Every year in Canada thousands of people apply to come to Canada or to bring their spouses here under the
Spousal Sponsorship application. You have the ability to sponsor your spouse if you are a Canadian Citizen or have Permanent Residence status. Within this process there are several conditions and requirements that you both must be able to meet.
If you are wanting to sponsor your spouse you will need to prove the following:
- That you can meet the basic needs- which would include water, food, shelter and clothes, for not only yourself but for your family too
- That you have the means the support your spouse financially and;
- That you will ensure that they will not need to require assistance from the government
What Are Some Issues With Spousal Applications?
Because these types of applications bring in such a large amount of paper work due to their popularity there are long wait times in return. On top of the long wait times at the end of it all there may also be refusals.
The refusals may take place because the sponsor does not as easily qualify as some people believe that they do. This process contains strict standards that need to be met in order to have a positive outcome to the application. There is also the fact that sometimes there are refusals because there are issues when comprehending and trying to complete the applications properly.
What Has Changed With Spousal Sponsorship?
There have not been a lot of changes but a major one that has taken place is the fact that the application has become stricter than it was before. With this change it means that there are longer wait times as the applications are being carefully processed before reaching a decision.
What Factors Should Be Considered As A Sponsor?
Have you, yourself been sponsored?
It is still possible to be a sponsor if the answer is yes, it is just required that you wait a minimum of 5 years before you can sponsor your spouse (they start the time from the day you receive your Permanent Residence)
Are You A Resident Within Canada?
You must take full responsibility for the immigrant that you are wanting to sponsor which includes the financial aspect as well. You must be able to prove your income so that it shows you are able to support the immigrant. The living requirements also are required to be met as a sponsor.
Have You Ever Been The Sponsor Before?
If you happened to have tried to sponsor a relative in the past but were found to not be able to meet the requirements then this will act as a strike against you. If this is the case, you will have an opportunity to prove that things are different now and your financial situation has improved.
The responsibilities that come along with Spousal Sponsorship
- You must make sure that all the requirements are met
- The sponsorship agreement and the undertaking must be completed
- All details of the relationship must be included (the length of relationship etc.)
- You have to include whether or not you want the sponsorship discontinued if all of the requirements aren’t met
- All forms must be submitted properly and filled out with all the appropriate supporting documents
What happens next?
The CRC-V will:
- Review both of the applications
- Ensure that all the documents that need to be submitted are there and in order
- Process the sponsorship application and compare the application to all the requirements that are needed
- Refuse OR grant the application based on the meeting of the requirements
- Initiate the request for any background checks or security checks that need to be completed before moving forward
- They will look to the CIC website for anything that may cause the need for more investigation
- Complete the admissibility checks and record them in FOSS
- Once all of these steps are done they will be in contact with you
We understand that this can be a very lengthy and challenging application, so if for any reason you are unsure about anything please let one of our consultants assist you so we can ensure that it is done properly from the beginning.
