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Canadian Family Class Immigration - One way of Immigrating to
By: Sat-Sung Kalman, Mon Aug 7th, 2006
One way you can your family can join you in Canada as immigrants
is through family class immigration. Through family class
immigration, certain members of your family are allowed to
immigrate to Canada, upon your promise that you will take care
of them for a specified period of time.
This article is a summary of some important aspects of family
class immigration. It is not legal advice, but rather is merely
informational. It is accurate as of October 16, 2005.
Who can come to Canada?
Members of your family who may be eligible to come to Canada
through the family class immigration program include your
husband, your wife, or your conjugal partner, which includes
your same-sex partner. In addition, your mother, your father,
your grandparents, and your children may also be eligible.
Additional members of your family, including your brother,
sister, niece, nephew, or grandchildren may be eligible to join
you in Canada as immigrants in some cases.
What do I need to do?
Before your family members can join you in Canada, you need to
meet certain qualifications. Importantly, you must be eighteen
years of age or more, and a Canadian citizen or a Canadian
permanent resident. You must be residing in Canada if you are a
permanent resident; in some cases Canadian citizens may be
residing outside of Canada but remain eligible to sponsor their
family members to immigrate to Canada.
You must also fill out a sponsorship undertaking. This is your
promise to the Canadian government that you will support the
family members you are sponsoring. Depending on the situation,
this promise will endure for between three and ten years. You
and the family members you are sponsoring must also sign an
agreement which states that all parties understand their
obligations.
In many cases sponsors must meet minimum financial requirements.
The government established these financial requirements to help
ensure that sponsors have the means to support their families in
Canada. An important exception to financial requirements is that
in cases of spousal sponsorship, the government generally does
not take your financial situation into consideration.
What other ways are there to immigrate to Canada?
There are many ways to immigrate to Canada. Immigrating through
the family class is just one of those routes.
In addition, it is possible to come to Canada on a temporary
work, visitor, or study visa.
What are the chances of successfully immigrating to Canada?
Between January and March 2005, approximately 56,374
non-Canadians became permanent residents, which is the first
step to becoming a Canadian citizen. Of this number, 12,412 were
in the family class.
About the author:
Sat-Sung Kalman is a Canadian immigration lawyer, specializing
in Canadian immigration, visitor, study, and work permits.
