What is the Family Class under Canada immigration?

The goal of the Family Class immigration program is to reunite Canadian citizens and permanent residents with their close family members.  If you are at least 18 years older, you can sponsor certain members of your family to live, study and work in Canada, if they become permanent residents. In order to sponsor certain relatives, you must also be; a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Indian Act, or be a permanent resident of Canada. 

In the event you want to sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent children, you must be able to support them financially and make sure that they do not need social assistance from the Canadian government.

Typically it is the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (CPC-M) that processes Family Class sponsorship applications.

 

Who can I sponsor under the Family Class category?

Spouse

• Your spouse can be either sex and must be, legally married to you and at least 18 years of age or older
• Your common-law partner (not legally married to you), must be at least 18 years old, can be either sex, must have been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months
• Your conjugal partner is someone who is not legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you and can’t live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons. A conjugal partner must also be 18 years of age, can be of either sex and must have been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year. Proof will need to be provided under this category.

Dependent children

• Dependent children are those that meet the criteria of being under 22 years of age and they do not have a spouse or common-law relationship
• If your child is 22 years or older and is unable to support themselves due to a mental or physical condition or if they have financially depended on the parent(s) for support since before the age of 22, they are also considered as dependent children.

Did you know that if you are a Canadian citizen, your child may also be a Canadian, even if they were not born in Canada?

Visit the Canadian federal government website to see if your child is already a Canadian citizen.

What proof must I provide to the Canadian government that my spouse, partner or dependent child meets the eligibility requirements under the Family Class?

In order to show that your spouse, partner, or dependent children meet the required eligibility criteria, applicants are required to provide all forms and documents with their application and must provide any additional information requested by the government during processing; including medical exams and/or biometrics data.

Individuals who are considered inadmissible, are not allowed into Canada and cannot be sponsored. To see what is meant by inadmissibility, you may read more on the Canadian government website. Reasons for which an individual may not be allowed into Canada are listed by the government of Canada and can include medical, security or criminal reasons.

What are the governmental fees for sponsoring a spouse or child?

In order to sponsor your spouse or partner, the government fees start at $1,050 and the application process takes about a year.

If you are looking to sponsor a child, the government fee starts at $150 and the processing time can vary based on the country of origin.

How do I sponsor my parents and grandparents to come to Canada? 

Parents and Grand-parents Sponsorship

The Parents and Grand-Parents sponsorship program under the Family Class of Canadian immigration is an extremely popular program. The Interest to Sponsor form is only open for a very brief period during the year. In 2019, the program opened in November and was filled-up in 12 minutes. In 2020, the program was open from October 13 to November 3, 2020. 

In 2021, the Interest to Sponsor form will open up again and it is predicted that the government will allow 30,000 new applications.

Contact SamLaw and let us help you with your family immigration needs. We can also help you to identify more Canadian immigration programs for which you and your loved ones may be able to qualify.