Sponsorships

SPONSOR YOUR FAMILY MEMBER OR CLOSE RELATIVES:

One of the principal objectives of the Canadian Immigration program is to promote family reunification. Canadian citizens and permanent residents residing in Canada may sponsor close relatives or family members who wish to become permanent residents of Canada. Under this category you can sponsor relatives or family members who are:-

• your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner 16 years of age or older;
• your parents or grandparents;
• your dependent children, including adopted children;
• children under 18 years of age whom you intend to adopt;
• your brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces or grandchildren who are orphans; under the age of 18 and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
• In case you are not having aunt, uncle or family member who fall in the category, listed above, to sponsor, you may sponsor one relative regardless of his or her age or relationship to you

A son or daughter is considered as a dependent when:

• is below the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner;
• is a full-time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22); or
• is financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.

Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada

If you are living in Canada with a spouse or common-law partner and wish to support his or her application to immigrate as a member of the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class, you must first sponsor him or her for immigration.

You are required sign an Undertaking with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. This is a promise to the Government of Canada that you will support your spouse or common-law partner and his or her dependent children for a period of three to 10 years so that they will not need to apply for social assistance.

You must also sign a Sponsorship Agreement with your spouse or common-law partner that outlines your mutual commitments to each other. You promise to provide for the basic requirements of your spouse or common-law partner and any dependent children for the duration of the Undertaking and your spouse or common-law partner promises to make every effort to become self-supporting.

Right of Appeal:

Currently, 25%-30% of all new permanent residents to Canada are sponsored.

Canada’s immigration laws provide permanent residents with an appeal before the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) to address refusals of sponsored applications. Certain conditions apply.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Process

In some instances, appeals can take a shorter route under the Alternative Dispute Resolution process (ADR). This is an uncontested process whereby the Minister’s representative, a Canada Border Services representative and the applicant’s legal counsel will agree to approve an appeal.

The ADR process can substantially shorten the appeal. The formal appeal is filed with the Immigration Appeal Division requesting consideration for ADR. Submissions are included to address the concerns of the Visa Officer that gave rise to the refusal.

ADR helps resolve about 60% of sponsorship appeals and this process saves time.

Our President, N. Juddoo, is a Certified Immigration Consultant Practitioner in Canada. He has fifteen years of experience dealing with complex legal matters internationally being a member of the Bar Association of Mauritius, member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), and of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC). He is a regular Practitioner before the Immigration Division and Immigration Appeal Division in Canada.