Family Sponsorship – TurtleDove

Family Sponsorships

Moving abroad and leaving your loved ones on the opposite coast is not easy. One of the objectives of the Government of Canada is to see that families are reunited. Certain family members may qualify to settle in Canada long-term and become permanent residents under the family class category. After becoming permanent residents, they can live, study and work in Canada; thus, you no longer need to apply for a visitor visa and provide a letter of invitation. Like other immigration categories, family class sponsorship has specific requirements, such as minimum necessary income, which the Sponsor should meet. If you are wondering how to sponsor someone to Canada, you should start by reviewing family sponsorship applications, eligibility, and requirements. You may be eligible to sponsor a child, spouse, or a common-law partner living outside or inside Canada if you are 18 years of age or older and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

When you sponsor a family member, whether your dependent child or spouse/common-law partner, you promise to support them financially. Therefore, you must work in Canada and meet specific income requirements. Sponsoring a family member to Canada is a big commitment, as you must sign an undertaking agreement. Kindly note that family sponsorship in Canada is not eligible for a tax receipt.

Who Can be Sponsored?

Only the following members of the family class may be sponsored:

Spouses, common- law or conjugal partners 18 years of age or older;
Parents and grandparents;
Dependent children, including adopted children;
Children under 18 years of age whom you intend to adopt;
Children or guardianship; or
Brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren who are orphans, under the age of 18, and not married or in a common-law relationship.

Responsibilities Sponsors and Co-Sponsors

Sponsors assume a legal obligation to help the person being sponsored and, therefore, may have to meet certain income requirements set out by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Sponsors and Co-Sponsors must be Canadian Permanent Residents or Canadian Citizens over eighteen (18) age. Sponsors and Co-Sponsors must be residing in Canada, or if a Canadian Citizen, show that they plan on returning to Canada with the sponsored relative. Sponsors and Co-Sponsor cannot be bankrupt or in default of a previous undertaking to sponsor, in prison, under a removal order, or charged with a serious criminal offense.

The Sponsors and any Co-Sponsor are responsible for providing the essential needs for the person being sponsored and their dependents for a period of three to twenty years after their relative’s arrival in Canada. Should the Canadian Sponsor fail to support the Foreign National, and the Foreign National receives social assistance, the authorities may take legal recourse to be reimbursed for any money given to the Sponsor.

Co-sponsors become necessary when a single individual cannot meet the minimum financial requirements for Parent and Grandparent sponsorship. Married and common-law partners who are Canadian Permanent Residents or Canadian citizens may be Co-sponsors. Co-Sponsors assume the same obligations and responsibilities as the Sponsor must also sign the application forms for sponsorship and undertake to support the sponsored person when he/she arrives in Canada.