How do I Apply for Family Immigration to Canada?
If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you can sponsor your eligible relatives to join you in Canada through the family class program. Keep in mind, however, that when you sponsor your family members, you must support them financially over a period of time. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) says that "Sponsorship is a big commitment, so you must take this obligation seriously."
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Instructions
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Determine your eligibility to sponsor. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and at least 18 years old. You may not be eligible if you failed to financially support another relative in the past, defaulted on a support order, were convicted of a violent criminal offense, failed to pay an immigration loan, are in prison, or have not been released from a bankruptcy.
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Determine the eligibility of your spouse, partner and children. You can sponsor your opposite or same-sex spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner, and dependent children who live inside or outside Canada. If you got married in Canada, you need a valid marriage certificate. If you were married outside Canada, your marriage must be valid in the country where it took place and under Canadian law. For common-law relationships, you must have lived together continuously for at least one year. You can sponsor under a conjugal partnership category if your circumstances prevent you from living together. A child is dependent when she is under the age of 22 and not married, but some exceptions apply.
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Find out about the eligibility of your other relatives. You can sponsor parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, granddaughters, or grandsons who are orphaned, below 18, and single. You can sponsor one relative regardless of age and relationship if you don't have any eligible relatives, or if you don't have a relative who is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
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Obtain the appropriate application kit. Download from the CIC website the forms appropriate to your case. The application package for sponsoring relatives who are already in Canada is different from the application kit for family members who live outside Canada. Fill out the forms and gather required documents. Sign the commitment form, where you agree to support your relative for a certain period of time.
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Pay the fees. Pay online through the CIC website or at a Canadian financial institution. If you live outside Canada, obtain an international money order or bank draft in Canadian funds, payable to the "Receiver General for Canada." The CIC, however, prefers the online method of payment. The fees vary.
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Submit the forms and documents. If you are sponsoring your spouse, partner or children, mail the forms, documents, money order, or receipt to the appropriate case processing center indicated in your application kit.
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Mail first your sponsorship form if you are sponsoring other relatives. Send first your application to sponsor along with the payment receipt or money order to the address of the Mississauga case processing center indicated in your application kit, if you are sponsoring other relatives. Once CIC approves your sponsorship application, it will mail you application for permanent residence forms which you must send to your relatives. They must complete the forms and send them to the visa office in their home country. (Reference 5 under no. 5)
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Wait for the visa. Once the CIC approves your family members' application for permanent residence, the visa office in their home country will ask for their passports to give them the visa.
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Tips & Warnings
You cannot sponsor a spouse or partner if she is under 16 years old.
If you fail to fulfill your financial obligation to the family member you sponsored, and your relative ends up receiving social assistance, the federal and provincial governments can take action against you to collect the amount of assistance paid to your relative.
References
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Application to Sponsor and Undertaking
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Sponsoring Your Family-Spouses and Dependent Children
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Sponsoring Your Family-Eligible Relatives
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Spouses and Dependent Children-How to Apply
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Eligible Relatives-How to Apply
