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.