Who Can be a Sponsor to someone to Visit Canada?
To get sponsorship for immigration to Canada, you must have a family member or close friend who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Your sponsor must be at least 18 years old and be able to financially support you for three years after you arrive in Canada.
Commitment:
The person sponsoring must sign an undertaking, a legally binding agreement, promising to provide for the basic needs of the person he is sponsoring and any of his dependents being sponsored.
No Default on Past Sponsorships:
The person sponsoring should not have any default on past sponsorships done by him. For example, If he has previously sponsored someone to Canada and such sponsored person had received social assistance from the government under any circumstances, he will not be eligible to sponsor another person until he has repaid any debts to the government on account of such social assistance to person previously sponsored to Canada.
Not Be in Prison:
The person sponsoring should not be in prison, else he will not be eligible to be a sponsor.
Not Be in Default of Court-Ordered Payments:
If person who is to sponsor anyone to visit Canada, is in default of court-ordered support payments, such as alimony or child support, he will not be eligible to sponsor.
Relationship Requirements:
The sponsored person must have a genuine relationship with the sponsor. The nature of the relationship (e.g., spousal, parent-child) will determine the specific requirements.
Medical and Criminal Checks:
Both the sponsor and the sponsored person may be required to undergo medical examinations and provide police clearance certificates to demonstrate they are not a threat to public health or safety.
The following people can be sponsored to immigrate to Canada:
- Dependent children
- Parents and grandparents
- Other relatives, such as siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews
- Refugees- Canada has various programs for sponsoring refugees, including the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program, where groups or organizations can sponsor refugees to come to Canada. Refugees must meet the eligibility criteria set by the government and the sponsoring group.
- Protected Persons and Convention Refugees: Individuals who have been granted protected person status or recognized as Convention refugees in Canada may be eligible to be sponsored by eligible sponsors.
- Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada: If a foreign national is already in Canada on a valid temporary visa (e.g., work or study permit) and is in a genuine relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, they may apply for permanent residency through this class.
It’s important to note that each of these sponsorship categories has specific eligibility requirements, including relationship criteria, financial requirements, and admissibility considerations.
The sponsor must also meet certain eligibility criteria, such as being a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and demonstrating the ability to provide financial support.
The person being sponsored must not be inadmissible to Canada. Inadmissibility can be due to criminality, health reasons, financial reasons, security concerns, or misrepresentation.
To get sponsored, you and your sponsor must both apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). You can make application for Visa online.
Overview of the steps involved in getting sponsorship for Canada Visa
- Check if you are eligible to be sponsored for Canada Visa
- Find a sponsor. Your sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is at least 18 years old and meets the financial requirements.
- Keep following documents ready to be uploaded along with application:
- passport,
- birth certificate,
- marriage certificate
- For persons aged more than 60, Medical certificate could also be asked by embassy.
- Police Clearance Certificate
Financial Requirements to be able to sponsor someone to Canada
To prove that one meets the income requirements, sponsor must submit a financial evaluation form (IMM 1283) along with your sponsorship application. This form requires sponsor to provide information about his income, expenses, and assets for the previous three years.
The minimum necessary income (MNI) required to sponsor someone to Canada is based on the size of your household and the number of people sponsor is sponsoring.
For example, if a sponsor is and his spouse have no other dependents, the MNI requirement for 2023 is $34,254. If a person is sponsoring his parents and they have no other dependents, the MNI requirement for 2023 is $49,106.
If a sponsor does not meet the MNI requirements, he may still be able to sponsor someone to Canada if he can show that he has other financial resources to support persons being sponsored, such as savings or investments.
In addition to the income requirements, sponsors must also pay a sponsorship application fee. The fee varies depending on the type of sponsorship, but it is typically around $1,000.