To financially support a family member, you must meet the following conditions:
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
- Being at least 18 years old;
- Ability to support the desired person for several years.
Who can support the Sponsorship Law?
- Spouse;
- Dependent Children;
- Parents and Grandparents
However, there are exceptions to this rule, and it may be possible to financially support an indirect family member (for example, a sister, niece, or uncle):
- There is no other Close Family Member who can protect them;
- You legally adopted them, and your relationship with them defines a foster Child.
Note that having one of the above two conditions can be enough to be a sponsor in this specific case.
What should be the Income Conditions of a Sponsor or financial Supporter?
You must sign a sponsorship agreement with your sponsored family member.
For some types of support, you must also meet or exceed the LICO (Low Income Cut-Off), for example, if:
- You support a Spouse, who has a dependent child, and that dependent child has one or more children;
- You patronize a dependent child who has one or more dependent children;
- You support your parents or grandparents.
What is the Commitment of Sponsorship?
If the sponsored person is your spouse, the duration of your commitment will be three years. If the sponsored person is your child, the obligation is for ten years or until their 25th birthday (whichever comes first). But if the child is 22 years old or older, the commitment period becomes three years.
The most prolonged commitment period is for grandparents or parents, for whom the sponsor must commit to 20-year financial support. For other dependents, the commitment period will be ten years.
How to request Family Support
1: Make sure you meet the eligibility criteria to become a sponsor.
2: Make sure that the relatives you intend to sponsor meet the eligibility criteria.
3: You must apply at the federal level to the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), and if you are a resident of Quebec, at the provincial level to the MIFI (Ministry of Immigration, Francisation, and Integration), then submit your financial support request and Permanent Resident (PR) requests of your family members or relatives together.
4: You must pay the family support application fee.
5: Send your request to a suitable address. You will find this information in the Sponsorship Guide, which is available for download on the government website.
Financial Support from a Spouse
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you can be a financial supporter of your spouse.
To be eligible for spousal support, you must meet the following conditions:
- Be 18 years of age, a permanent resident of Canada, and a resident or citizen of Canada;
- Showing that you can provide for the basic needs of yourself and your spouse;
- Prove that your relationship with the sponsored person is by providing supporting documents.
There are two types of requests for support from a spouse:
- Inland:
Spouses can come to Canada first by applying for a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa).
- Foreign or Outland:
In this case, the person you sponsor living abroad will be waiting for permanent residence outside of Canada but will be able to visit you in Canada.
Sponsorship of dependent Children
You can financially support your dependent children, whether biological or adopted until they eventually receive permanent Canadian residency and live with you.
To be financially supported, children must be eligible for the following:
- If the Children are in a normal relationship and are less than 22 years old, they are considered dependents;
- If the children are over 22 years of age and their physical or mental condition is such that it hinders their ability to support themselves, they may be considered dependents.
Sponsorship conditions for children:
You must prove your relationship with your sponsored child with a birth or adoption certificate.