Immigration Blog about US & Canadian Immigration matters.

Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada with family in another country and looking for options to all live together in Canada? Family reunification is very important to Canadians and the Canadian Government. This is where family class sponsorship was created.  The family class sponsorship program allows Canadian citizens and those who hold PR status to their family members from overseas, allowing them to come to Canada. If this sounds like your situation, continue below to learn more.

Who is able to be a sponsor?

In order to sponsor your spouse, common law or conjugal partner to come to Canada, both applicants must meet various requirements outlined by the Government of Canada. One of these requirements is to prove your relationship is genuine.

Proving the genuiness of your relationship to immigration officers can be stressful and sometimes bordering on embarrassing. Giving a stranger a look through private eyes into the intimacy of your relationship… it can be the make it or break it aspect of your application. In this blog we’ll look at ways to prove that your relationship is real and not just to get into the beautiful country you want to call home with your significant other.

 Are you separated from your significant other for reasons beyond your control? (Religion, War, legal barriers, fear of persecution, sexual orientation) Canada has sponsorship class dedicated specifically to help reunite you. Continue reading below for details on conjugal partnership/sponsorship….

What is a conjugal partnership?

Immigration Canada defines a conjugal partnership as individuals who have been in a marriage- like commitment with a permanent resident or Canadian citizen for a period of minimum 1 year but who currently resides outside of Canada. Special circumstances prevent these partners from living today.

What is Family Class Sponsorship?

The Canadian government values keeping families together, and therefore prioritizes family class sponsorship applications. You can sponsor certain relatives living abroad to immigrate to Canada if you meet the mandatory requirements.

How Family Class Sponsorship Works?

The Canadian family member may sponsor the following individuals:

What does it Mean When Receiving Procedural Fairness Letter

Have you received a procedural fairness letter from citizenship and immigration Canada and not sure how to respond to this letter?

If this is the case, then this blog is for you!

ALL ABOUT COMMON LAW SPONSORSHIP

Does your partner live outside of Canada? Are you a Canadian permanent resident or citizen, and looking to sponsor your partner to come to Canada? Are you confused about what the process entails? Are you wondering how a common law sponsorship works? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, all of your questions about common law sponsorship will be answered in this blog.

What is a Common Law sponsorship in Canada

Sponsoring your partner to come to Canada can be done through various manners. Spousal sponsorship and Common Law sponsorship are very common when it comes to requirements, processes, eligibility and others. However, the main difference is that for a common law sponsorship, there is no need for the couple to get married or be married. A common law partner can be of any sex but needs to be over the age of 18. Furthermore, in order to prove a common law partnership, it is important that the couple has lived together consecutively for at least the time period of one full year. The partners also must have not been living apart unless for short periods of time regarding family or work obligation.

Do You Want to Immigrate to Canada in 2019

As you may know, Canada’s education and living conditions attract many foreign nationals to visit, study, and work. Furthermore, the multiculturalism in Canada is one of the essential reasons that drives one's longing to move. After they have experienced the beauty of Canada, they may consider settling down permanently in Canada. While numerous individuals are contemplating moving to Canada, they may be thinking about looking for assistance from an immigration representative to make the immigration process more smoothly. Indeed, here comes the most significant inquiry: is hiring a representative necessary? In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of hiring an immigration representative and how to avoid immigration fraud.

Who are Immigration Representatives

Immigration may be difficult and complicated, especially if you are not family with Canadian immigration law. If you are struggling with your application, you may be able to seek guidance from a representative. An Immigration and citizenship representative’s job duties include but are not limited to:

How to Avoid Common Application Mistakes

The number one reason applications are refused is because they are riddled with mistakes. These applications are difficult applications to pursue on your own, because, if you are unfamiliar with the process, there is a good chance you overlook certain details and submit an imperfect application. Unfortunately for applicants, the Canadian Government is not interesting in assisting others file applications; this is why they recommend you consult an immigration specialist, or a lawyer. It often comes as a surprise when an application which is incomplete is returned and refused, without any ability to re-submit it and pick up where it left off. However, one needs to understand, immigration and border protection cannot be taken lightly. Applications must be complete and robust for the security of Canada as a whole. Therefore, it makes sense that when an application is complete, it cannot simply be approved. Furthermore, the Canadian government has to devote all its time and resources to processing and approving complete applications for individuals who truly deserve to fulfill their long-worked-for-wish of immigrating to Canada. Everyone who submits an application to immigration can understand, the wait time are agonizing at the best of times, and they would not like to think their applications are being inefficient they are spending too much time processing applications. Ultimately, we have created this article to help applicants have an easier time submitting applications which will not be returned and refused, and get everyone working together to help Canadian border officers process more files successfully.

