Family Sponsorship

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP – PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS SPONSORSHIP 2020

This program is closed. Parents and grandparents sponsorship 2021 is yet to be announced.

A. About the process:
For this program in 2020, IRCC intends to accept 10,000 applications to sponsor. These are the steps to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents:
1. Submit the interest to sponsor form
The first step to sponsor your parents or grandparents is filling out the interest to sponsor form. For 2020 intake, the form will be opened online from October 13 to November 3, 2020. After the form closes, IRCC will review submissions.
2. Get an invitation to apply
IRCC randomly select and invite potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents.
3. Get the application package
If you’re invited to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents, there are 2 applications:
• You must apply to become a sponsor.
• Your parents or grandparents must apply for permanent residence.
4. Pay your application fees
In most cases, your fees will include:
• processing fees for you, the persons you’re sponsoring and their dependants (if applicable)
• the Right of Permanent Residence Fee
• the biometrics fee (unless exempted)
5. Submit your application
When you receive the invitation to apply, you will have 60 days to submit your application. The deadline is specified in your invitation.

B. Check your eligibility to sponsor:
You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if:
• you’re at least 18 years old
• you live in Canada
• you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• You will have to provide proof of income to show that you have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor You may not be eligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents if you:
• are in jail, prison, or penitentiary
• didn’t pay back:
– an immigration loan
– a performance bond
– court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support
• didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past
• declared bankruptcy and are not discharged
• receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
• were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
• can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order

C. Income requirements:
You, the sponsor (and your co-signer, if you have one) must prove you have enough income to support all the people you’ll be financially responsible for once you become a sponsor. This includes yourself.

If you’re invited to apply, you have to provide proof that you meet the income requirements for each of the 3 tax years before the date you apply.

The following table applies to residents of all provinces except Quebec. (2020)

Since many sponsors may have been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2020 tax year have been reduced to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.

Note: This does not affect the income requirements for the 2019 and 2018 tax years.

Received an invitation to apply to sponsor your parents/grandparents and need help in the process? Contact us today for assistance.

D. Processing time:
The processing time for the application to sponsor your parents/grandparents is around 20 to 24 months. It will vary based on:
• if the application is complete
• how quickly IRCC expect to process applications received
• how easily IRCC can verify your information
• how long you take to respond to any requests or concerns
• other factors

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP – SPONSOR YOUR SPOUSE, PARTNER OR
DEPENDENT CHILDREN

A. About the process:
If you want to sponsor your spouse, partner, or dependent children, you must be able to support them financially and make sure they don’t need social assistance from the government.

1. Get the application package
To apply to sponsor your spouse, partner or child, there are 2 applications:
• You must apply to become a sponsor.
• Your spouse, partner or child must apply for permanent residence.

2. Pay your application fees
In most cases, your fees will include:
• processing fees for you, the persons you’re sponsoring and their dependants (if applicable)
• the Right of Permanent Residence Fee
• the biometrics fee (unless exempted)

3. Submit your application
B. Check your eligibility to sponsor:
You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if:
• you’re at least 18 years old
• you live in Canada
• you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• You will have to provide proof of income to show that you have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if you:
• are in jail, prison, or penitentiary
• didn’t pay back:
– an immigration loan
– a performance bond
– court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support
• didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past
• declared bankruptcy and are not discharged
• receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
• were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
• can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order

C. Income requirements:
In most cases, there isn’t an income requirement to sponsor your spouse or partner or dependent child. You only need to show that you have enough money to meet the income requirement if:
• You are sponsoring a dependent child that has 1 or more dependent children of their own
or
• You are sponsoring a spouse or partner that has a dependent child, and their dependent child has 1 or more children of their own.

D. Processing time:
• Sponsor a spouse or partner: average processing time is 12 months.
• Sponsor a dependent child: varies by country.

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP – SPONSOR YOUR ADOPTED CHILD

There are two processes that you must go through when you adopt a child from another country: the adoption process and the immigration process.
The immigration process has two parts:
• the application for sponsorship; and
• the application for permanent residence for the child.
After your child arrives in Canada as a permanent resident, you can apply for citizenship on the child’s behalf. However, the adoption must be finalized before the child can be granted citizenship.

A. About the process:
Once the adoption process is in progress and you have received a Letter of No Objection from the province or territory, you can apply to sponsor your child. After that, you can apply for a permanent resident visa for your child to come to Canada.

1. Sponsoring your adopted child
When you apply to sponsor a child for adoption, remember that you are committing yourself to provide the necessary care and support for that child. You are bound to this agreement for 10 years or until the child reaches the age of 25—whichever comes first.

Sponsorship application process:
a. Get the application package
b. Pay your application fees
c. Submit your application

2. Apply for permanent resident status for your adopted child
If your application for sponsorship is accepted, IRCC will inform the Canadian visa office that has jurisdiction over the child’s home country and send you an application for permanent residence.
You can either fill out this application form on the child’s behalf or send it to the child’s guardian to do so. The completed application form must be sent back to that Canadian visa office.
When your child’s application is sent to the visa office, it will be reviewed to verify that the child meets the immigration requirements. If the adopted child is not an infant, the visa officer may have to interview the child to make a decision.

