One of the goals of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is to help families re-unite in Canada. The primary tool used by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to achieve this goal is the family class sponsorship application. Family sponsorship allows a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to apply to sponsor family members to become permanent residents of Canada. Certain requirements need to be met.
When you first look at the requirements for family sponsorship, it may seem as though the application is quite easy. It does not appear as stringent as other types of immigration applications. This is because requirements like job offers, language tests, and education credentials are not needed.
Family sponsorship eligibility
However, family class sponsorship is difficult in its own way. The definition of a person who could be sponsored under the family class is limited. Generally, the person would have to be the sponsor’s spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner, dependent child, parent or grandparent. Some families members are excluded. Usually, you would not be able to sponsor an aunt, uncle, brother, or sister.
Another common obstacle to the sponsorship application is the minimum necessary income (MNI) requirement. This applies to sponsoring anyone other than your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner and dependent children. You will need to demonstrate that you have an annual income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income to support yourself and your family members.
For example, let’s say a person had a wife and child already with him in Canada and wanted to sponsor his parents to come to Canada as permanent residents. He would then need to demonstrate the minimum necessary income for a family of five people. The minimum necessary income for each year is calculated by the Canadian government. The person would need to meet the MNI for the preceding three years in order to sponsor his parents.
If he did not meet the MNI requirement on his own, he could have his spouse co-sign the application. What this means is that his spouse’s income for the preceding three years would be added to his own. This could allow for the MNI to be met.
Learn more
The family class sponsorship is a great way to bring your family members to join you in Canada. However, the application can be tricky as well. If you have any questions about this type of application, call us toll-free at 1-866-972-7366 for a free consultation.