1. Always check country specific requirements before submitting your application.

Regardless of the type of application you are submitting, whether it be for permanent residence, or for temporary residence, please take the time to do this. Depending on the country and the type of application you are submitting, you could need to submit additional documents. Or for example, you could have to submit originals of some documents which other countries are only required to submit a copy of. If you do not submit original documents when required, your application will be returned as incomplete.

Questions and Answers for Common-Law Sponsorship

In this article, I will address questions and answers for Common-Law sponsorship in order for you to further understand what a Common-Law sponsorship entails. A Common-Law sponsorship is intended for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their common-law partner to come to Canada and receive permanent residency. It was created to give Canadian citizens and permanent residents an opportunity to finally be united with their spouses. The Canadian government believes that individuals live a better life when they are united with their families and reinforce family reunification. If you feel as though you would be eligible to apply for a Common-Law sponsorship, I suggest you read our article on “How to Sponsor your Common-Law Partner” before reading this question and answer article. This article is intended to clarify any misunderstanding or confusion with regards to a Common-Law sponsorship.

Q: What documents can my common-law partner and I provide to prove we have been living together for over a year?

A: There are specific documents that you and your common-law partner can provide to Immigration to prove that you have been living together for over a year. Such documents include, shared ownership, lease or rental agreements of residential property; joint bills for shared utilities, such as electricity, telephone, gas, etc.; important documents that show the same address, such as driver’s licenses and insurance policies; and lastly, identification documents. Keep in mind, Immigration will accept any other documentation you can provide that you feel would prove that you and your common-law partner have been living together for over a year.

Questions and Answers for Spousal Sponsorship

In this article, I will address questions and answers for spousal sponsorship in order for you to further understand what a spousal sponsorship entails. A spousal sponsorship is intended for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their spouse to come to Canada. It was created to give Canadian citizens and permanent residents an opportunity to finally be united with their spouses as it is said that individuals live a better life when they are united with their families. If you feel as though you would be eligible to apply for a spousal sponsorship, I suggest you read our article on “How Can I Sponsor my Spouse” before reading this question and answer article. This article is intended to clarify any misunderstanding or confusion with regards to a spousal sponsorship.

Q: When is the appropriate time to submit my police certificates for my spousal sponsorship application?

A: Immigration has made changes with regards to police certificates and exactly when is the appropriate time to submit them. Should you already have your police certificates on hand, you may submit them with your application. However, if you have not yet completed your police certificates you may submit them when Immigration requests them from you. This is usually requested when the application is being processed and Immigration will send you a communication to notify you, either by e-mail or mail, depending on if you have an online account or not.

What Documents do I need to Sponsor a Spouse or Common Law partner to Canada

When submitting a sponsorship application whether it is for a spouse, common law or conjugal partner there are important documents you need to include as the sponsor and the principal applicant. These documents play an important role and if you do not provide these documents or make minor errors you can expect delays or potentially a refusal in your application.

Documents needed by the Sponsor

1. Options C printout (original) from Canada revenue agency. The options C printout is like your notice of assessment it shows your net income, what you have received from your previous tax year etc. The Option C print out has to be original and not a photocopy or else your application will be returned. So if you have not filed your taxes as the sponsor then the first step includes filing your taxes. Once you have done all that you can call CRA and ask for your original option C printout from the previous year.

Sponsorship Requirements for Canada

Sponsorship in Canada could mean bringing your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, children, and even parents and grand-parents to immigrate to Canada. sponsoring is a two way process, in the sense that it involves a person present in Canada, the sponsor, and person living outside Canada, the applicant, working collaboratively along with the respective agencies that are applicable to their case such as Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Sponsoring another person to immigrate to Canada deals with many requirements and all of these requirements are different depending on the person you are sponsoring, their status to you, and your status as a sponsor.

If the person you are sponsoring is a foreign national residing outside Canada, then you must apply for the sponsorship through the Family Class. Under the Family Class you can sponsor your spouse, common law or conjugal partner and have to meet certain requirements:

Sponsoring Family to Canada

Looking to sponsor a family member to Canada? Wondering about the process, and what to do? There are many different types of applications when sponsoring members of the Family Class. This can involve spouses, conjugal partners, common-law partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. There are many types of members you can sponsor, each with a different application depending on their specific situation. However, there is one thing in common with all sponsorship applications. That is the proof of finances. As a sponsor, your application will likely question your financial situation. Depending on the type of application or person(s) you are sponsoring, you would need to meet certain specific financial requirements in order to be an eligible sponsor.

