Family Class Immigration

The current Canadian laws allow the Citizens of Canada, Registered Indians, and Permanent Residents of Canda to sponsor their parents or grandparents under the Family Class Immigration program.

For a person to be eligible to sponsor their parents or grandparents, they have to fulfill the following requirements:

• The sponsor must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident or a Registered Indian.
• The sponsor and sponsored person must be in genuine relationship not in a relationship of convenience to gain immigration status.
• The sponsor must meet or exceed the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) i.e. Low Income Cut Off (LICO) plus 30% for the three (3) previous years.
• The sponsor must sign an undertaking which would state that they would provide for the basic requirements for 20 years from the day their parents or grandparents becomes a permanent resident.
• If their parents or grandparents have a dependent child then undertaking 10 years for those dependent children under 22 years of age from the day becomes a permanent resident, or until the child becomes 22 years old, whichever comes first. The length of undertaking is 3 years from the day your dependent child over 22 years of age becomes a permanent resident.
• The sponsor must NOT be on social assistance for a reason other than a disability or in default of previous sponsorship undertakings if any or bankrupt or in process of a bankruptcy proceeding.
• The sponsor must NOT be convicted of a violent or sexual offense or currently in jail or under a removal order (if a permanent resident).
• Both sponsor and sponsored person must sign an agreement that confirms their understanding of their mutual obligations and responsibilities. (Dependent children under age 19 do not have to sign the agreement).
• In case of intention to live is in Quebec, certain additional requirements must be met.

There is no selection criteria for the parents or grandparents that are being sponsored but they do have to pass the medical tests and have to be cleared for admission into Canada.

Most of the provinces in Canada have the right to nominate individuals through the Provincial Nominee Program. For the candidates to be considered as potential nominees, they have to fulfill the requirements that are set by the individual provinces and also have some skills that will contribute to the economic growth of the provinces in the coming future. The candidates must also show the intention of living in the province that they are applying through.

Every province has its own programs and eligibility criteria. For detailed information and the most updated requirements, you should check out the individual websites that the provinces have for their affairs. Many provinces have family streams in which the families of the applying candidates can help them get the sponsorship and financial help that they require in order to settle down in Canada. These streams are ever-changing and we will provide you with the most accurate and detailed information when you come in for a consultation.

The current Canadian laws allow the Citizens of Canada, Registered Indians, and Permanent Residents of Canda to sponsor a close relative of any age (referred to as a lonely member) under the Family Class Immigration program. However, there are a few restrictions in this program. The Sponsor must not:

• Have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
  • Spouse or common-law partner or conjugal partner
  • Children
  • Parent
  • Grandparent
  • Brother or sister
  • Uncle or aunt
  • Nephew or niece
• Have any of the above-named relatives who are:
  • A Canadian citizen
  • A permanent resident
  • A registered Indian under the Indian Act

The sponsoring person can be eligible under this program only if he/she fulfills the following requirements:

• The sponsor must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident or a Registered Indian.
• The sponsor and sponsored person must be in genuine relationship not in a relationship of convenience to gain immigration status.
• The sponsor must meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) which is normally required for the last 12 months.
• The sponsor must sign an undertaking which would state that they would provide for the basic requirements for between 3 year – 10 years from the day their relative and relative’s dependent family members become permanent resident depending on sponsored person’s age and relationship to sponsor.
• The sponsor must NOT be on social assistance for a reason other than a disability or in default of previous sponsorship undertakings if any or bankrupt or in process of a bankruptcy proceeding.
• The sponsor must NOT be convicted of a violent or sexual offense or currently in jail or under a removal order (if a permanent resident).
• In case of intention to live is in Quebec, certain additional requirements must be met.

The law also allows for the Canadian citizens, Registered Indians, and Permanent Residents of Canada to sponsor Orphaned Family members as well. The sponsor needs to fulfill the following requirements in order to be eligible under this program:

• The sponsor must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident or a Registered Indian.
• The sponsor and sponsored person must be in genuine relationship not in a relationship of convenience to gain immigration status.
• The sponsor must meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) which is normally required for the last 12 months.
• The sponsor must sign an undertaking which would state that they would provide for the basic requirements for 10 years from the day their orphan child under 22 years of age becomes a permanent resident, or until the child becomes 22 years old, whichever comes first.
• The sponsor must NOT be on social assistance for a reason other than a disability or in default of previous sponsorship undertakings if any or bankrupt or in process of a bankruptcy proceeding.
• The sponsor must NOT be convicted of a violent or sexual offense or currently in jail or under a removal order (if a permanent resident).
• In case of intention to live is in Quebec, certain additional requirements must be met.

The sponsored child must also fulfill some conditions. The child must be:

• Orphaned
• Under 18
• Without a:
• Spouse or Conjugal Partner or Common-law Partner.
• Related to sponsor by blood or adoption, such as:
• Brothers or Sisters.
• Nephews or Nieces.
• Grandchildren.

The current Canadian laws allow for Canadian citizens, Registered Indians, and Permanent Residents of Canada to sponsor their spouse, common law partners, or conjugal partners under the Family Class Immigration. However, there are still some requirements that they have to fulfil before they will be allowed to immigrate to Canada.

• The sponsor must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident or a Registered Indian.
• The sponsor and sponsored person must be in a genuine relationship and not in a relationship of convenience to gain immigration status.
• A Canadian citizen not residing in Canada can be eligible for sponsoring their partner if they can demonstrate that they will live in the country once the sponsored spouse becomes a permanent resident.
• The sponsor must sign an undertaking which would state that they would provide for the basic requirements of the sponsored spouse for at least three (3) years and help them in establishing in Canada.
• The sponsor must NOT be previously sponsored by a spouse or common law partner and became a Permanent Resident themselves less than five years ago.
• The sponsor must NOT have any previously sponsored spousal or common law partner undertaking in effect.
• The sponsor must NOT be on social assistance for a reason other than a disability or in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking if any or bankrupt or in process of a bankruptcy proceeding.
• The sponsor must NOT have any pending application to sponsor your current spouse or be in any spousal/ common law relationship with another person at the time of application or during the processing of application.
• The sponsor must NOT be convicted of a violent or sexual offence or currently in jail or under a removal order (if a permanent resident).
• Both sponsor and sponsored person must sign an agreement that confirms their understanding of their mutual obligations and responsibilities.
• In case of intention to live in Quebec, certain additional requirements must be met.

The sponsored person also has to fulfil some basic requirements. These are:

• The sponsored person must be at least 16 years of age.
• The sponsored person must not be too closely related by blood to the sponsor.
• The sponsored person must be medically examined and must not be inadmissible.