Canada Family Sponsorship Visa Program
The Canada Family Sponsorship Visa is for those who already have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, and would like to return to Canada while also obtaining a permanent residency status for their spouse or children.
Canada Family Sponsorship Visa
Canada is considered one of the most popular countries to live in because of the high quality of life and multicultural identity. Families can expect generous social welfare, low crime rates, and quality education for their children. As a top global economy, entrepreneurs can find business-friendly cities like Toronto or Montreal. Nature lovers can bring their families to take a breath of fresh air and admire the abundance of Canada’s natural beauty from the mountains of British Columbia to the Maritime provinces. With its diverse population and safe environment, Canada is the ideal location for you to settle with your family.
Canada Family Sponsorship Visa Overview
Once you have obtained Canadian citizenship or permanent residency status in Canada, you can apply to bring your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent children through Canada’s Family Sponsorship Visa Program. Sponsoring a family member is one of the fastest and most direct routes for gaining citizenship or permanent residency. Since the focus here is on reuniting families, there is no education, work experience, language, or investment requirements for the applicant or their family members.
Details of Family Sponsorship Visa
Eligibility Requirement
To apply, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency status in Canada
- Live in Canada or have the intent to live in Canada
- Must be able to financially support the person you are sponsoring for a certain time period. The exact time period, called the length of undertaking, depends on the age of the person you are sponsoring, their relationship with you, and where you live. For spouses or common-law partners, the length of undertaking is three years. Dependent children under the age of 13 or between 13 and 21 have a 10-year undertaking period or until they turn 25. The length of undertaking for parents is 20 years.
- Have no criminal record and financial liability: all immigration loans, performance bonds, and court-ordered payments were paid on time.
Who cannot apply?
Since you must obtain permanent resident status at the time you submit the application, temporary residents or those whose permanent residence application is still ongoing cannot apply. To prevent people from taking advantage of the system, the Canadian government does not allow those who were sponsored by a spouse or common-law partner and, as a result, have become a permanent resident less than five years ago to apply for the Canada Family Sponsorship Visa for their family members. After five years, however, you will be eligible. Similarly, you cannot sponsor your spouse or common-law partner if you are financially bound by the undertaking of your previous sponsored spouse or common-law partner.
Application Process
To apply, there is a two-step process. First, the applicant must apply to become a sponsor. The second part helps your spouse or child to apply for permanent residence. Keep in mind that both of the applications have to be sent at the same time.
- Download the application package which includes a document checklist, forms, and an instruction guide to help you and your family members. Forms include an application to sponsor and undertaking, a sponsorship agreement, sponsorship evaluation, and a partner questionnaire. Documents like proof of the authenticity of your relationship are noted under the document checklist.
- Pay the application fee of CAD 1,050 for spouses or partners and CAD 150 for dependent children. This cost includes the processing fees, right of permanent residence fee, and biometric fees. Additional third-party fees for medical exams or police certificates may be required if necessary.
- Submit the application to the case processing centre in Mississauga, Ontario if the applicant’s family members live in Canada or Sydney, Nova Scotia if they live outside of Canada.
- Once the application is being processed, an application number and an acknowledgement receipt will be sent. Once approved, the eligibility of the persons you want to sponsor will be assessed.
- If the permanent residency application for your family members is approved, then they will need to send additional documents, including passports or photocopies of their passport, 2 photos, and proof of payment for the right of permanent residence fee.
- A Confirmation of Permanent Residence document along with a permanent resident visa will be sent.
The whole process should take approximately 12 months for spouses or partners. Applications to bring children depends on the country in which they are from.
Frequently Asked Questions?
1. Who is qualified under the Family Sponsorship Visa?
Close relatives of a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident can apply for the program. This includes spouse, common-law partners, conjugal partner, parents, grandparents, dependent children, adopted children under the age of 18, and orphaned and unmarried siblings, nephews, niece, or grandchild. If the sponsor has no aforementioned relatives and has no relatives who are also Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents, they are allowed to sponsor a relative of which relationship was not mentioned.
2. Are same-sex marriages valid for spousal sponsorship?
Same-sex marriages that were married in Canada or in a country that recognizes the marriage are valid for a spousal sponsorship. Same-sex common-law or conjugal relationships are also valid within and outside of Canada when applying for sponsorship for their partner.
3. What documents can be used to prove the authenticity of my relationship?
A legal marriage certificate is the clearest way to prove the authenticity of a spousal relationship. Common-law partners can bring documentation like joint bank accounts, joint ownership of a home, joint residential leases, joint registration or payments of utilities, or mail addressed to both parties at the same address to demonstrate that they have lived at least 1 year of cohabitation with their partner.
4. What happens if my relationship has changed with the family member before the time period and length of undertaking has been completed?
The length of undertaking, once confirmed, cannot be cancelled or modified by the sponsor at any time, even after the family members have arrived in Canada or if you no longer have that relationship.
5. Can a sponsored person work or study in Canada while their Family Sponsorship Visa application is being processed?
After the Sponsorship Application has been approved in principle by the Citizenship and Immigration of Canada, sponsored persons are allowed to work or study in Canada while waiting for their visas to arrive. If the sponsored persons are already in Canada on a valid work permit or study permit, they are allowed to continue as they are.
Save time and guarantee your success by working with Simard & Associates. As an immigration consulting specialist, we have ample experience in helping families reunite and settle in Canada. Get in touch with our team of highly experienced immigration lawyers, consultants and global immigration experts to learn more about the Canada Family Sponsorship Visa application or other Canadian Immigration Programs.
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