If you have families in Canada, chances are, you may be planning to reunite with them someday. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had made it possible through its Family Sponsorship Immigration program for people living outside of Canada to reunite with their families in Canada.
Your family member in Canada will be the person to sponsor you to come to Canada if you are planning to reunite with them. Family sponsorship is one of the easiest pathways to migrate to Canada to live, study, work, and even become a permanent resident.
This article uncovers how you can migrate to Canada through the Family Sponsorship Program, keep reading to learn more.
What is the Family Sponsorship Program?
The Family Sponsorship Immigration Program enables Canadian residents to sponsor their family members living outside of Canada to Canada to live, work, and study in Canada or become permanent residents in Canada. To be eligible to sponsor a family member to Canada, the sponsor must be:
- 18 years old
- a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
The Canadian Government believes it is important to keep families and loved ones together, hence it has made the Family Sponsorship Immigration Program one of its top Immigration priorities.
There are different categories of the Family Sponsorship Program and only specific members of the family can be sponsored in each category. Below are some of the categories and the family members that be sponsored in each category.
Sponsor your spouse, partner, or child
In this category, the sponsor can sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent children to become permanent residents in Canada.
The sponsor must be able to support financially the family members being sponsored and see to it that they don’t need any social welfare from the government.
The Spouse must be
- at least 18 years old, and
- legally married to the sponsor
The Common-law Partner
- must at least be 18 years old
- though they are not legally married to the sponsor, must have been living together for at least 12 consecutive months.
The Conjugal Partner
- must at least be 18 years old
- though they’re not legally married to or in a common-law relationship with the sponsor, they have been in a relationship with the sponsor for at least 1 year
The Dependent Children
- must be less than 22 years of age
- don’t have a spouse or common-law partner
Children 22 years old or older may qualify as dependants if:
- they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
- they have been dependent on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22
If you fall under any of the family categories listed above you can be sponsored to reunite with your family in Canada.
Sponsor your parents and grandparents
This category lets the sponsor bring their parents or grandparents to Canada to become permanent residents. The sponsor must submit the interest to sponsor form and must be invited to apply to be able to sponsor their parents or grandparents to Canada.
If the sponsor is not invited to apply, they can still bring their parents or grandparents to Canada to stay for an extended period – up to 5 years at a time via a Super Visa.
The sponsor must have enough funds to support the sponsored parents or grandparents.
The sponsored parents or grandparents must provide all required forms and documents with their application, plus any additional information, such as medical exams, police certificates, and biometrics.
Parents whose children are Canadian citizens or permanent residents can be sponsored to Canada by their children to become permanent residents.
Sponsor your relatives
Under this category, only an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild can be sponsored to Canada. Relatives are eligible to be sponsored only if they meet the following conditions:
- They must be related to the sponsor by blood or adoption
- Both parents must have passed away
- They’re under 18 years of age and single
Relatives like a brother, sister, aunt, or uncle can be sponsored only in rare situations. If a family member does not meet the conditions for sponsorship under this category, they can use the Come to Canada tool to find other immigration programs they may be eligible to apply for.
Sponsor your adopted child
In this category, a Sponsor can sponsor an adopted child from another country to become a permanent resident in Canada. The Sponsor will have to go through the adoption process and the immigration process.
The sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. But the adopted child is only eligible for permanent resident status if the Sponsor is a Canadian or married to a Canadian.
If your situation is different from these Family Class Sponsorship categories and you still want to reunite with your family in Canada, you may consider other immigration pathways to Canada.
Better still, you can contact Maple Education Canada. Maple Education Canada helps people migrate to Canada to work and study. Reach out to our team of Certified Canadian Consultants via email: info@mapleeducation.ca to get started.
