Canadian Citizens and PRs have the right to sponsor their immediate family members for immigration to Canada.
The sponsor needs to fulfill the eligibility criteria that is,
- he must be 18 years of age,
- have Permanent Residency,
- Canadian Citizenship,
- or Indian status (under the Indian Act),
- proof that he is not receiving social assistance,
- and will be able to financially support his family.
If the applicant is the citizen of Canada & want to sponsor the family from outside Canada, then he must demonstrate his intend to return once IRCC makes the decision for the file.
Permanent Residents must sponsor their spouses from inside Canada.
Canada Government has recognized three different types of partners, spouses, common-law partners, & conjugal partners. The applicant can also sponsor its dependent children.
Spouses need to be married to their sponsor by an in-person ceremony. Virtual marriages are not recognized for the purposes of immigration.
Common-law partners need to demonstrate that they have lived together for at least 12 months.
Conjugal partners are living outside Canada and have been in a relationship for at least one year. They need to demonstrate that there are legal or social barriers preventing them from getting married or living together. You cannot sponsor a conjugal partner who is living in Canada.
In all cases, your partner must be over the age of 18. IRCC will check that your partner is admissible by running medical and background security checks. People with criminal convictions are oftentimes not allowed to come to Canada, but there may be options to overcome criminal inadmissibility.
The immigration officer handling your file will also want to see that you and your partner are in a genuine relationship. They want to admit people who are coming to Canada for family reunification, and not people who are just getting married for the sole purpose of Canadian immigration.
Immigration Process:
There are two applications required to sponsor the spouse, partner, or child,
- your application to become a sponsor,
- and your family’s application for permanent residence
Both the sponsorship and permanent residence applications should be submitted at the same time.
If the applicant is living in Quebec, then there is a different sponsorship process.
The first step in the process is to get the application package. The government provides an application guide with specific and up-to-date information, as well as details on how to fill out forms in the complete guide. The documents required for foreign nationals will depend on residency status, where they are applying from, and maybe even travel history.
In addition to these guides, IRCC offers a documents checklist, which shows the forms and instructions you need for your application. This list also changes so it is important to double-check before submitting all the documents. Different countries will have different form requirements.
When IRCC receives your complete application, then the processing begins. If the officer finds that your application is incomplete, they will return it to you and you will have to submit again.
It has a 12-month processing standard on spousal sponsorship applications, which may take longer.
Applications for children vary by country to country.
During the processing time, It asks for biometrics and a medical exam from the foreign applicants. The applicant will have 30 days to send it to them. IRCC may also ask for more information or an in-person interview at any time during the process.
The candidate can track and update your application status online until IRCC makes a decision on your application. IRCC will send you instructions about the final steps the foreign spouse or common-law partner needs to take to become a permanent resident.
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Thank you for informative site.