Family Class Sponsorship

Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship

Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada are eligible to sponsor their parents and grandparents to become Permanent Residents of Canada. In order to do so, applications must:

1. Support them and their dependents financially
2. Make sure that they do not require any social assistance from the government

There are certain factors in which applicants must meet first prior to submitting their interest to sponsor form online through the IRCC website. Should applicants meet the requirements, they will first have to fill out the interest to sponsor form. IRCC is now conducting the lottery system, in which random eligible candidates receive an invitation to apply and the opportunity to submit a complete application with all the required forms and documents.
The six steps in order to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents are:

1. Submit the interest to sponsor form
2. Get an invitation to submit a complete application
3. Get the application package
4. Pay the applicable application fees
5. Submit the application
6. Send additional documents during the processing

Spousal Sponsorship

Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are married to a foreign national have the right to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner through the family sponsorship program. Through this program, applicants sponsor their spouse via inland or overseas.

Inland Spousal Sponsorship

Inland Spousal Sponsorship gives applicants who are already in Canada the ability to continue living in Canada while their application for permanent residence is processed. It is important to note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their status in Canada is valid throughout the processing of their permanent residency application. With this application, it is recommended that applicants do not travel overseas as there is a chance to be denied entry into Canada upon their return. However, there are some benefits when applying under the Inland Spousal Sponsorship route:

1. May apply for an open work permit while permanent residency application is in process
   • This is a pilot program and it is running until July 31, 2020
2. Eligible to apply for health care once open work permit is obtained
3. Able to stay in Canada during the process, must maintain status (i.e. work permit, visitor status, student)

Overseas Spousal Sponsorship

Overseas spousal sponsorship is typically the path applicants choose if they are not in Canada and unable to obtain a visa to travel to Canada. There are some cases in which applicants who are in Canada choose this option if they wish to travel back and forth from their home country during the processing of their application.