FAMILY CLASS SPONSORSHIP OF DEPENDENT CHILD FOR IMMIGRATION TO CANADA

The Family Class Sponsorship Program facilitates a reunion of family members in Canada. It allows sponsoring dependent children, amongst other relatives, to bring them to Canada. 

Foreign nationals, who first immigrated to Canada without their bairns, can sponsor dependants after they gained permanent residency or citizenship. While it is permitted in most cases to migrate with children by including them in an adult's application for permanent residence, it does not always happen for different reasons. For instance, a parent-protected person did not include a kid in the application for permanent residence. Another example is when a kid was adopted in Canada from abroad. Or, a mistake occurred, and a bairn was identified as “not accompanying” in the application form. It can be resolved through family class immigration to Canada.

Only a kid who is dependent on parents can immigrate under the Family Class Program.

The law has evolved in that regard and currently sets specific requirements for who may qualify as a “dependent child.” Thus, a person must be under 22 years of age. And this condition must be met at the time of a sponsorship application received by the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) office. Nonetheless, if your son or daughter is under 22 years but has married or in a common-law relationship, then he or she is not dependent and, therefore, can not be sponsored.

Sometimes parents support their offspring financially after they turn 22 years and onward. If the reason behind such a financial dependency is a physical or mental condition, then sponsoring such a person to come to Canada is still a viable option.

The starting point is to define whether your kid is qualified for immigration under the Family Class Program, given the Canadian definition discussed above.

Equally important is to be an eligible sponsor. There are certain requirements for the sponsor, these are in addition to being a natural or adopted parent.  In any application, the assessment of a sponsor’s eligibility is the first stage of the sponsorship process followed by a child’s application for PR.

When both meet the program requirements, a process can start. Fill out the forms, gather supporting documents, pay government fees, and submit an application. Remember that a package varies based on whether you sponsor a natural or adopted kid, and whether you are from Quebec. You can check the updated forms and document checklist here. It may vary depending on whether an applicant is a temporary resident of Canada or lives in another country.  For sponsors from Quebec, please follow the requirements that can be found here.

After you applied,  wait around 12 months for a decision. processing time may vary depending on the country of residence.