How to Sponsor Your Spouse and Children to Canada
Canada has become the Mecca of migrants and international students who want better work-life opportunities, business, security, excellent educational support, and leisure. So how do you bring your loved ones to Canada when you migrate?
The Canada Family Sponsor pathway can help you bring your conjugal partner, spouse, or kids to Canada for Canadian permanent residence.
Whether your loved ones came to visit you with a valid temporary visa or are still in Africa, you can use this route to make their Canadian dreams come true. In addition, applicants who reside in Canada can qualify for open work permits, which offer them the opportunity to work and support their partners financially.
Spouse: A spouse has a legally valid marriage under Canadian law and in the country of origin (Nigeria).
Conjugal partner: A conjugal relationship happens when married couples or common-law relationships are at least 12 months old but cannot live together. The reasons for this may include sexual orientation, religious reasons, immigration barriers, or marital status (married to someone else, where divorce is not possible in the country of origin, etc.)
Common-law partner: As a common-law partner, you must have at least one year of uninterrupted cohabitation in a conjugal relationship
Who is a Dependent Child?
A dependent child may be a child of the sponsor, a child of the sponsor's spouse, or a common-law partner under age 22 without partners or kids.
In addition, kids over age 22 can be dependents:
· They depend on their parents for financial support before age 22.
· If they cannot financially support themselves due to physical or mental conditions.
· If they are in the sole custody of a previous spouse
If a sponsored dependent child has one or more dependent children, the sponsor must prove their financial capacity when they meet a low-income cut-off.
Who can Sponsor?
A sponsor must be a citizen over 18 or an adult Canadian permanent resident. In addition, the sponsors must live in Canada unless they currently live abroad and plan to reside in Canada once their sponsored applicants relocate.
Who Does Not Qualify as a Sponsor?
You cannot sponsor an individual if you:
· Are subject to a removal order
· Have failed to pay child support payments
· Have sponsored a previous spouse or partner who has not been a permanent resident for more than three years
· Are in prison
· Have sponsored a family member in the past and failed to meet the terms
· Receive social assistance from the government (except for disability)
· Are in the process of bankruptcy
· You were sponsored and became a permanent resident less than five years ago.
· Have been convicted of (or attempted/threatened to commit) an offense of a violent or sexual nature or resulting in bodily harm to a family member
· Have failed to pay back immigration loans or have made late or missed payments
Fees Requirements
Sponsors must make payments of sponsorship and processing fees for their Family Class applications.
Furthermore, every sponsored applicant not classified as a dependent child must make a “Right of Permanent Residence Fee.” The fee is refunded if the applicants are refused the route or withdraw.
Spouse, partner, or relative age 22 or older
· Sponsorship fee ($75)
· Processing fee ($475)
· Right of permanent residence fee ($490)
Relative under age 22 and not your dependent child
· Sponsorship fee ($75)
· Processing fee ($75)
· Right of permanent residence fee ($490)
A dependent child, adopted child, or orphaned relative
· Sponsorship fee ($75)
· Processing fee ($75)
How Does Spousal Open Work Permit Work?
A spousal open work permit allows sponsored applicants to work in Canada while they wait for their sponsorship application to complete. But what happens if you have not married your partner and want to sponsor the person?
Canada recognizes this type of relationship/ common-law partnership, which makes it possible for you to be eligible for this migration route. However, you must have been living together for at least one year.
What is the income requirement for Canadian family sponsorship?
Before you sponsor an applicant to Canada, you must:
· Meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) required for the size of their family unit
· Provide Canada Revenue Agency-issued Notices of Assessment (NOA). NOA proves that you have met the required MNI for at least three consecutive years.
As a sponsor, you must sign an undertaking that provides financial support for the basic needs of a sponsored family member. However, a supplementary undertaking must be signed if you reside in Quebec.
The category of sponsorship depends on the undertaking duration. For instance, the duration of spousal sponsorship (including spouses and common-law or conjugal partners) is three years.
In addition, permanent residents or Canadian citizens sponsoring their dependent kids do not need to meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) if:
· Their dependent child does not have any children of their own.
However, a sponsor must meet the Minimum Necessary Income of a dependent child withits children.
Sponsorship Agreement
The sponsor must agree to financially support their family member if their relative cannot provide for their own needs.
The duration of the financial obligation depends on the family member being sponsored:
Dependent child: 10 years OR when the child reaches age 22 (whichever comes first); 3 years for a dependent child over age 22.
Spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner: 3 years
Parent or grandparent: 20 years
Meanwhile, the sponsorship agreement does not stop even if the sponsored person becomes a citizen, moves away from Canada, divorces, or separates from the sponsor.
Medical Exam
The sponsored family member must submit the results of a medical exam at the time of application.
Police Certificates
Applicants and family members over 18 must submit police certificates from their countries, including any country where they resided for more than six months.
Quebec Requirements
The Quebec province needs extra family sponsorship criteria after federal requirements are met.
Potential sponsors who reside in Quebec will receive an email or letter with instructions to submit a special agreement to the Quebec government after applying for sponsorship.
Other Options
You must apply directly through the Family Class Sponsorship program to sponsor an adopted child.
In addition, adoptions are the responsibility of Canadian provinces and territories, and therefore inquire on the province or territory’s website before applying to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
How many relatives can I sponsor to Canada?
You have no limit to the number of eligible family members a Canadian permanent resident or citizen can sponsor.
Is there a deadline for Canadian sponsorship applications?
Sponsoring a spouse or child does not have any time duration.
Can I sponsor my brother or sister to come to Canada?
Sponsoring your siblings to come to Canada as Canadian citizens or permanent residents may be difficult. However, it is possible that if you meet the criteria for a "Lonely Canadian," your siblings can be included as dependents on your parental sponsorship application.
Can I sponsor my boyfriend or girlfriend to come to Canada?
No! Canada has no program to sponsor your boyfriend or girlfriend to come to Canada.
Can I sponsor my fiancé to come to Canada?
Canada has no option for permanent residents or citizens to sponsor their fiancé to come to Canada. You must get married to apply under the spousal sponsorship category.
However, you can sponsor your fiancé to Canada if they qualify as common-law partners.
Is there an age limit for sponsorship in Canada?
You must be at least 18 years old to sponsor a family member. However, there is no maximum age limit to sponsor a family member to come to Canada.