Spousal Sponsorship Sponsorship Parental Sponsorship Parental Sponsor your parents

Parental Sponsorship

The Parental Sponsorship category has recently reopened with renewed popularity as the 2014 5,000 application cap for this application filled within the month of its reopening. Under this category of family sponsorship, you are able to sponsor your parents and/or grandparents for permanent residence in Canada.

Those who qualify as sponsors will finally be able to be united with their parents and grandparents abroad. In order to qualify as a sponsor for parental sponsorship, you will need to meet certain qualifications as well as financial requirements.

Parental Sponsorship in Canada

In order to qualify as a sponsor, you must:

  • be 18 years of age or older,
  • be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident,
  • be sponsoring a member of the Family Class,
  • live in Canada and continue to live in Canada after the sponsored person obtains Permanent Resident status,
  • sign an agreement with the person you are sponsoring confirming that each of you understands your obligations and responsibilities, promising to provide for your family member’s basic requirements and, if applicable, those of his or her dependent children,
  • prove that you have sufficient income to provide basic requirements for your family members in Canada as well as the persons included in your Sponsorship Undertaking

Bars to Sponsorship

If you, as a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada is contemplating sponsoring a family member, such as your Spouse, Parent or Grandparent, you need to be aware of factors that can prohibit you from being a Sponsor.

The following are circumstances which will make you ineligible to Sponsor a member of your family:

  • You are subject to a removal order. This includes stayed orders, departure orders, exclusion orders, and deportation orders.
  • You are detained in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison. If you are held in a correctional or pre-trial holding facility, you will not likely be able to support a family member.
  • You are convicted of a sexual offense against anyone or an offence against a family member under the Criminal Code of Canada.
  • You are in default of child support or spousal support payments ordered by the court. This includes payments ordered by a court outside of Canada. In this case, you will have to demonstrate that you resolved the matter to the satisfaction of the responsible authorities before you can be eligible as a Sponsor.
  • You are in default of a debt owed under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. An immigration debt includes a transportation, adjustment assistance, admissibility or Right of Permanent Residence Fee loan; a deposit or guarantee of performance of an obligation; costs incurred to remove a foreign national.
  • You are an undischarged bankrupt under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
  • You are in receipt of social assistance other than for reasons of disability. However, you may become eligible to Sponsor a family member once you are no longer receiving social assistance. Also, this bar to sponsorship can possible be waived for Humanitarian and Compassionate or public policy reasons.
  • You are in default of a previous Sponsorship Undertaking. You will be considered in default if you have not honoured a previous Sponsorship Undertaking. You will also be in default if an applicant of an Undertaking you previously sponsored received social assistance during the period when the Undertaking was valid and you have not repaid this.

What You will Need

Aside from these qualifying factors to sponsorship, unlike other categories of family sponsorship, you (as the sponsor) will need to demonstrate that you meet the minimum necessary income as per your family size and the number of people you intend to sponsor. The minimum necessary income is determined based on the Low Income Cut off which is updated based on information gather by Statistics Canada. Currently, the Minimum Necessary Income for sponsoring your parents or grandparents is as follows: 

Size of Family Unit Minimum Income 2012 Minimum Income 2013 Minimum Income 2014
2 persons $36,637 $35,976 $35,881
3 persons $45,040 $44,229 $44,113
4 persons $54,685 $53,699 $53,557
5 persons $62,023 $60,905 $60,745
6 persons $69,950 $68,689 $68,509
7 persons $77,879 $76,475 $76,275
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add $7,929 $7,786 $7,766

Co-Signer

You can also co-sign with your spouse or common-law partner and share the responsibility. These means that both your incomes will be considered together and therefore you would also share the responsibility of the Undertaking when sponsoring.

In order to demonstrate the minimum necessary income when sponsoring your grandparents, you must submit a Notice of Assessment or Option C printout. These can be obtained by contacting the Canadian Revenue Agency.

