Family Sponsorship In Ontario

If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in Ontario with a family that resides in another country, you may be interested in family sponsorship in Ontario. You can sponsor close family members that are citizens of other nations so they can immigrate to Canada under the family class of immigration sponsorship. The family class may be used to sponsor certain types of family members, as explained further below. The sponsor submits a paper sponsorship application to immigration authorities in Canada who then process the application. If the application satisfies all their requirements, Canadian immigration will issue the sponsored family member a permanent resident status.

What Are the Basic Qualifications to Be a Sponsor?

In order to sponsor another family member to immigrate to Canada, the sponsor must:

• Be a permanent resident of Canada or a Canadian citizen,
• Reside in Canada,
• Be at least 18 years old,
• Have income to support the relatives they are sponsoring to come to Canada.

With respect to having sufficient income to support the sponsored relatives, the sponsor is required to enter into a written agreement with the Government of Canada to support their sponsored relatives financially for the following periods,

• Spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners – a minimum of 3 years.
• Children – at least 10 years.
• Parents and Grandparents – 20 years.

Is There a Minimum Income Requirement for Family Sponsorship in Ontario or Throughout Canada?

While sponsors are not required to prove they have a specific level of income to sponsor partners such as a spouse they are married to, a conjugal partner, or a common-law partner; they do need to show that they have sufficient assets and income to support other types of sponsored family members when they arrive in Canada, without them or the family member having to rely on social assistance.

What Types of Relatives Can Be Sponsored Under the Family Class of Immigration Sponsorship?

1. Spouse. – A spouse is considered to be a wife or husband applicant that the sponsor is legally married to. If the marriage occurred outside of Canada, then as long as the marriage is considered legal in the country where the marriage occurred, then Canadian immigration authorities will accept it.
2. Common-law partner. – A person that the sponsor has lived with continually in a conjugal relationship for at least one year is referred to as a common-law partner. Conjugal relationships are defined as ones that are marriage-like.
3. Conjugal partner. – This is a partner that has been in a conjugal or marriage-like relationship with the sponsor for a minimum of one year but hasn’t been living with the sponsor as a result of extenuating circumstances.
   
4. Children. – Dependent children that are unmarried and under the age of 19.
5. Parents. – This includes the father, mother, or both parents of the sponsor. Sponsored parents can also bring along their own dependent children who are under the age of 19, so this process allows the sponsor to have their siblings come to Canada as well to obtain permanent resident status.
6. Grandparents. Grandfather or grandmother.
7. Orphans. – An orphaned relative that us under age 18 and unmarried can be sponsored if they are a sibling (sister or brother), a niece or nephew, or a grandchild.
8. Adopted children. – An adopted child under the age of 18 can be sponsored (or a person under age 18 that the sponsor plans to adopt).
9. Other relatives – The sponsor can sponsor other kinds of relatives, only if they do not have any relatives that can be sponsored under the regular categories listed above. If this is the case, they can sponsor any other relative no matter what their age.

Work With a Lawyer That is Knowledgeable About Family Sponsorship in Ontario

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