Moving To Canada Via Family Sponsorship- See How It is Done
For most immigrants, their reason for immigration was to seek greener pastures for their families. After working for several years abroad, they use their status to help relatives back home migrate to the new country. The Canadian immigration system has created an immigration pathway specifically for this purpose: The Spouse, Partners, and Children’s Program, which accounts for over 80% of immigration into the country.
In November 2023, the IRCC released an official statement stating that Canada plans to welcome over 500,000 immigrants into the country annually from 2024 to 2026. Over 23% of this would be gotten through the Family Sponsorship Program. The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) oversees Canada’s immigration system. They manage and create different immigration pathways used by foreigners to gain access to the country.
The Canadian Family Sponsorship Program allows a family member to migrate to Canada and obtain permanent residence as long as their sponsor commits to supporting their relative financially and providing for their basic needs.
Who can be a Sponsor?
- A person with Canadian Citizenship/Permanent Residence
- A person of 18 years and above
- A financially stable person: An essential part of being a sponsor is being financially stable enough to support your relatives/dependents.
Individuals planning to sponsor a family member are required to have a Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) of $43,082 for a family of 2, $52,965 for a family of 3, $64,036 for a family of 4, and $9,234 for any additional person.
Who can Apply?
- Spouses and common-law partners
- Dependent Children (including legally adopted children)
- Grandparents
How to Apply
- You must submit your sponsorship application and the permanent residence status applications of your family members together to the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
- Once your application has been approved, you must pay the family sponsorship fee.
Processing Time and Fees
- For Spouses, Grandparents, and relatives: The sponsorship fee ($75), the principal applicant processing fee ($490), and the right of permanent residence fee ($515) total $1080.
- For Dependent Children: $155 per child. Processing takes about 12 months to be completed.
Sponsors must sign an undertaking showing they are responsible for t