B. Check your eligibility to sponsor:
1. Requirements to sponsor a child:
To sponsor a child from another country for adoption, you must:
• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident (if you do not currently reside in Canada,
you must do so when the adopted child becomes a permanent resident);
• live in Canada; and
• be at least 18 years old.
You may not be eligible to sponsor in some cases, such as:
• if you did not meet the requirements of a previous sponsorship agreement.
• if you defaulted on a court-ordered support order, such as alimony or child support.
• if you have been convicted of a violent criminal offence—depending on the nature of the offence, when it occurred and whether a record suspension was granted; or
• if you do not live in Canada now and do not plan to live full-time in Canada when the child becomes a permanent resident.

2. Requirements for permanent resident status:
For your child to be eligible for permanent resident status, you must be:
• a Canadian citizen, born or naturalized in Canada, applying on behalf of the adopted child who is under 18 years of age at the time of application;
• an adopted person who is 18 years of age or older at the time of application, and was adopted by a Canadian citizen, born or naturalized in Canada;
• a legal guardian applying on behalf of an adopted child under 18 years of age at the time of application if the child had at least one Canadian parent, born or naturalized in Canada, at the time of adoption;
• a non-Canadian adoptive parent applying on behalf of an adopted child under 18 years of age at the time of application if the other parent is a Canadian citizen, born or naturalized in Canada at the time of the adoption.

3. Requirements for intercountry adoption
The immigration process allows two types of adoptions of children under 18. Depending on the
law of the child’s home country, the intercountry adoption must either:
• be completed outside of Canada; or
• be completed in Canada.
For Canadian immigration purposes, all intercountry adoptions must:
• be legal in the child’s home country and in the province or territory where you live;
• end the legal relationship between your adopted child and his or her biological parents;
• meet the requirements of your province or territory, including a home study;
• create a genuine parent–child relationship between you and the child;
• be in the best interests of the child;
• not be primarily to gain permanent resident status for the child in Canada.
Children adopted outside Canada may be sponsored to come to Canada if:
• informed consent has been given by both of your child’s biological parents (if they are living).
• your child has been legally adopted outside Canada.
• the requirements of the Hague Convention have been met, if they apply.

4. Medical requirements
Adopted children must complete a medical exam before being issued a permanent resident visa. You must also sign a statement that you have obtained information regarding any medical conditions the child may have.

E. Processing time:
The processing time for the application to sponsor your adopted child varies by country. It will vary based on:
• if the application is complete
• how quickly IRCC expect to process applications received
• how easily IRCC can verify your information
• how long you take to respond to any requests or concerns
• other factors

Need help to apply to sponsor your adopted child? Contact us today for assistance

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP – SPONSOR YOUR RELATIVES

You may be able to sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada under the Family Class if you’re at least 18 years old and a:
• Canadian citizen or
• person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
• permanent resident of Canada

If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must:
• support your relative financially when they arrive
• be able to meet basic needs for yourself and your relative, such as:
– food
– shelter
– clothing
• make sure your relative doesn’t need social assistance

A. About the process:
1. Get the application package
To apply to sponsor your spouse, partner or child, there are 2 applications:
• You must apply to become a sponsor.
• Your spouse, partner or child must apply for permanent residence.

2. Pay your application fees
In most cases, your fees will include:
• processing fees for you, the persons you’re sponsoring and their dependants (if applicable)
• the Right of Permanent Residence Fee
• the biometrics fee (unless exempted)

3. Submit your application
B. Check your eligibility to sponsor:
You can sponsor certain relatives if you’re 18 years of age or older and a:
• Canadian citizen or
• person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
• permanent resident of Canada You must live in Canada to sponsor eligible relatives unless you:
• are a Canadian citizen who lives abroad and
• plan to return to Canada when your relatives immigrate and
• are sponsoring your:
– spouse or
– common-law or conjugal partner or
– dependent children who have no dependent children
You may not be able to sponsor a relative if you:
• are in prison
• have not paid your alimony or child support payments
• have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet
• got social assistance for reasons other than being disabled
• didn’t pay back an immigration loan, made late payments or missed payments
• sponsored another relative in the past and didn’t meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement
• were convicted of a violent crime, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence, depending on details of the case, such as:
– the type of offence
– how long ago it was
– whether a record suspension was issued (formerly called “pardons” in Canada)

C. Your responsibilities
When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must:
• meet set income guidelines
• agree in writing to give financial support to your relative and any other eligible relatives coming with them:
– beginning on the date they become a permanent resident
– for up to 20 years (depending on their age and how you’re related)
The person you sponsor must sign an agreement saying they will make the effort to support themselves. This includes sponsored dependent children 18 or older. Dependent children under 19 don’t have to sign this agreement.

D. Who you can sponsor
You can only sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt or uncle in very specific situations. Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild only if they meet all of these conditions:
• they’re related to you by blood or adoption
• both their mother and father passed away
• they’re under 18 years of age
• they’re single (not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship)
You can’t sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if:
• one of their parents is still alive
• no one knows where their parents are
• their parents abandoned them
• someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive
• their parent is in jail or otherwise detained Other relative You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet all of these conditions:
• you (the person who wants to sponsor your relative) don’t have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
– spouse
– common-law partner
– conjugal partner
– son or daughter
– parent
– grandparent
– orphaned brother or sister
– orphaned nephew or niece
– orphaned grandchild
• you (the potential sponsor) don’t have any relatives (aunt or uncle or any of the relatives listed above), who is a:
– Canadian citizen
– permanent resident
– registered Indian under the Indian Act
If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.

E. Processing time: varies by country.