Family Visa for Canada
Canada has become one of the big four countries that encourage foreign workers to live and work in Canada and they have devised social strategies to help migrants settle in within their communities and their new country. This is one of the reasons that make Canada such an appealing place to live in. Most Canadian citizens or those who hold a Canadian visa are eligible to sponsor a family member living in another country to move to Canada, allowing them to relocate without having to go take the points based system assessment which is pre application requirement for those who apply under the Canadian business visa. Canadian Sponsor visas or family class visas allow a qualifying close relative to gain permanent residence in Canada based on their familial ties with the country rather than their education, qualifications or work experience.
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Immigration to Canada on a Family Visa – Benefits
One of the benefits of applying under the Canadian family class visa is that you don’t have to take the point based assessment. Some other benefits include applicants being allowed to live and work in Canada right away. Under the family visa, holders are not restricted to working for a particular employer and may choose to undertake any profession they choose because they don’t hold a work permit which only allows its holders to work in one company under a particular profession or skill set.
The Family visa is intended for those who wish to move to Canada on permanent basis and applicants who are successful will be awarded with a Canadian permanent visa. This is a great route to undertake if you have a family member because unlike other Canadian visas such as the student visa or tourist visas which are temporary visas and which do not allow its holders to apply for permanent residency under those visa, the family visa does. Upon receiving a permanent residency visa, applicants can apply for the Canadian citizenship themselves once they have completed the three year minimum residency requirement.
Who Can Immigrate to Canada on a Sponsor Visa?
The Canadian sponsor visa is intended for family immigration and is open to a fairly wide range of relatives, although like most visa applications, outcomes are subject to individual cases and applicants must study the regulations thoroughly as not every relative will be eligible to move to Canada via this route. Who is eligible to apply for this visa? Family class immigration permits a sponsor’s spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner to move to Canada and in addition the following relatives are included in this category.
- Dependent children or the children of the sponsor, including the children who are adopted. Dependent children under this class refer to children under the age of 22 who are not married (without a spouse) or common law partner.
- Dependent children are also defined students whose studies began before the age of 22 or those who have been dependent upon their parents since before the age of 22 due to a disability.
- Adopted children or children whom the sponsor intends to adopt, who re under the age of 18.
- A sibling, a grandchild or a niece or nephew who is a) an orphan b) under the age of 18 and c) unmarried and not in a common-law relationship.
- A grandparent or parent.
- Any other relative of any age as long as the sponsor does not already have an aunt, uncle or other family member in the categories above who they could sponsor or who is already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- In the event that the sponsors’ spouse is already living and working in Canada on another visa status, it is still permissible for them to be sponsored. Under these circumstances, any dependent children are included in the sponsorship whether present in the country or not.
Requirements for The Canadian Family Class immigration
For any application to succeed under this visa category the main requirement is that there has to be a sponsor in place for an applicant to apply under this category. The sponsor must be related to the applicant in one of the abovementioned ways and must be either a Canadian citizen or a permanent Canadian resident living and working in Canada. All sponsors must be over the age of 18, must commit to sponsoring their relative and they must also take of them financially for a period of between 3 and 10 years.
Certain factors may be required from the sponsor such as being financially stable. Any sponsor who has sponsored a relative and the relative was found to be living off state benefits, the sponsor may not be permitted to sponsor again.
The Sponsorship Agreement Under The Canada Sponsor Visa
All Canadian provinces except Quebec, sponsoring a family member to relocate to Canada will involve the sponsor signing an undertaking with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The sponsor and the relative are obliged to also sign a sponsorship agreement which details the responsibilities and expectations of both parties. The sponsor must also agree to financially support the relative for the agreed number of three to ten years and they must make sure that the sponsored relative does not become dependent upon state benefits. On the part of the sponsored relative, it is important to ensure that they become self supporting with the exception of elderly relatives.
Find out further information on our Canadian Visa page. To find out how you can sponsor one of your relatives under the Family Visas to Canada contact us at globalvisas.com or take our online assessment test today to find out whether you qualify and to get your application started.