When assessing your Parental Sponsorship application and whether or not you qualify under the Minimum Necessary Income, an Immigration Officer making a decision on your matter will only review government documents to demonstrate your finances.

You should also note that when it comes to sponsoring your parents or grandparents, you will have to have met your Minimum Income requirement for the last three years preceding your application as well as throughout the application process.

Medical Exam

When applying for permanent residence, the applicant (your parent or grandparent) will also have to undergo a medical exam by a panel physician. This doctor, who is designated to perform such exams, will conduct a medical exam and provide the results to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The applicant will not see the results of this exam. From there, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will determine whether or not you are considered inadmissible on medical grounds.

You can be found inadmissible on medical grounds if:

  • You have a health condition that is likely to be a danger to public health
  • You have a health condition that is likely to be a danger to public safety
  • You have a health condition that might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health or social services

If you are found to be inadmissible for any reason, you will require a Temporary Resident Permit to overcome this inadmissibility.

How We Can Help

When sponsoring your parents for permanent residence in Canada, demonstrating your qualifications as a sponsor and that you have the necessary financial capabilities to support their status in Canada is essential. Beyond this, it should be a momentous occasion. Let us help you reunite with your family and become whole again in Canada.  

We will assist you:

  • Draft the necessary forms;
  • Draft appropriate supporting documentation like employment reference letters, personal statements, reference letters from friends and family;
  • Help you gather the documents that adequately demonstrate your available finances like taxation documents and bank statements;
  • Assist you with gathering important documentation that demonstrate your familial ties;
  • Compile the strongest possible case as per your unique situation;
  • Prepare you for your for any interview should one be requested;
  • Follow up with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on your matter to ensure the fastest possible processing time; and
  • Of course, be with you every step of the way.

For more information on Parental Sponsorship, feel free to browse our vast collection of information on the subject or contact us directly at 1-877-622-8182 or 416 477 2570. You can also email at Info@ToImmigrate.com.

If you are living in Canada as a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident and you want to Sponsor one of your family members to Canada so that you can share a life with them and they have the opportunity to establish a life in Canada with you as a Permanent Resident, you can look at Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Sponsorship category.

Under the Sponsorship category, one of the requirements to be a Sponsor is to be capable financially. This means that you need to prove that you have the means to support the person you are sponsoring and any of their family members. Therefore, when applying as a Sponsor, you need to evaluate your financial circumstances before you consider being a Sponsor.

Financial Requirements

One of the requirements that you must fulfill in order to be eligible to Sponsor your family member is the financial requirement for the Sponsor. When applying under the Sponsorship category, you will need to prove to Citizenship and Immigration Canada that you have the financial capability to support the Sponsored Person for the period of the Sponsorship Undertaking you sign.

When determining whether you meet the financial requirements for Sponsorship, you must assess your current financial resources. It is important to note that financial resources may include:

  • Resources of your Spouse or Common-law partner if your financial resources are inadequate and your Spouse or Common-law partner declares their resources as income on their Canadian tax return and they co-sign the Sponsorship Undertaking

However, you cannot include resources from other relatives when assessing your income.

Additionally, your financial resources must be from a Canadian source. The reason for this is because:

  • Employment income from abroad is not a reliable indicator of future or stable employment in Canada
  • It is not easy to verify whether foreign income can be transferred to Canada
  • Converting foreign income into Canadian dollars is resource-intensive
  • In case of default, collection, or litigation, it is easier to recover income from Canadian sources

Minimum Necessary Income Requirement

As a Sponsor, you must meet the minimum necessary income requirement as indicated by Statistics Canada to support all members of your family as well as all Sponsored Persons and their family members. Statistics Canada annually identifies Low-Income Cut-off (LICO) levels based on urban areas.

At Akrami & Associates, we have the skills, expertise, and knowledge to assist you with your Sponsorship application and to put together a strong Sponsorship application taking into consideration your unique circumstances.

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