Did you know that Canadian Citizens and permanent Residence Holders can get permanent residence for their Family Members through the Sponsorship Program?
To become a sponsor, you must meet decisive criteria: for example, you must be at least 18 years old, be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, show that you are not receiving social assistance, and be financially able to support your family.
Spousal Sponsorship
Sponsorship of a spouse who has a Canadian citizen is not possible, and your spouse must be at least 18 years old. In addition, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) will conduct a medical investigation and security check on your spouse. Also, the immigration officer who works on the case will ask you for a document that shows the actual relationship between you and your spouse, not that you got married only to obtain Canadian citizenship.
Sponsorship of Children
If your children are under 22 and do not have a spouse, they will be under your guardianship. In addition, if they are 22 years old or older and unable to support themselves due to mental or physical illness and have been financially dependent on their parents since before the age of 22, they may be placed under guardianship. In case of financial support for your spouse and children, you must mention the spouse as the primary applicant and the children as dependent in your application; if the children under your guardianship have children, this program may include them too.
If you only want to support your children, you must consider them the primary candidates. Also, remember that sponsoring adopted children and orphaned members of a family is different from sponsoring your children and spouse. For your spouse and children’s sponsorship, you must simultaneously apply for financing and an application to obtain permanent residence for your family. The sponsorship process is different in Quebec.
In the first step, the government provides a request guide package containing detailed and up-to-date information and instructions on how to fill out the forms. IRCC also prepares a checklist of documents and agendas required for your application; before sending all the documents, make sure that it is not changed. When IRCC receives your entire application, your work process will begin. If the file documents are incomplete, the officer will return them, and you must send them again.
IRCC’s processing time for spousal sponsorship applications is 12 months. The application process for children depends on their nationality. During this process, IRCC will request your biometrics and medical tests, and you will have 30 days to submit them. At any time, IRCC may request additional information or an in-person interview. You can track your status online while IRCC processes your application. IRCC will also guide you in the last steps to obtaining your spouse’s permanent residence.