VISITOR SPONSORSHIP FOR A SPOUSE OR FAMILY MEMBER IN CANADA

2021-05-12

VISITOR SPONSORSHIP FOR A SPOUSE OR FAMILY MEMBER IN CANADA

2021-05-12


Sponsoring your spouse or partner from within Canada to visit you

 

Published by Paragon Notary on 06th May, 2021


If you have Canadian PR status and are living in Canada, you can sponsor your spouse or common-law partner for Canadian immigration with the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada. If your spouse is living abroad, they must have a valid immigration status to enter Canada as a student, federal skilled worker or a visitor.

 

This is where the services of an experienced legal firm can help. A spouse living abroad can also apply under the class of an open work permit to work while they await the processing of an application.

 

Firstly, spouses with PR status must ensure they are eligible to apply for their foreign partners to visit them. They must be a permanent resident in Canada and over the age of 18 years old.

 

They must show that they have the funds required to provide for themselves and their family if children will also be accompanying the application. Finally, they must have passed criminal record checks and the sponsored family member or members would need the relevant medical exams and police certificates.




The federal government requires that the relationship between spouses or partners be "genuine" and not based on wanting to get PR status in Canada.  An experienced lawyer or firm can help with the filling out and filing of forms with their notary experience. The process takes the IRCC approximately 12 months to peruse applications and there a 3 month waiting period to ensure the application itself is complete when submitted.

 

Biometrics may also need to be submitted to the IRCC within 30 days and an interview may be conducted to determine the authenticity of the application. Another 30 days is given for the submission of a medical exam.

 

The application process can be tracked online and once a decision is made, instructions would be sent to the spouse being sponsored on what their next step should be to become a permanent resident or visit their partner in Canada. Much like their partner, they would need to enter in Canada through a legal port of entry and have an interview with an immigration officer upon landing within the territory.

 

Certain documents may need to be brought for this interview. Afterward, once approval is granted for them to proceed into Canada, they would officially become a permanent resident and would receive their PR card in the mail afterward.  



 

There is an application guide online along with a document checklist to help persons with the process. Any incomplete applications would be returned by the federal government and the person would need to reapply.

 

The best mode of application would be to consult a legal professional with experience in assistance with the filing of such forms and the entire process so that you can successfully sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or family to join you in Canada.