Canada is one of the best countries in the world where thousands of Foreigners land every year as Immigrants and amongst those are Spouses, Children, Parents, Grandparents, and Relatives. In this article, we will see the requirements to Sponsor your parents and grandparents to Canada.
The first step in getting your parents or grandparents to come to Canada is to submit the interest to sponsor form and you’re invited to submit a complete application, you can sponsor your parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada.
If you do, you must be able to:
- support them and their dependants financially
- make sure they don’t need social assistance from the government
Note that:
- Once you submit your interest to the sponsor form, you can’t change it.
- IRCC randomly select and invite potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents
IRCC sends invitations by email. If you’re invited to apply, make sure you don’t miss the invitation:
- Check the same email account you used on the interest to sponsor form.
- Check your junk mail or spam folder to see if an email from us is there.
- Let IRCC know if your email address changed.
If you’re invited to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents, there are 2 applications:
- You must apply to become a sponsor.
- Your parents or grandparents must apply for permanent residence.
Send both the sponsorship and the permanent residence applications together at the same time.
IRCC must receive your application package 60 days from the date of your invitation. The deadline is clearly indicated in your invitation to apply.
There are 6 steps to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents.
First Step is to. Submit the interest to sponsor form
The first step to sponsor your parents or grandparents is filling out the interest to sponsor form.
After the form closes, IRCC reviews submissions and removes duplicates you submitted and only keeps your last submission.
Second Step is to. Get an invitation to apply
IRCC randomly selects and invites potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents. This year, they’ll send enough invitations to make sure they can accept 10,000 applications.
Third Step is to. Get the application package
To avoid using outdated forms or the old instruction guide from 2019-2020, don’t start filling out your application unless you’re invited by IRCC to apply.
The 4th Step is to. Pay your application fees
In most cases, your fees will include:
- processing fees for you, the persons you’re sponsoring and their dependants
- the Right of Permanent Residence Fee
- the biometrics fee
The process may cost you around 1000 Canadian $.
The 5th Step is to. Submit your application
IRCC must receive your complete application within 60 days. The deadline is specified in your invitation.
The mailing instructions are in the application guide.
You may use a courier service to submit your application, if you want to. Courier services like DHL, FEDEX or others that will help you track your application. You can also use regular mail if you do not want to spend more on courier.
The 6th Step is to. Send IRCC additional information during processing
During processing, IRCC will ask the person you’re sponsoring to submit their documents i.e. your parents will be told to provide their biometrics, medical exams, police certificates:
- When the biometrics fee is paid, IRCC will send your family members a letter asking them to give their biometrics.
- Your family members must show this letter when they give their biometrics.
- They have 30 days to give their biometrics in person at their closest collection point.
You don’t have to include police certificates when you apply. IRCC will ask you for them later in the process.
- You need a police certificate for the people being sponsored and each family member 18 or older (who isn’t already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident).
- Police certificates are generally valid for 1 year from the date they’re issued.
- Depending on processing times, IRCC may ask you for new certificates.
IRCC will send instructions and let your family members know how much time they have to send them this information.
You must tell IRCC of any change in circumstances while your application is being processed, such as:
- birth or adoption of children
- marriage or divorce
- death of an applicant or dependant
You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.
In case of divorce or separation, you can sponsor your parents’ and your grandparents’ spouses, or conjugal or common-law partners.
In the application, you can only include your brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, if they qualify as dependent children.
You may sponsor more than 1 person or couple if you meet the income requirements for all the people you want to sponsor and their dependents (spouse, partner and children).
The people you sponsor must also be eligible
To show they meet the eligibility requirements, your parents and grandparents and their dependants must provide:
- all required forms and documents with their application
- any additional information IRCC requests during processing, including:
An example to help you better understand who you can sponsor is Sponsoring your mother and father, together as a couple
You can sponsor your parents together as a couple. On the application, one of them (either your mother or your father) will be designated as the main applicant, called the principal applicant. The other will be designated as a dependant.
- If you designate your mother as the principal applicant, your father will be the dependant.
- If you designate your father as the principal applicant, your mother will be the dependant.
If you have brothers or sisters, you can include them in the application only if they qualify as dependent children. If they’re older than the age limit or they don’t meet all the requirements, they can’t be added to your parents’ application as dependent children. They’ll have to immigrate to Canada on their own.
