For exact definitions, officers would need to refer to the Act or the Regulations.
Adoptions: Refer to the table given below.
For Definitions Related to the Following Terms | See the Appropriate Manual Reference |
Dependent child | OP 3 and R2 |
Hague Convention on Adoption | OP 3 and R2 |
Adoption under 18 years of age | OP 3, R117 (2) and R117 (3) |
Adoption over 18 years of age | OP 3 and R117 (4) |
Child to be adopted | OP 3 and R117 (1) (g) |
Guardianship (not in force based on the provisions specified in R365 (2)) | OP 3 |
Co-Signers: This denotes a spouse or a common-law partner, who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident residing in Canada, who is 18 years of age or over – for the purposes of family class sponsorship. The authorities require co-signers to meet the requirements specified in R133.
Case Processing Centres (CPCs): There are two Case Processing Centres (CPCs) in Canada that deal with sponsorships. These comprise:
- The Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (CPC-M) which deals with family class sponsorships and default and,
- The Case Processing Centre in Vegreville (CPC-V) which deals with spouse or common-law partner in Canada class
Default of an Undertaking: The authorities consider a sponsor to be in default of an undertaking when they fail to meet the obligations of their undertaking and when the sponsored person receives social assistance payments during the validity period of the undertaking.
Family Members: Refer to the table given below.
For Definitions Related to the Following Terms | See the Appropriate Manual Reference |
Common-law partner | Section 6 of OP 2, IP 8 and R2 |
Conjugal partner | Section 6 of OP 2 and R2 |
Dependent child | Section 6 of OP 2, IP 8 and R2 |
Family member | Section 6 of OP 2, IP 8 and R2 |
Spouse | Section 6 of OP 2 and IP 8 |
Minimum Necessary Income: This refers to the minimum necessary income that sponsors typically need for supporting their families and all sponsored relatives. The authorities base this figure on the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) levels provided by Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada typically derives the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) level from a detailed survey of family expenditure patterns that it conducts every four years. Statistics Canada updates this figure annually by the Consumer Price Index and publishes it annually as well. It is worth mentioning that this figure finds mention in the provisions specified in R2. The Low Income Cut Off (LICO) levels remain in effect for one year, from February 02 to February 01.
For sponsorship purposes, the authorities base the minimum necessary income on the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) level for the number of persons in a household within an urban population of 500,000 or more, regardless of where the sponsor lives. The financial requirements will usually be different for sponsors in Quebec. Officers would be able to find these details in Appendix E or on the MICC website.
Social Assistance: This refers to the benefits that a province or territory provides for meeting basic requirements such as food, clothing, shelter etc. For more details, officers would need to go through the provisions specified in R2.
Sponsor: For more details on this, officers would need to go through the section titled ‘The Guidelines Pertaining to Sponsors’ i.e. section 5.9 of IP 2 and the provisions specified in R130.
Sponsorship Agreement: This denotes a contract between the sponsor and the sponsored people and their family members. It serves to confirm mutual obligations and responsibilities. For more details on this, officers would need to go through the section titled ‘The Sponsorship Agreement Guidelines’ i.e. section 5.24 of IP 2 and the provisions specified in R2.
The Sponsorship Application Guide and Forms: This is an application package that provides:
- General information on eligibility criteria and other regulatory requirements that the authorities require Canadian citizens and permanent residents to meet in order to sponsor a member of the family class
- Information on the application process and the required fees
- All the necessary forms and instructions that sponsors would need for completing these forms and,
- A list of supporting documents that the sponsor will need to enclose with the sponsorship application
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 |
The website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides a complete list of guides and family class applications.
Undischarged Bankrupt: This refers to a person who is an undischarged bankrupt based on the provisions specified in the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, and whom the authorities have barred from sponsorship. For more information, officers would need to go through the section titled ‘The Bars to Sponsorship’ i.e. section 5.28 of IP 2.
Undertaking: Sponsors typically include this in the sponsorship application. It is a promise by the sponsor and the co-signer to provide for the basic requirements of the member of the family class and the member’s family members. The terms of the undertaking place an obligation on the sponsor to ensure that the member of the family class and the member’s family members are not dependent on social assistance. For more details, officers would need to go through the provisions specified in R131 and R132.
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