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Ontario|Immigration LawFamily Class Immigrants 667 Family class applications Family class immigrants are people who are sponsored by a close relative to come to Canada. Most people who are sponsored by a close relative who is financially secure will be able to immigrate in this immigration category. The sponsoring relatives must promise to look after the care and shelter of the immigrant and the immigrant's dependents for up to 10 years. Applications are evaluated on the relative's ability to look after the immigrants, and on the immigrant's ability to successfully settle in Canada.
Sponsors must show that they are willing and able to provide financial help and support. Sponsors must fill out a financial evaluation that shows all of their income, debt, and financial obligations. Other family members who are in Canada may want to help support the family class immigrants. This is called co-sponsorship.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents over the age of 19 can sponsor an immigration application for their close relatives and the relative's dependents. The definition of a close relative includes: a wife or husband, a fiancée, dependent children, parents, grandparents, as well as orphaned brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren who are under 19 and unmarried. You can also sponsor children under 19 who you plan to adopt.
One of the objectives of Canada's immigration program is to reunite families. The government may allow you to sponsor one other relative if you do not have any of the close relatives mentioned above, and you do not have any relatives who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Sponsors must sign an undertaking with the Government of Canada. An undertaking is an important promise to the Government and to the immigrant that the sponsor will provide for the care and shelter of the immigrant and the immigrant's dependents for up to 10 years. Immigrants in the family class will not be eligible for welfare or other public assistance in Canada.
The family class immigrant and the sponsor must also sign a sponsorship agreement. A sponsorship agreement is a promise that the immigrant will make every reasonable effort to provide for his or her own needs and for the needs of any dependents. These promises and obligations cannot be changed or cancelled, even if circumstances change.
Family class applicants and their dependents must undergo a security check and a medical exam by a designated physician. They may also be interviewed by an immigration officer.
Sponsors must pay a processing fee of $500 for every applicant aged 19 and older, and $100 for every applicant under the age of 19. This fee is non-refundable, even if the application is rejected.
Applications to sponsor a spouse or a child will generally take eight months to one year to be processed. Applications to sponsor parents or grandparents will generally take between one and three years to be processed. These time estimates vary greatly depending on the country.
Immigrants must prove that they are related to their sponsor. Documents such as birth or marriage certificates, voter registration or military records, and family or personal records or photographs can be used to establish this relation.
You can obtain assistance with your family class application from an immigration lawyer or from a Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.
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