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The FAMILY CLASS Federal System of Immigration.
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Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Canada,
22 years of age or older, may sponsor close family kin who
wish to immigrate to Canada.
The Immigration Act policy intent in regard to family
class immigration is to facilitate the reunion in Canada
of Canadian citizens and permanent resident with their
close relatives. The Objectives are to ensuring that
anyone seeking admission is subject to standards that do
not discriminate in a manner inconsistent with the
Canadian Charter of Rights and freedoms; and maintaining
and protecting the health, safety and good order of
Canadian society.
Who can sponsor?
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident 18 years and
more, physically residing in Canada, providing financial
information on resources and obligations for the 12-month
period before the sponsorship application, meeting the Low
Income Cut-Off figures for the size of family, and signing
an agreement of undertaking with the sponsored relatives.
The major requirement for sponsoring is to support the
sponsored family applicant and accompanying dependents for
a period not exceeding ten (10) years from their landing,
to help them settle in Canada.
The sponsor must submit an Application to Sponsor a Member
of the Family Class form (IMM 1344A) in order to assess
his eligibility to sponsor. The sponsor has to also meet
some income requirements. He must submit a Financial
Evaluation form (IMM 1283). This is to ensure that sponsor
has enough money to support his dependants in Canada and
everyone he is sponsoring, including the sponsored
relatives' dependants. Furthermore, this is to verify a
track record of adequate and stable income from Canadian
sources over the past 12-month period. On this form, the
sponsor declares income as well as debts and obligations
as well as the number of people currently being sponsored.
Depending on whether one lives in a rural or urban area in
Canada, the minimum income requirements for family units
are determined to be anywhere between Cd$20,000 to
Cd$27,000 for a family of five. The sponsor may have to
provide evidence of income of an additional $3,000 for
every additional person he sponsors. If sponsors have
previously sponsored relatives who have applied for
welfare, they may not be allowed to sponsor another
person. This is an obligation to be taken seriously. These
financial guidelines do not apply when sponsoring a spouse
or dependant child.
The sponsor must also sign and submit to Immigration
Canada two agreements (contracts) with their sponsored
relatives. These agreements are the Undertaking to Assist
a Member of the Family Class form (IMM 1344B) and the
Sponsorship Agreement form (IMM 1344C). This is to confirm
the promises in writing to provide for the lodging, care
and support of members of the family class and their
dependants and to ensure that both parties understand, and
will fulfil, their mutual obligation and responsibilities.
Sponsors residing in Québec must complete federal
sponsorship applications, but Québec assesses their
ability to support according to provincial criteria.
Who
can be sponsored?
Spouses, Fiancé(e)s, Dependent children, parents,
grandparents and unmarried orphans brothers, sisters,
nephews, nieces, or grandchildren who are under age 19.
The sponsor can also sponsor any other relative if the
sponsor has none of the family member as listed above
either in Canada or abroad.
The application for sponsorship must be made in Canada by
the sponsor to Case Processing Centre (CPC), and should
include: the above-mentioned forms, all the supporting
documents required and the correct processing fee. A
decision can usually be provided after eight weeks.
Only Canadian citizens, who are outside of Canada, for
short temporary purpose (i.e. tourism) or are residing
abroad for a long period of time are eligible to apply for
the undertaking of sponsorship outside Canada at a
Canadian Visa Office. They can only sponsor their spouse
and children under 19 years of age. Furthermore, they do
not have to make settlement arrangements. Visa offices
give spousal applications top priority.
If the sponsorship application is approved, a notice will
be sent to the visa office designated to the territory of
residence where the sponsored relatives are residing. Once
the Canadian Visa office receives an IMM 1344 (the
approval of sponsorship) from the CPC in Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada, they will send a family Class application
kit to the sponsored relative.
The application kit contains an application for Permanent
residence in Canada (IMM 8), a Family Tree form (IMM
1411), a client guide and local forms or instructions
added by the visa office. In some areas, where conditions
permit, this kit may also include medical instructions and
forms. The sponsored relatives will need to undergo a
medical examination and provide a police certificate for
every country they have lived in. Unlike the class of
independent and other immigrants, family class immigrants
are not assessed under the point system. The amount of
time required to process this part of the application
varies from country to country, but it is usually around
four to ten months.
If the application is refused, the visa officer will write
to the sponsored relatives giving the reason for the
refusal. The sponsor will also be notified and will be
informed of the right to appeal. Sponsors may appeal the
refusal to the Immigration Appeal Division of the
Immigration and Refugee Board, which is an independent
tribunal.
Other categories Skilled Workers Category | Family Class Category | Refugee & Humanitarian Category
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