Family Class
Under the "Family Class" immigration category, a Canadian citizen or a permanent immigrant can sponsor his/her spouse, parents/grandparents, dependent child and orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild - if under the age of 22 and is unmarried. An applicant can also sponsor an adopted child under the age of 22 years, or a child who is orphaned, or placed with a Child Welfare authority for adoption. If the Sponsor has no relative (as described above) and no relative as a Canadian citizen, or permanent resident in Canada, they are eligible to sponsor one other relative.
The sponsor has the responsibility to demonstrate the financial ability to provide basic requirements for living in Canada, if needed, for the individuals and dependents that are to be sponsored in the Family Class, for a specific number of years (presently 3 years for spouse and 10 years for all others). These requirements are eased while sponsoring a spouse and/or unmarried children less than 22 years of age.
Canadian citizens living outside Canada can apply for sponsoring their spouse to Canada even when they live outside Canada. They should demonstrate they would join their spouse in Canada when he/she comes to Canada after sponsorship.
Effective December 2011 applications for sponsorship of parents and grandparents have been suspended for 2 years to reduce the wait times. For the time being ‘Super visa’ has been introduced where by parents and grandparents can be sponsored for visitor visa for up to 10 years or to the validity of passport. They can stay in Canada for up to 2 years without visa extension. Certain conditions apply like medical insurance & income criteria of sponsor.
