PERMANENT STATUS
Family Class Sponsorship
Under this program the applicant sponsors close relatives
or family members by providing for their basic needs
and giving all the information to help them get successfully
settled in Canada. The sponsor must be at least 18 years
old, be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and
must have at his/her disposal sufficient financial resources
during the undertaking period. The sponsor must meet
other important requirements of the Canadian government
as for example, he/she has to compile with previous
commitments and obligations. The duration of the sponsor’s
undertaking varies from three to 10 years: three years
to sponsor spouse or conjugal partner; ten years to
sponsor a minor child (or until the child turns 25 years
of age, whichever comes first) and relative other than
spouse and minor child.
Sponsorship is a serious step, as the sponsor’s
undertaking is not cancelled upon granting of a permanent
resident status or Canadian citizenship or because of
divorce/separation of spouses.
The sponsor’s undertaking ensures that a sponsored
applicant and accompanying dependents do not have to
apply for social insurance.
Waiting time until issue of a visa is not regulated
and cannot be exactly determined but CIC is committed
to considering the sponsorship documents as quickly
as possible.
Since February 17, 2003 a new application kit and submission
process have been applied to sponsor immediately family
members residing outside Canada. The primary goal of
the changes introduced is to accelerate the evaluation
process and ensure well-timed dealing-out of application.
to reunite families. Now the applicant and sponsored
person can complete the medical examination prior to
submitting the joint application, which combines the
sponsorship and the permanent residence applications.
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