Why am I Financially Responsible for the Person I Sponsor?

When you sponsor someone under the Family Class, you will be asked to sign an undertaking. This is a contract in which you commit to being financially responsible for the person that you sponsor. This includes basic requirements, which are the essentials for living such as: food, clothing, personal requirements, shelter, utilities, fuel, household supplies, and health care (for those branches that aren’t covered in Canada, such as dentistry). This undertaking is assurance to the Canadian Government that your sponsorship will not result in a burden on the Canadian social assistance program. The undertaking only lasts a set number of years, dependent on the type of person you are sponsoring. For example, for a spouse, the length of the undertaking would be three years after the spouse becomes a permanent resident. Note that during this time period of three years, the undertaking is binding. This means that you would be responsible for them even if you divorce, separate, move away from each other, etc. This undertaking is the document that binds you to be financially responsible for the principal applicant. This means you must demonstrate that you have adequate financial resources to provide for the person(s) who will be coming to Canada.

Cant get together with your Partner you may Sponsor under Conjugal Sponsorship

Are you interested in sponsoring your Conjugal Partner to Canada? Canadians truly value family life. As such, Canadian immigration has strong intentions to help unite families together. Thus, they have included many means of sponsoring your significant other, including conjugal partners, to Canada. However, as with all immigration matters there is always the priority of keeping Canadian citizens safe. Thus, there is a set procedure you will need to follow when sponsoring your conjugal partner to Canada.

What is a Conjugal Partner?

In order to sponsor your conjugal partner, you would be doing so through what is known as the Family Class. This category of sponsorship deals with immigration matters relating to the sponsorship of someone that has a strong familial relationship with you. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, a conjugal partner is officially defined as someone that has been in a genuine relationship with you for at least one year. This relationship would require a large amount of attachment between you two, as well as both a physical relationship and a mutually interdependent relationship. However, marriage or cohabitation would not have occurred due to certain barriers. These barriers can include religion or sexual orientation, etc.

Can I sponsor my children to Canada?

Have you fallen in love with the wonderful aspects of Canada? Want to live the rest of your life indulging in maple syrup and poutine along with your family? If so, you may want to consider sponsoring your children. If you are eligible to be a sponsor, you may be able to successfully be reunited with your dependent children who are currently living abroad.

Family Sponsorship Eligibility

Before applying to sponsor your children, you must confirm whether or not you are eligible to be a sponsor. You must be either a Permanent Resident or Canadian Citizen in order to be able to sponsor your family. Note that if you live in Quebec, there may be different requirements; thus, you will need to refer to the Quebec conditions on becoming a sponsor. Though these are the requirements you will need in order to be eligible to apply, there are still other factors that could cause your ineligibility. This usually involves past actions regarding your children or your sponsorship. For example, factors that may cause you to be ineligible to sponsor include: previous history of violating your sponsorship agreement, failure to pay child support despite court order, are on social assistance (with the exception of being disabled), were convicted of a violent/sexual crime OR specific criminal threats, missed payments on immigration loans, have declared bankruptcy, or are currently in prison. Though these are pre-determined factors that will affect your eligibility, there may be other reasons why immigration officers will reject your application.

Family Sponsorship Eligibility

For Canadian citizens and permanent residents, submitting a family sponsorship application is a popular way to bring a relative over to Canada. Once the relative is here, he or she will be eligible for a wide range of Canadian social services and other benefits that come along with being a permanent resident of Canada. In order to sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must meet the criteria established by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

You are unable to sponsor if you:

• Are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Canada Conjugal Sponsorship

Are you looking to bring your partner that you cannot wed nor live with to live with you in Canada for permanent residency? Is there a significant amount of attachment in your relationship? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you may be able to sponsor your partner to Canada under conjugal sponsorship which will be discussed further below.

What is Conjugal Sponsorship?

A conjugal relationship is a relationship in which you are essentially committed in a relationship but you and your conjugal partner can not wed and cohabitate with you because of reasons that are beyond you and your conjugal partner`s control.

Who qualifies under the Family Sponsorship category for a Canadian Immigration Visa?

In this category it is normally close relatives of either a Canadian citizen or a Canadian Permanent Resident.

For the most part, in order to qualify under the Family Sponsorship category you must be related to the person in which you are Sponsoring or the person who is sponsoring you.