Example 2: Sponsoring your father, your step mother and their son
You can sponsor your father, his spouse and their son (your half-brother). On the application, your father must be the main applicant, called the principal applicant, because he’s related to you. Your step mother can’t be the principal applicant. She’ll be listed as your father’s dependent. Your step-brother can be added as a dependent only if he qualifies as a dependent child.
Example 3: Sponsoring your grandparents, your mother and your step father
In this situation, you’ll have to submit 2 separate sponsorship applications: 1 per couple.
On your grandparents’ application, one of them (either your grandmother or your grandfather) will be designated as the main applicant, called the principal applicant. The other will be designated as a dependant.
- If you designate your grandmother as the principal applicant, your grandfather will be the dependant.
- If you designate your grandfather as the principal applicant, your grandmother will be the dependant.
On your mother’s application, your mother must be the principal applicant, because she’s related to you. Her partner can’t be the principal applicant. He’ll be listed as your mother’s dependent.
Who you can’t sponsor
You can’t sponsor:
- your spouse’s parents and grandparents (your in-laws)
- However, you can be a co-signer on your in-laws’ application.
- someone who is inadmissible to Canada
- This means they are not allowed to come to Canada.
When your sponsored family members arrive at the port of entry to Canada, they must show the border services officer their:
- Confirmation of Permanent Residence
- this is the document we sent when we approved their application
- valid passport or travel document
- permanent resident visa (if we issued you one), which must be valid
- Quebec Selection Certificate, if they’re going to live in Quebec
- any other document we issued to you and told you to bring with you
If your family members are already in Canada
They’ll have to meet an immigration officer to receive their permanent residence. We call this a landing interview. We’ll send them instructions about what documents to bring with them, and the time and place of their interview.
If you aren’t invited to apply still you would have options. For Example:
Parents and grandparents can visit you in Canada for extended periods
If you’d like your parents and grandparents to come to Canada, they may be eligible to apply for a super visa which could let them
- stay in Canada for up to 2 years at a time
- apply to extend their stay by up to 1 year at a time
If you’re invited to apply
You must be careful of a few things and that includes a complete application package. If your application isn’t complete, IRCC will return it to you without processing it. However, for the 2021 process, IRCC knows that you may not get your 2021 Notice of Assessment (NOA) until after you apply. So, for the 2021 process, IRCC will accept your application if you submit your NOAs for the 2019 and 2020 tax years, and submit your 2021 NOA as soon as it’s available.
If you mail your application and IRCC gets it after the deadline, they’ll return it to you. You can’t defer your invitation and apply later. You won’t get another invitation.
When you’re invited to apply, you’re automatically removed from the pool of potential sponsors for 2020. If you’re invited this year but you change your mind about applying, you have to submit another interest to sponsor form in another year if you still want to sponsor your parents and grandparents.
You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if:
- you’re at least 18 years old
- you live in Canada
- you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- you have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor
- To show that you have enough, you’ll have to provide your proof of income.
For those living outside Quebec
To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially take care of the persons you are sponsoring for a period of time. IRCC calls this promise an undertaking.
The undertaking commits you to:
- providing financial support for your sponsored family members for 10-20 years, starting when they become permanent residents
- repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) your sponsored family members gets during that time
Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. IRCC calls this the sponsorship agreement.
The sponsorship agreement means that:
- you’ll provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members
- the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members
When you apply, you’ll have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.
For those living in Quebec
You must meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after IRCC approves you as a sponsor. The Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.
You must also sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec.
Sponsorship Refusals are also possible and you can’t sponsor your parents and grandparents if:
- you’re less than 18 years old
- you won’t live in Canada when you apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents and/or when your parents and grandparents become permanent residents
- Your primary residential address must be in Canada when you submit your application and until we make a decision on your application.
- you’re not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- you’re a temporary resident, that is you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit
- your permanent residence application is still in process
- You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
- your proof of income shows you don’t have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor
You may not be eligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents if you:
- are in jail, prison, or penitentiary
- didn’t pay back:
- an immigration loan
- a performance bond
- court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support
- didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past
- declared bankruptcy and are not discharged
- receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
- were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
- can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order
If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch with us on our website www.visavendor.com and we will be happy to help you with your questions.
