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Other Relative
Reunite with Your Loved Ones in Canada: Sponsorship Made Simple.
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Other Relative
who Can be a Sponsor?
To be eligible to sponsor under the other relative category, you must meet the following requirements:
At Least 18 Years Old
You must be at least 18 years old to be eligible to sponsor a relative for immigration to Canada. This ensures that sponsors are legally considered adults and are able to take on the responsibilities associated with the sponsorship.
Canadian Status
To sponsor someone, you need to be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act. This is essential to proving your long-term connection to Canada.
Live in Canada
Typically, sponsors must live in Canada, unless you're a Canadian citizen living abroad. In that case, you must show you plan to return and live in Canada once your family members become permanent residents. This applies only when sponsoring your spouse, partner, or a dependent child without children of their own.
No Social Assistance
As a sponsor, you are required to financially support your sponsored relative when they arrive in Canada. This includes ensuring they have basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing. You must also ensure that your sponsored relative does not need social assistance during the sponsorship period.
Financial Responsibilities
You must meet certain income guidelines to prove that you as a sponsor can financially support the relatives you sponsor. You must agree in writing to provide this support for up to 20 years, depending on their age and relationship to you. Sponsored relatives aged 18 or older must also sign an agreement to make efforts to support themselves.
If you live in Quebec
If you live in Quebec, additional conditions apply. After being approved as a sponsor by IRCC, you must also meet Quebec's sponsorship requirements. This includes signing an “undertaking” with the province, committing to financially support your sponsored relative for up to 20 years, depending on their age and relationship to you.
Who Can I Sponsor?
Orphaned Relative
You may sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild if they are related to you by blood or adoption, under 18 years of age, single, and both parents have passed away. However, if any of these conditions are not met, such as if one parent is still alive, their whereabouts are unknown, their parents abandoned them, are detained (in jail), or are being cared for by someone else, then sponsorship is not possible.
Other Relative
In certain situations, you can sponsor one relative of any age, related by blood or adoption. This option is available if you have no other close living relatives, such as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, child, orphaned relative, parent, or grandparent that you could sponsor instead and you don't have any family members in Canada who are citizens, permanent residents, or registered Indians under the Indian Act.
If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or children who will be coming to Canada with them, they must be included in the same application.
How to Sponsor your Other relative
Here is a 5-step process to sponsor your “other relative” to come to Canada:
Check your eligibility
Ensure you meet the requirements to be a sponsor, and verify that the person you want to sponsor is eligible. You must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, and living in Canada. Additionally, you must not have any disqualifications such as financial issues, criminal convictions, or other ineligibility factors.
Gather Required Documents
Collect all necessary forms and supporting documents, including proof of your relationship, financial documents, police certificate (if applicable), photo, and identity documents. Make sure to follow the specific document checklist provided by IRCC.
Complete Your Application
Complete your application by accurately filling out all required forms, attaching the necessary supporting documents, paying the processing fees, and submitting the entire package online through the PR portal. Be sure to track your status and respond promptly to any additional requests. Also, if your application is incomplete, IRCC will return it without processing.
Provide Biometrics
After submitting your application, IRCC will send a Biometrics Collection Letter. The person you’re sponsoring has 30 days to complete their biometrics. Additionally, they may have to undergo an immigration medical exam (IME) by a panel physician. This exam can be done upfront (in advance) or upon request from IRCC.
Get Approved and Prepare to Come to Canada
Once your application is approved, your family member will receive instructions on the next steps to become a permanent resident. They must meet a CBSA (immigration) officer at the point of entry in Canada before their documents expire. After arrival, they will receive their permanent resident card and can access settlement services.
Other Relative FAQs
You may not be eligible to sponsor a relative if any of the following apply:
- You are in prison.
- You have not paid your alimony or child support payments.
- You have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet.
- You receive social assistance for reasons other than being disabled.
- You didn’t repay an immigration loan, made late payments, or missed payments.
- You sponsored another relative in the past and didn’t meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement.
- You were convicted of a violent crime, an offence against a relative, or any sexual offence, depending on details like:
- The type of offence.
- How long ago it occurred.
- Whether a record suspension (formerly called a “pardon” in Canada) was issued.
Other factors not listed here may also affect your eligibility to sponsor a relative.
There are specific family members you cannot sponsor under Canada’s family sponsorship program. These include:
- Your spouse or common-law partner’s parents and grandparents (your in-laws): While you can sponsor your own parents and grandparents, you are not eligible to sponsor your in-laws. If your spouse or partner receives their own invitation to apply for their parents or grandparents, you can only support the application as a co-signer, not as a primary sponsor.
- Individuals who are inadmissible to Canada: You cannot sponsor someone who is considered inadmissible to Canada. This includes anyone who has been barred from entering the country due to reasons such as criminal activity, health concerns, or security issues.
Additionally, it is important to note that you cannot transfer your invitation to apply to someone else, including your spouse or partner. If you receive an invitation to sponsor your parents or grandparents, it cannot be given to another person to use for their own sponsorship purposes.
An “other relative” Sponsorship Application for Canada varies from CAD $170 to 1,205 plus biometrics fees CAD $85 when applied for directly through the Government of Canada.
At Cantrust Visa, we offer a comprehensive “other relative” Sponsorship application service for USD $2,000 (single applicant). Please note that government fees are not included.
The processing times for an “Other Relative” Sponsorship application can vary depending on factors such as the country of origin, the specific visa office handling the case, and the completeness of the application. Generally, these applications can take 1 to 3 years to process through the Government of Canada (IRCC). However, it’s important to note that times may fluctuate based on demand and other external factors.
To help ensure your application is processed efficiently, Cantrust Visa offers expert assistance in preparing a complete and accurate application, which can minimize the risk of delays.
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