Sponsorship Program
Who can be sponsored?
The Sponsorship program is one of the main pillars of Canada’s Immigration policies which helps reunite the family members. Once sponsored, the applicant can later apply to become a permanent resident of Canada.
The applicant can be sponsored if they fall into one of the categories below.
- Spousal Sponsorship
- Common-Law Partner Sponsorship Requirements
- Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship
- Dependent Child Sponsorship
- Orphaned Child and Sibling Sponsorship
- Close Extended Family Sponsorship
Process:
The most important step in this program is to make sure about the eligibility of the person who will be the sponsor. The second step is to ensure that the person being sponsored fits the classification of a family member as per Canadian immigration. Post checking the eligibilities for both persons, an application can be submitted to Canada immigration for processing the family sponsorship.
Spousal Sponsorship:
According to PNP, a successful applicant will be nominated by the province to apply for permanent residence in the federal government. This means that securing a province nomination is always step one. First, an interested immigrant is approved at the provincial level and then they must apply to the federal level which is step two under this program. These two steps are a must to immigrate under PNPs.
Common-Law Partner Sponsorship:
Common-law partners can apply for this program if they have lived together for at least 1 year consecutively; short, temporary, unavoidable absences for business or family reasons may be exempted depending on the situation.
Requirements:
- Must have proof that they have a household together and have their affairs combined.
- The person being sponsored can be of the same or opposite sex.
Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship:
There are two programs under which the parents and grandparents can be sponsored.
- The first program is family sponsorship which helps get them Permanent Resident status upon their arrival to Canada.
- The second category is applying for a Super Visa which allows the parents/grandparents to visit Canada temporarily and stay for up to TWO years at stretch, removing the limit of 6 months.
When sponsoring parents or grandparents for PR, below things must be kept in mind:
- The first step in the application process is that the sponsor needs to be invited to apply. The invitation is sent after an intake process. This intake process usually starts at the beginning of the year and stays open for some defined time.
- After being invited, within a time frame, an application for permanent residency can be submitted.
Dependent Child Sponsorship:
Child/Children will be given a Canada PR status upon arrival under this program. The child must meet all the eligibility criteria under the definition of dependent children as per Canadian immigration.
When applying for dependent child sponsorship, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- A person can sponsor a dependent child who is of 21 years of age or less
- If a person is applying for a spousal sponsorship for an applicant who already has a dependent child at the time of the marriage, the dependent child can also be added to the application. The applicant must fill out the details and complete any other pre-requisites and medical exams at the same time as the initial spousal sponsorship.
- There might be a situation where the dependent child is not accompanied. However, if they tend to change their mind later and for the child to be eligible the paperwork and medical exams must be completed at the time of the initial spousal sponsorship. If the applicant does not get the medical exams for the dependent child completed, the dependent child will not be considered as part of the family, and hence they can not be sponsored in the future.
Orphaned Child and Sibling Sponsorship :
Relatives such as a brother/sister, nephew/niece, or grandchildren, can be sponsored under very specific situations. All the requirements below must be met:
- They Are Related To You By Blood Or Adoption
- They Are Under 18 Years Of Age
- Both Their Mother And Father Passed Away
- They Are Single