, prospective sponsors must submit documentation online.

Dependent Child Sponsorship

As long as the sponsor and the kids gain IRCC permission, this sponsorship is open to both adopted and biological kids. If they are under 22 and don’t have a spouse or common-law partner, children are considered dependents. Candidates who qualify for dependent child sponsorship are given the opportunity to live and work in Canada permanently.

Orphaned family members and other siblings

Under this program, you can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild who is your blood relative and under the age of 18. If you don’t have a close living relative you could sponsor in their place, you can also sponsor one relative (a brother, sister, nephew, niece, aunt, or uncle) of any age (spouse, dependent children, parents, and grandparents).

Who Can Be a Sponsor?

Only people over the age of 18 who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents may sponsor family members seeking to immigrate to Canada.If the sponsor is already residing abroad, they must demonstrate that they will relocate to Canada after the sponsored person is granted permanent residency.

Family Sponsorship Immigration Programs

Here are the programs Under the Family Sponsorship Immigration Program, you can sponsor someone from the family class to immigrate to Canada.

Family and spouse

Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are 18 years or older are eligible to sponsor their spouses and certain relatives to live and work in Canada. You could sponsor:

• Your spouse (you are legally married)
• common-law partner (you are not legally married but have been living together for at least 12 months in a conjugal relationship).
• You are not legally married or in a common-law relationship and they are living outside Canada.

However, to be eligible for spousal or common-law partner sponsorship, you must:

• be 18 years of age, a Canadian permanent resident living in Canada, or a Canadian citizen,
• You must demonstrate that you can provide for the basic needs of yourself and your spouse or partner.
• Prove your relationship with the sponsored person is genuine by providing supporting documentation.

Moreover, to be eligible for spousal or common-law partner sponsorship, the sponsored person must be at least 18 years of age and not too closely related to you.

Canada’s Super Visa

A family sponsorship immigration program called the “Super Visa” enables Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for a protracted stay in Canada. If you are the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen and meet certain requirements, you may be eligible for a Super Visa. In other words, the visa allows for multiple entries for up to ten years and allows you to stay in Canada for up to two years to visit family. This is in contrast to a tourist visa, which only allows for a single 6-month stay.

However, to be eligible under the Super Visa Program, you must:

• be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada,
• You have signed a letter of invitation from your child or grandchild.
• I have medical insurance.
• You can apply for a super visa from outside Canada.

Furthermore, your Canadian child or grandchild will have to prove that their household meets the minimum necessary income.

Parents and Grandparents’ Sponsorship

Also available through the Family Sponsorship program is the Parents and Grandparents program. Where a Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor their parent or grandparent for immigration to Canada. However, if you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada over the age of 18, you can sponsor a parent or grandparent in their efforts to gain permanent residency. Here is what you need to know about the parent and grandparent sponsorship program.

In order to qualify for this program, you will need to be able to financially support your parent or grandparent. You will be responsible for them from the time that they step foot on Canadian soil. This includes catering to their basic needs, such as housing and food. As a sponsor, it is essential that you ensure that your sponsored family member does not claim social assistance from the government. The sponsor and the sponsored person must both meet certain requirements. This includes the sponsored person passing their medical examinations and background checks.

However, to be eligible under the Parents and Grandparents Program, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada,
• and be at least 18 years of age.
• be the person(s) you are sponsoring’s child or grandchild
• They must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) required for the size of their family unit and provide Canada Revenue Agency-issued notices of assessment as proof.
• Sign a sponsorship agreement acknowledging your commitment to meet the basic needs of a family member(s) for the next 20 years.
• You must sign an additional agreement if you live in Quebec.

How to Apply for Canadian Family Sponsorship

Here’s an overview of the family sponsorship application process:

• Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria to be a sponsor.
• Ensure that the relatives you intend to sponsor meet eligibility criteria.
• You will need to apply at the federal level to the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and, if you are a Quebec resident, at the provincial level to the Ministry of Immigration, Francization, and Integration (MIFI). You must submit your sponsorship application and the permanent residence (PR) status applications of your family members or relatives together. Once you have been deemed eligible to sponsor, your PR application will be reviewed.
• You will be required to pay the family sponsorship application fee.
• Send your application to the right address. You will find this information in the sponsorship guide that is available for download on the government website.

Family Sponsorship Application Processing Times

Canada wishes to encourage the preservation of intact families. As a result, the Canadian Visa Office gives all applications for family sponsorship priority. The processing of family sponsorship applications might take anywhere from 12 to 24 months. It usually takes the longest time to sponsor your parents or grandparents.

Bottom Line

The Family Class Immigration and Spousal Sponsorship procedures are streamlined and applicants have fewer requirements compared to other streams of immigration in Canada. Which recognizes the value of family and spousal support for its citizens and residents. That’s all we have on the Canadian Family Sponsorship Immigration program. Follow the link below to visit the official website of the Canadian immigration authorities for further details.

Official Website