Reunite with Your Family through Canada’s Family Sponsorship Programme

This article is posted under Working and Living Abroad

If you are already a permanent resident of Canada and you would like to reunite your family in Canada, you may sponsor them when applying for a visa.  Not all members of your family are eligible for sponsorship, though.

Understanding the basics of Canada’s Family sponsorship programme for immigrants

In Canada’s Family Sponsorship Program, you are only allowed to become a sponsor for your dependent family members.  Here is the list of relatives that you can sponsor for a Canadian family visa.

*  A spouse or a common law partner older than 16 years old
*  Parents (and/or grandparents)
*  Dependent children and children you intend to adopt
*  Orphan siblings, nieces, nephews, and/or grandchildren who are not more than 18 years old and are not married
*  One relative of any age if you do not have any of the above relatives

In order to become a family sponsor, the sponsor must be a citizen of Canada or a person granted with permanent residency.  He or she should also meet the requirements for family class sponsorship, including being able to provide the essential needs of the dependent.

Steps in applying through Canada’s Family Sponsorship Programme

1.  Determination of sponsorship eligibility

Before getting the forms and documents needed for Canadian visa application, you must first try to assess yourself and your relative’s eligibility for the family sponsorship.  Make sure that both of you have met at least the above-mentioned requirements for becoming a sponsor and a sponsored party.  For more assistance on eligibility evaluation, immigration and visa processing agencies can take care of this for you.

2.  Preparing the required documents

There are different documents required from the sponsor and the sponsored party.  The sponsor must have the documents that are proof of his or her Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.  He or she must also fill out the Application to Sponsor and Undertaking, Sponsorship Evaluation, Sponsorship Agreement, and the Spouse or Common-Law Partner Questionnaire.

On the other hand, the sponsored person must submit the Application for Permanent Residence in Canada and the Additional Family Information Form.  Other documents include birth certificates, marriage certificates, police clearance, valid passport, and other identification documents.  It is important that you have completed the statutory documents and that the names on the documents (including the spellings) are the same.

3.  Undergoing the medical examinations

For spouses, conjugal partners, common law partners, and dependent children, they are allowed to undergo the medical examination before the submission of the application for sponsorship and the application for permanent residence.  For other relatives, the medical examination is done after the submission of the requirements.

4.  The sponsor submits the requirements

Where the sponsor submits the sponsorship requirements depends on whether the application will be processed in Canada or outside Canada.  For applications to be processed in Canada, these are submitted to the Canadian Immigration Case Processing Center in Vegreville, Alberta.  For applications for processing outside Canada, these should be submitted in Mississauga, Ontario.  Take note that the sponsor will be required to pay the processing fees.

5.  The sponsored person submits his or her requirements

The sponsored person’s documents must be submitted along with the requirements for the sponsor.  If the sponsored party is living outside Canada, the approval of the application will be sent to the Canadian Immigration Office in the person’s home country.  Under certain circumstances, the sponsored party might be allowed to stay in Canada while waiting for the processing of the application.

The length of waiting time for the application process varies from one application type to another.  In most cases, the sponsorship for spouses and children are faster than other types of application.  To make sure that things go as smoothly as possible, keep in mind the requirements and the deadline for their submission.

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