A Concise Look Into the Sponsorship Immigration Process
According to the Canadian immigration system, sponsorship is a process through which Canadian citizens and permanent residents have the opportunity to sponsor their family members, who have been living in different countries, to Canada.
The list of the members of your family class you can sponsor includes:
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Your spouse, who is at least 18 years old and legally married to you;
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Your common-law partner, who is at least 18 years old and you must have been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship;
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Your conjugal partner, who is at least 18 years old and has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year but cannot marry you or live with you in their place of residency because of substantial legal and immigration considerations;
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Your dependent children, who are under 22 years old and don’t have a spouse or common-law partner;
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Your parents;
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A person you want to adopt;
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Your other relatives as defined by regulation.
The main document needed for a sponsorship application to proceed is called a sponsorship agreement.
A sponsorship agreement is an undertaking that must be signed by the sponsor and the sponsored applicants with the Minister of IRCC which guarantees that the sponsor will financially support the immigrant and supplies them with the essential necessities (such as food, clothing, utilities, personal requirements, shelter, fuel, household supplies, etc.) that they will need to live in Canada. The sponsorship agreement also makes sure that there will be no need for social assistance from the government.
Requirements for Being an Eligible Sponsor
You must:
- Be at least 18 years old;
- Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or be a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
- Sign an undertaking committing to meet the basic needs of the individual who is being sponsored;
- Sign a contract with the person being sponsored that acknowledges your joint commitments and responsibilities;
- Have the minimum necessary income, as reported annually by the Canadian government in the Low-Income Cut-Offs (LICO);
- Prove your ability to financially sponsor the members of the family class and also give us the evidence demonstrating your financial resources over the last 12 months.
If the individual you’re sponsoring is a child you adopted or want to adopt in Canada and they don’t have any children of their own, the minimum necessary income requirement does not apply.
Please remember that this was just a brief look at the basic regulations of the sponsorship program. Certainly, there is much more detail to consider deep into any case. If you need case-specific information just give us a call.
