Family Class Sponsorship: Canada PR Visa for Family Members

Family Class Sponsorship is the second biggest immigration category in Canada which makes it a crucial pathway for immigrants. If you are seeking to apply for Canada PR Visa from India for your family members then you must choose the Family Sponsorship Canada Program.

Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada whose age is 18 years and above can sponsor specific members of family for Family PR for Canada from India. Such sponsored family members can work, study and reside in Canada.

PR Sponsorship for family members is a major family reunification initiative of the Government of Canada for newcomers. It enables the immigrants having PR status to bring their loved ones to the Land of Maple Leaf.

Spouse and immediate family members can be sponsored through the Family Class Sponsorship for Canada PR Visa.

Eligible Family Members for Sponsorship to Canada

Sponsorship for Spouse, Conjugal, or Common-law Partner

You can sponsor your Spouse, Conjugal, or Common-law Partner for a Canada PR Visa irrespective of if they are currently residing in Canada on a Temporary Resident Visa or overseas. Further, spousal sponsorship applicants who are residing in Canada can also become eligible for Spousal Open Work Permit. It relieves the couple of their fiscal burden to an extent.

Open Work Permit authorizes the individuals to work in Canada during their processing of their Spousal Sponsorship Application. Canada does recognize common-law partnerships. So you can qualify to apply for Spousal Sponsorship if you and your partner have been residing together for 1 year bur are not married.

Sponsorship for Parent or Grandparents

The commitment of Canada towards family reunification covers Grandparents and Parents of Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada. This is through the Grandparent and Parent Sponsorship Program.

For sponsoring the Grandparent or Parent, the Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada must prove that they are able to support their family financially. It is by satisfying the MNI - Minimum Necessary Income criteria corresponding to the family unit size. If required they must also agree to support their family members financially who are being sponsored.

If you are unable to sponsor your Grandparent or Parent permanently, you can consider the Super Visa Program. It is a long-term and multiple entries Canada Visa for Grandparents and Parents of Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada.

Sponsorship for Child or Other Dependant

You can choose to include your kids as accompanying dependents in your PR Visa application if you are immigrating to Canada. But if you do not include them for any reasons, they can nevertheless join you later in Canada.

Child Sponsorship Program of Canada permits Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada to sponsor their adopted or biological children below 22 years of age for Permanent Resident status. The sponsored children must be unmarried and not have any kids of their own.

Children above 22 years of age can be regarded as dependent if they suffer from a mental or physical condition that hinder them from supporting themselves.

Sponsorship for Orphaned Sisters, Brothers, Nieces, Nephews, or Grandchild

In a few particular cases, Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada can qualify to offer sponsorship to their Orphaned Sister, Brother, Niece, Nephew, or Grandchild. To sponsor your orphaned relative to Canada, they have to be below 18 years of age, unmarried and be related to you by adoption or blood.

Other Relatives

In some extraordinary situations, Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada can qualify to offer sponsorship to their extended relative to Canada. For sponsoring a relative who is not included currently in the Family Class definition in Canada, the sponsors have to be acknowledged as ‘alone Canadian’. It implies that the sponsor does not have a Common-law partner, Spouse, Parent, Child or Grandparent.

Eligibility to Sponsor Family Members

If you wish to sponsor a member of your family to Canada, you have to fulfill the least eligibility criteria. You must:

·         Have the status of Permanent Resident or Citizen in Canada

·      Be aged eighteen years at least 

·         Stay in Canada or intend to arrive in Canada after your partner or spouse gets the status of Permanent Resident in Canada

·         Have the ability and keenness to cater to the essential financial needs of your member of the family for 3 years

Loss of eligibility for Sponsoring

In some circumstances, a Permanent Resident or Citizen in Canada becomes ineligible for sponsoring their family members. These include any of the following scenarios:

·         Currently being imprisoned

·         Non-payment of child support or alimony payments

·         Been declared bankrupt and currently not released

·         Receipt of social assistance excluding a disability

·         Failure of repayment of immigration loan, missed or late payments

·         Past sponsorship to another family member and failure to fulfill agreement terms of the sponsorship

·         Being convicted of a violent crime, sexual offense, or offense against a relative based on the circumstances of the case

Income Requirement for Family Class Sponsorship

The minimum income criterion is applicable to a few applications for sponsorship like Grandparents, Parents, qualified orphaned relatives, or those who qualify through the ‘alone Canadian’ policy.

In these applications, sponsors have to fulfill the MNI - Minimum Necessary Income needed for their family unit size. They must also offer NOA - Notices of Assessment provided by the Canada Revenue Agency to prove that they have fulfilled the MNI criteria for a minimum of 3 successive years.

Demonstrating a minimum amount of income is not required for sponsoring a Spouse.

Processing times for sponsorship

Family Class Sponsorship applications require roughly 12 months for processing from the beginning to the conclusion. However, it can require longer processing times in some applications and based on circumstances.

Delays in the application can result from complications in the application or if the Immigration Officer needs extra evidence of your relationship.

To apply for Family PR for Canada from India or to check your Eligibility for Canada PR Visa, connect with ICCRC-authorized Immigration Experts at Nationwide Visas.