Immigration

If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you have the right to sponsor family members who are foreign citizens if you wish them to come to Canada and live in Canada. Depending on which family member you wish to sponsor, you have to conform with different requirements established by the federal and provincial immigration laws and regulations.

It is important also in which province of Canada you reside and in which province of Canada the sponsored family member will reside once accepted as a new immigrant to Canada. As an example, if you reside in the province of Quebec and your family member will be coming as an immigrant and will be residing in the province of Quebec, then when it comes evaluate the financial eligibility and the signing of the sponsorship undertaking it is the province of Quebec that has the authority to evaluate those issues and to grant the certificate of selection to the sponsored family member.

Certain facts and circumstances may prevent a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada from sponsoring a family member, for example a criminal record for certain serious crimes, being in default of a previous sponsorship, being in default of paying child or spousal support, etc.

The sponsorship application is complex and consists of preparing and submitting different forms according to your particular situation and the category of family member you are sponsoring. The forms and instructions of the federal and provincial immigration authorities are reviewed periodically, therefore it is important to use the most recent forms and guides. It is essential to correctly fill in all forms and to provide all the required and relevant supporting documents, otherwise your application may be returned to you, maybe delayed and even refused.