FAMILY VISA
The Family Visa program in Canada offers a range of specific programs and different eligibility requirements for Canadian citizens and permanent Canadian residents to sponsor family members to live in Canada. The government of Canada promotes families coming together, please see below for the family visa program that suit your case:
Spousal Sponsorship
A Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident may sponsor their partner with whom they are legally married to. This include both opposite and same-sex relationships, but does not include common-law partnerships.
Common Law Sponsorship
A Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident may sponsor their partner with whom they have been living together in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. Including opposite and same-sex relationships.
Conjugal partner Sponsorship
A person outside Canada who has a binding relationship with a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident for at least one year, but could not live with their partner for reasons beyond their control may be able to be sponsored.
Dependent Child Sponsorship
This visa is designed to reunite children with their Canadian parents, or to sponsor their partners dependent or adopted children who are of below the age of 19. A child who depends on the sponsor for financial or other support.
A son or daughter is a dependant if they are:
- Under 22 years old and does not have a spouse or partner or;
- 22 years old and over and has depended substantially on the parent’s financial support since before the age of 19 because of a physical or mental condition or diagnosis.
Both the sponsor and the applicant being sponsored need to meet certain eligibility requirements and provide necessary documents when applying for the sponsorship application. A Visa ForYou Immigration specialist will be in the best position to help you determine if you are eligible to apply for the sponsorship visa. Please call to book a consultation and speak to one of our immigration specialists to find out if you would qualify under this program.
Super Visa
Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents intending to obtain temporary residence to visit their close relatives may apply for extended visitors’ visas known as Super Visas.
While this program does not guarantee permanent residence, it actually allows parents and grandparents to come and stay in Canada for periods of up to 2 years. Successful Super Visa applicants shall receive multiple–entry visitor visas which are valid for a period for up to 10 years.
In order to be eligible under this category, parents and grandparents must meet the standard requirement.
Additionally, they must:
- Declaration of commitment of financial assistance from their children or grandchild residing in Canada,
- Complete a mandatory immigration medical exam
- Have a sponsor in Canada who successfully meets the minimum income requirements, and
- Prove that they have bought a Canadian health insurance for minimum one year
- Depending on the nationality, parents and/or grandparents may require a Temporary Resident Visa along with a Super Visa.
Processing Times
The advantage of applying under the Family Class Super Visa program is that processing time does take approximately 8-10 weeks. However, processing times may prolong due to incomplete form submission, missing documents and other circumstances.
Please note: The applications under Family Class Parental and Grandparents Sponsorship program will be accepted as of January 04,2017 at 8:00 a.m. EST. There is a cap on the number of applications that will be accepted and any applications received before this date shall not be accepted.
A Visa For You Immigration specialist will be in the best position to help you determine if you can apply under this program. Please complete our Immigration Assessment Form to find out from one of our immigration specialists if you would qualify under this program.
