Family reunification and reconnecting loved ones with their Canadian families, is a major focus for Canada. If you or a family member are Canadian residents or citizens, you may be eligible to be sponsored or sponsor a loved one. This is a time sensitive immigration process through which our experts at Bright can guide you. Contact us today to see how we can help you reconnect with your loved ones. We will be here with you every step of the way.
Family Sponsorship is appropriate for Canadians and Permanent Residents who wish to sponsor a close relative for Permanent Residence. Reunification is one of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s highest priorities. Individuals who are being sponsored by a family member, usually a spouse or a parent, do not have to meet the point system or discretionary selection criteria used in the other application categories. Instead, they are sponsored by a family member in Canada who will provide assistance in the individual’s ability to establish themselves in Canada. Individuals being sponsored must undergo medical examinations and provide police clearance certificates during the application process.
Sponsors assume a legal obligation to help the person being sponsored and therefore, may have to meet certain income requirements set out by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Sponsors and Co-Sponsors must be Canadian Permanent Residents or Canadian Citizens over the age of eighteen (18). Sponsors and Co-Sponsors must be residing in Canada, or if a Canadian Citizen, show that they plan on returning to Canada with the sponsored relative. Sponsors and Co-Sponsor cannot be bankrupt, in default of a previous undertaking to sponsor, in prison, under a removal order or charged with a serious criminal offense.
The Sponsors and any Co-Sponsor are responsible for providing the essential needs for the person being sponsored and their dependents for a period of three to twenty years after their relative’s arrival in Canada. Should the Canadian Sponsor fail to support the Foreign National, and the Foreign National receives social assistance, the authorities may take legal recourse to be reimbursed for any money given to the sponsor.
Co-sponsors become necessary when a single individual cannot meet the minimum financial requirements for Parent and Grandparent sponsorship. Married and common-law partners who are Canadian Permanent Residents or Canadian citizens may be Co-sponsors. Co-Sponsors assume the same obligations and responsibilities as the sponsor must also sign the application forms for sponsorship, and undertake to support the sponsoree when he/she arrives in Canada.