FAQ Family Class Sponsorship

Under the Family Sponsorship category, the following individuals can be included in the Sponsored person’s application for a Canada Immigration Visa:

• The spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner of the Sponsored person;
• The dependent child(ren) of the Sponsored person;
• The dependent child(ren) of the Sponsored person’s spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner;
• The dependent children of the Sponsored person’s dependent children;
• The dependent children of the Sponsored person’s spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner’s children.

For Family Sponsorship purposes, a dependent child’s definition is:

• has one of the following relationships with the parent, namely,
  • is the biological child of the parent, if the child has not been adopted by a person other than the spouse or common-law partner of the parent, or
  • is the adopted child of the parent; and
• is in one of the following situations of dependency, namely,
  • is less than 22 years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner, or
  • is 22 years of age or older and has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before attaining the age of 22 years and is unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.

To qualify, the sponsor must be able to demonstrate the financial ability to provide for the essential needs of the sponsored person(s) and any accompanying dependents. This requirement is waived if:

• The person requiring sponsorship is the spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner of the Canadian Sponsor; or
• The person requiring sponsorship is a dependent child of either the sponsor or the applicant.

The sponsor must undertake to provide the sponsored family members with:

• Food, clothing, shelter and other basic requirements of everyday living; and
• Dental and eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services available to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The obligation to provide for the essential needs of the sponsored person(s) will only arise if the sponsored person(s) are unable to provide for these needs on their own.

In addition to the required financial ability, the Canadian sponsor must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years of age;
• Be physically residing in Canada, except for Canadian citizens sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child, as long as the sponsor can demonstrate the intention to return to Canada by the time the sponsored family members lands in Canada;
• Not be in prison;
• Not be an undischarged bankrupt;
• Not be receiving government welfare assistance, except for disability;
• Not be under a removal order, if a permanent resident;
• Not be convicted of a sexual offence, or any offence against the person being sponsored in the five years before the date of application;
• Not be in default of court-ordered support payments to an ex-spouse or child;
• Not be behind in payments on any immigration loans; and
• Not be the sponsor, where the sponsored family members received social assistance while the undertaking was in effect.

The sponsor and the sponsor’s co-signer, if applicable, must complete and submit:

• An “Application to Sponsor and Undertaking”
• A “Sponsorship Agreement”
• A “Sponsorship Evaluation”
• A “Spouse/Common-law Partner Questionnaire”
• Government processing fees, and
• If applicable, a “Use of Representative” form

The following additional documents are required:

• The “Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union” form (only required where the sponsor’s co-signer is a common-law partner);
• Documents supporting the sponsor’s Sponsorship Evaluation, which may include:
• Notice of Assessment from Canada Revenue Agency;
• Pay stubs or letters from employers indicating salary and length of time employed;
• Proof of other income such as rental and pension income; and
• Proof of financial obligations such as mortgages, property/school taxes, personal loans/lines of credit, alimony payments and insurance payments;

Documents demonstrating the Canadian status of the sponsor, which may include a:

• Permanent Resident Card; or
• Record of Landing; or
• Canadian Birth Certificate; or
• Citizenship Card; or
• Certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad together with Certificate of Retention of Canadian Citizenship; and

Documents demonstrating relationship to the sponsored person(s), which may include:

• Marriage certificate;
• Adoption order;
• Passports indicating identity of parent(s)/child(ren);
• If applicable, documents proving that all previous marriages or common-law partnerships have been severed prior to entering the relationship with the spouse or common-law partner to be sponsored;
• Documents showing that the sponsor who currently resides outside Canada intends to return to Canada by the time the sponsored person(s) land(s) in Canada;
• If the sponsor resides in the Province of Quebec, corresponding forms provided by the Quebec Government will be required in addition to the Federal forms.

The sponsored person(s) must submit an Application for Permanent Residence in Canada and an Additional Family Information Form, as well as a Use of Representative Form, if applicable. The sponsored person’s spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner and each dependent child aged 18 or over (whether accompanying the sponsored person or not) will each be required to complete and submit a Schedule 1 form. If the sponsored person is a spouse or common-law partner, he or she will need to complete a Sponsored Spouse/Partner Questionnaire. Applicants destined to the Province of Quebec will be required to complete an Application for a Quebec Certificate of Selection form. All sponsored persons must submit proof of having completed a medical examination with a Citizenship and Immigration Canada designated medical practitioner. The following additional documents are required: Statutory documents, such as:

• Police Clearance Certificate(s);
• Birth certificate;
• Household register forms;
• Valid passport and ID cards, etc.
• Documents proving the relationship to the sponsor, such as:
• Marriage certificate;
• Birth certificate;
• Household register forms

The parental sponsorship applications were previously processed at Case Processing Centre located in Mississauga, but these days the applications are processed at Case Processing Centre located in Ottawa.

Moreover, for humanitarian and compassionate reasons, other sponsored persons may apply from within Canada. However, Citizenship and Immigration Canada must be convinced that the sponsored person(s) would suffer excessive hardship while waiting for their application to be processed from outside of Canada.

Spousal, Common-law, or Conjugal sponsorship applications and the sponsorship of dependent children are a priority at all Canadian Immigration visa offices and such applications are processed ahead of all other applications for permanent residence in Canada. The length of the sponsorship application process varies depending on the Canadian Immigration visa office to which the sponsored person’s application for permanent residence In Canada has been forwarded. See the processing times at CIC website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp

For those married in Canada, same-sex marriages are valid for sponsorship of a spouse. For those married outside Canada, same-sex marriages are valid if the marriage was recognized in the country in which it took place. Same-sex common-law and conjugal relationships are valid within and outside Canada for sponsorship of a partner.

Section 40 of the IRPA states that, a permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible for misrepresentation (a) for directly or indirectly misrepresenting or withholding material facts relating to a relevant matter that induces or could induce an error in the administration of this Act.