5 Steps to Apply for Canada Family Sponsorship

For the past few years, Canada has been the first choice for immigrants who are looking for better career opportunities. While these migrants are living their dreams with a successful career in Canada, all they miss is the support from their family members. Canada offers many pathways to reunite families through family sponsorship programs. Family sponsorship visas allow Canadians to invite their spouse, children, and parents to Live in Canada.

Canada invites more than 1,00,000 immigrants to reunite with their loved ones through Family Class Sponsorship every year.

While 80% of the applicants are spouses, children, and partners of Canadian residents, 20% of the applications are made under the Parents and Grandparents category. In this article, we will give you an overview of the Canada Family Sponsorship program and guide you with the steps required to invite your family members to Immigrate to Canada.

Overview of Family Class Sponsorship in Canada

Canada has always been a migrant-friendly country, and the Canadian Government aims to build a happy nation through family reunification programs. Canada offers an opportunity to Canadian citizens and permanent citizens of Canada to bring their immediate family members to Canada.

Who can Sponsor a Family Member?

To be eligible to sponsor a family member in Canada, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

• You must be 18 years or older
• You must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent resident of Canada
• You must have enough funds to provide basic facilities to the sponsored person.
• Ensure that your relative does not need social assistance.

Who can you sponsor to immigrate to Canada?

As a sponsor, you can invite immediate family members to accompany you in Canada.

• Spouse or common-law partners
• Dependent children
•  Parents and grandparents 

You can only sponsor extended family members like your cousin, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece under specific conditions. In some rare cases, if a Canadian or permanent resident can prove that he/she is a “Lonely Canadian” with no immediate family members in Canada or other countries, he/she can be eligible to sponsor an extended family member to immigrate to Canada.  

You can also sponsor a legally adopted child, provided that they meet all the necessary immigration requirements.

Undertaking and Sponsorship Agreement:

An undertaking is a commitment to provide financial assistance to your family member for a specific period. The sponsor is obliged to take the financial responsibility of the family member for the given period even when you are facing hard times in your relationship. The period of the undertaking can vary depending upon:

• Age of the person you sponsor
• Their relationship with you and
• The place you live,i.e. Different provinces have different requirements.

The length of undertaking to sponsor your spouse, common-law-partner, or conjugal partner in most provinces is 3 years. If you wish to sponsor your parents or grandparents to live in Canada with you, the length of the undertaking is 20 years for all provinces except Canada.

A sponsorship agreement is a mutual commitment between the sponsor and the family member to undertake certain responsibilities. While the sponsor commits to provide financial and social support to the sponsored person, the sponsor agrees to make efficient efforts to fulfill their basic requirements. 

Steps to apply for a family class sponsorship:

1. Check If You are Eligible to Sponsor a Family Member:

Check whether you fulfill all the requirements to sponsor a family member as per Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) guidelines.

Make sure to read the application guidelines as the sponsorship application fee is non-refundable.

2. Confirm that Your Relative Meets the Eligibility Criteria:

Decide on who you want to sponsor from your family and ensure that they can legally immigrate to Canada on a Family sponsor Visa. You can sponsor a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent children, parents or grandparents, and extended relatives under specific conditions.

3. Prepare Your Application:

Read the guidelines carefully before you fill in the details. Ensure that you include all the supporting documents and have your application signed before you submit it.

Note: The application forms for sponsorship are subject to change. Make sure you submit the correct version of the sponsorship application form.

4. Pay the Application FEES:

You must pay your application fee online and secure the fee receipt and include a copy of the same in your application. 

Your application fee includes 

• sponsorship fee, 
• application processing fee and 
• right of permanent residence fee. 

You must also pay the biometric fee, and an additional fee for your medical exam and police clearance certificate (if applicable).

5. Submit Your Application:

The final step is to submit the application to the correct address. Each application package comes with guidelines, mailing instructions, and the address of the IRCC office in Canada. Make sure you submit the application and provide all the supporting documents for sponsorship.

If your sponsorship is approved, IRCC will check the eligibility of the person you are inviting. In the next step, Canada Immigration will ask your relative to submit their biometrics, Medical exam results, and Police Clearance Certificate(if applicable).

Upon the successful assessment of all the documents, the immigration officer will approve the Permanent residency of your family member, and ask them to submit essential documents like passport, photographs, and proof of the payment of the residency application fees.

What is the Cost to Sponsor a Family Member in Canada:

To boost the nation’s economy after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Canadian government updated the application fees for a Family Sponsorship Visa on April 30, 2022. The current fees for Family Class sponsorship in Canada are:

• Sponsor a dependent child, or adopted child- CAN $150 per child, which includes a $75 sponsorship fee and a $75 processing fee

• Sponsor a relative (22 years or older)- CAN $1080, which includes a $75 sponsorship fee, $490 application processing fee, and $515 for the right of permanent residence fee

• Sponsor your relative without a permanent residence visa – CAN $565, which includes a $75 sponsorship fee, $490 application processing fee

In addition to this, the applicants have to pay the biometric fee, which costs CAN $85 per person.

Processing Time for Family Sponsorship Applications:

The usual processing time for sponsorship applications is approximately 12 months from start to end. But, depending on the complexity of your case and the increase in the volume of applications, it may take longer than you expect.

The Canadian Government offers many immigration programs for families of Canadian residents who intend to live with their loved ones. Family sponsorship visas have helped many families to Immigrate to Canada and live a quality life with relatives. While the application process may seem complex, with the right knowledge and guidance, one can successfully submit a Family sponsor visa for their spouse, children, parents, or grandparents.