The family class immigration program intends to facilitate the reunion of Canadian citizens and permanent residents with close members of the family class. Sponsors typically undertake to support sponsored members of the family class. By giving this undertaking, sponsors promise that their family members will not be burdens on Canadian society for the duration of the undertaking.
The table that follows provides details on the objectives that apply to family class sponsorship:
The Objectives | The Act |
Family reunification | A3 (1) (d) |
Integration involving mutual obligation | A3 (1) (e) |
Admissibility | A3 (1) (h) |
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- Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship
The Act and the Regulations
The authorities passed the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) on November 01, 2001. The accompanying Regulations came into effect on June 28, 2002. These replace the provisions specified in the Immigration Act, 1976 and the Immigration Regulations, 1978.
The following table provides details on the provisions that apply to sponsorship in the Act and the Regulations.
The Provision | The Reference in the Act or the Regulations |
The Scenario When the Sponsor Does Not Meet the Requirements | A11 (2) |
The Provision for the Selection of Members of the Family Class | A12 (1) |
The Right to Sponsor a Family Member | A13 (1) |
The Obligation of Sponsorship | A13 (3) |
The Provision to Prescribe Any Matter (Including Criteria, Sponsorships, Undertakings and Penalties for Non-Compliance) | A14 (2) |
The Right to Appeal in the Case of Family Class Refusal | A63 (1) |
The Definition of Family Member | R1 (3) |
The Minimum Necessary Income | R2 |
The Social Assistance | R2 |
The Concept of Bad Faith (Relationships or Dissolutions of Convenience) | R4 and R4.1 |
The Excluded Relationships | R5, R117 (9), R117 (10), R117 (11) and R125 |
The Requirements of Applications | R10 |
The Guidelines for the Sponsorship Application | R10 (4) |
The Guidelines for Multiple Applications | R10 (5) |
The Guidelines for Dealing with Invalid Sponsorship Applications | R10 (6) |
The Place of Application | R11 (5) |
The Return of Application | R12 |
The Definition of a Member of the Family Class | R117 (1) |
The Withdrawal of Sponsorship Application | R119 |
The Approved Sponsorship Application | R120 |
The Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class | R123 |
The Members of the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class | R124 |
The Withdrawal of Sponsorship Application for the In-Canada Class | R126 |
The Approved Sponsorship Application for the In-Canada Class | R127 |
The Guidelines for Who May Sponsor | R130 |
The Undertaking | R131 and R132 |
The Duration of the Undertaking | R132 (1), R132 (2) and R132 (3) |
The Sponsorship Agreement | R132 (4) |
The Co-Signature of the Undertaking | R132 (5) |
The Sponsorship Criteria and the Bars | R133 |
The Exception to the Minimum Necessary Income | R133 (4) |
The Adopted Sponsor (In Cases Where the Adoption is Revoked) | R133 (5) |
The Income Calculation Rules | R134 |
The Default of a Sponsorship Undertaking | R135 |
The Suspension of a Sponsorship Application | R136 |
The Undertaking in the Province of Quebec | R137 |
The table that follows lists the forms typically required under the family member class.
The Form Title | The Form Number |
The Financial Evaluation | IMM 1283 |
The Sponsorship Evaluation | IMM 5481 |
The Application to Sponsor and Undertaking | IMM 1344A |
The Sponsorship Agreement | IMM 1344B |
The Document Checklist for the Sponsorship of Spouse, Common-Law Partner, Conjugal Partner or Dependent Child Living Outside Canada | IMM 5491 |
The Sponsor’s Guide for Parents, Grandparents, Adopted Children and Other Relatives | IMM 5196 |
The Statutory Declaration of a Common-Law Union | IMM 5409 |
The Use of a Representative / Release of Information | IMM 5476 |
The Document Checklist for the Sponsor of Parents, Grandparents, Adopted Children and Other Relatives | IMM 5287 |
The Sponsor Questionnaire | IMM 5540 |
The Medical Report Section A – EDE / EFE | IMM 1017 – SCL |
Chapters
- What This Chapter is About
- The Program Objectives
- The Instruments and Delegations
- The Departmental Policy
- The Definitions
- The Roles and Responsibilities
- The Overview of the Case Processing Centre (CPC) Activities Pertaining to Sponsorship Applications
- The Procedures for Reviewing Sponsorship and Permanent Residence Applications for Spouses, Common-Law Partners, Conjugal Partners and Dependent Children
- The Guidelines for Reviewing Sponsorship Applications for Other Members of the Family Class
- The Procedures for Processing Sponsorship Applications by the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville (CPC-V) for Spouses or Common-Law Partners in Canada
- The Procedures for Handling a Discontinued or Withdrawn Undertaking
- The Guidelines for Assessing a Sponsor’s Eligibility
- The Guidelines for Assessing Bars to Sponsorship
- The Guidelines Pertaining to Undertakings
- The Guidelines Concerning the Sponsorship Agreement
- The Guidelines for Applying the Financial Test
- The Procedures for Processing Sponsorships Involving Adoptions
- The Guidelines for Referring Sponsorship Applications for Investigation to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
- The Procedures in Case the Applicant is Not a Member of the Family Class
- The Guidelines for Assessing Additional Family Members
- The Procedures for Dealing with Changes in Circumstances
- The Guidelines for the Suspension of Processing
- The Guidelines for Applications from Sponsors in Quebec
- Appendix A – The Eligibility Check for the Sponsor and the Co-Signer
- Appendix B – The Sample Letter to the Provincial / Territorial Adoption Authority to Request for the Issuance of the No Objection / No Involvement Letter or Notification of Agreement
- Appendix C – The Sample of Sponsorship Approval Letter for Adoption Cases from the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (CPC-M) to the Sponsor
- Appendix D – The List of Offences Under the Criminal Code that Could Equate to Offences of a Sexual Nature and Offences Concerning Violence Against a Family Member
- Appendix E – The Low Income Cut Offs (LICO) and the Quebec Income Scale – 2011