Who can be a sponsor?
Only Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents 18 years or older are permitted to sponsor family class members who wish to immigrate to Canada.
If the sponsor is living outside of Canada, the sponsor must provide evidence that he or she will live exclusively in Canada once the sponsored individual becomes a permanent resident.
The sponsor and the sponsored must sign an agreement confirming that each of them understands their responsibilities and obligations.
The person sponsoring a family member must also sign a contract where he or she promises to support the family member, for a specific number of years, by providing: food, clothing, utilities, personal requirements, shelter, fuel, household supplies, dental care, eye care, and health care not provided under their public health card.
If the person being sponsored will be bringing a dependent child with them, the sponsor must provide evidence that he or she has sufficient income to support the dependent child or children.
Two-Step process
The family class sponsorship program can be broken down into two main steps which must be followed in the order described below:
The sponsor must submit their sponsorship application.
This application must be initiated by the sponsor and involves an assessment of the sponsor’s eligibility under the family class.
The sponsor must first be approved through a separate application in order to become a sponsor.
The foreign national must submit their application for permanent residency.
This application must be initiated by the foreign national the sponsor wishes to bring to Canada as a permanent resident.
The foreign national must first meet a number of requirements under the family class in order to qualify under the family class program, and then another separate application for their permanent residency.