Family Sponsorship is one of the most popular Canadian immigration programs. It makes it easy for a Canadian permanent resident or citizen to help their spouse and immediate family member to bring them to Canada with reduced processing time.

This family reunification remains one of the pillars of the Canadian immigration system. In fact, the Canadian government prioritized the processing of sponsorship applications, because they strongly believe and value in keeping families together.

If you are person seeking for sponsorship, to be eligible, you must be a:

• Spouse
  Couples that are legally married in the country of origin and under Canadian law; can provide legal documents such as marriage contract or marriage certificate.
  
  
• Common-law partner
  Couples that were together for at least one year of uninterrupted cohabitation, and acts as husband and wife.
  
  
• Conjugal partner
  Couples under conjugal relationship for at least one year where couple is prevented from living together and separated due to extenuating circumstances (immigration barriers, religious reasons, sexual orientation or marital sex).
  
  
• Dependent child
  A child of the sponsor or a child of the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner that is under 22 years old. A child who is 22 years old or over and dependent on their parent(s) due to a physical or mental condition is eligible to be processed as a dependent.
  
  

You are eligible to sponsor, if you are:

• At least 18 years of age
• A Canadian citizen or a permanent resident living in Canada
• Prove that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability, and
• Can provide the basic needs of any person you are sponsoring

Sponsoring your spouse or common-law partner for Canadian permanent residence, whether they are living in Canada with a valid temporary visa or residing abroad in the country of origin, has a fast track processing period of 12 months. If the sponsored partner is living in Canada, he/she may be eligible for an Open Work Permit, allowing him/her to work for any employer in Canda while the sponsorship application is being processed. This will give couples a chance to relieve some of their financial burdens. While, if the person being sponsored is outside Canada, he/she may be permitted to travel in and out of Canada throughout the application process.

Canada’s child sponsorships allows Canadian citizen or permanent residence to sponsor their biological or adopted child or children under the age of 22 for permanent residence, as long as they are unmarried and have no children of their own.

If you are immigrating to Canada, you can choose to include your child or children as accompanying dependents of your application for permanent residency. If ever you choose not to bring them or otherwise unable to do so, you may still able to bring them to Canada later, just make sure that your dependent child or children are listed on your application form as the principal applicant(s).

Take note:

You are not eligible to be a sponsor if you:

• Receive social assistance
• Have sponsored someone else within 3 years of becoming resident in Canada
• Have defaulted on an Immigration loan or performance bond
• Have not paid alimony or child support
• Have been convicted of a crime
• Were sponsored yourself and became a permanent resident of Canada less than five years ago
• Are in jail, reformatory, prison; or
• Are under a removal order