I have no direct experience of this class of application but I have learned about it over the years by reading the newsgroup and hearing from people.

The best place to start your investigations is the government page at Canadian Citizenship and Immigration - Family Class page.

Click here for details on how to call Immigration. Note this is an automated call centre and you are unlikely to get through to a real human being. But it does have a lot of very useful information in the system.

Sponsors must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents (Landed Immigrants) aged 18 or over, and living in Canada.

A sponsor must be able to provide for the lodging, care, maintenance and normal settlement needs of the applicant and accompanying de pendants for period of 3 to 10 years. Sponsors who have failed to carry out a similar responsibility toward another member of the family class may not be allowed to sponsor another person.

Who is eligible for sponsorship in the family class?

The following people are eligible for family class sponsorship:

• spouses, common-law or conjugal partners 16 years of age or older; Note: this includes same-sex partners.
• parents and grandparents;
• dependent children, including adopted children;
• children under 18 years of age whom you intend to adopt;
• brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces or grandchildren who are orphans, under the age of 18 and not married or in a common-law relationship; and
• any other relative, if the sponsor has no relative as described above or no family in Canada.

A son or daughter is dependent when the child:

• is under the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner;
• is a full time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22); or
• is financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.

Note there are financial and other requirements on the part of the sponsor that you must seriously consider before taking this step. I urge you to read the fine print very carefully before you decide.

Here are some of the most common questions I have seen asked and the most common problems that sometimes arise:-

• How long will it take?
  Spouse sponsorship application are fast-tracked through the system as far as possible, as are the depending children of Landed Immigrants born outside of Canada (if the child is born in Canada then they do not need to be sponsored - there are some exceptions, children of diplomats I think but that is rare). The time frame has been running at about 4 to 6 months. If your spouse can enter Canada as a visitor then they may do that while the application is going on. However they may not work/be employed until the visa is granted or unless they have a valid work permit. The financial requirements for spouse sponsorship are the lightest though the three year rule still applies.

• I married and sponsored my foreign spouse and now we are divorced. How do I get out of being financially responsible for them for the three year period?
  You can't. No matter how much you loathe each other, no matter what the grounds for the divorce, no matter if he sits on his fat butt and does nothing or she carries on with the entire local football team, you are still financially responsible. Remember this. Especially if it's a holiday romance. I have heard first hand tales from several people who bitterly regret the sponsorship of an errant spouse but there's nothing they can do about it. I guess you could tell the Ministry that the marriage/sponsorship was fake to get the person a visa. That might get you off the hook. And prosecuted for immigration fraud. Your call.

• I want to sponsor my girl/boyfriend but we don't want to get married until we know each other better. How do we do that?
  The Fiancee category is now gone but instead you can sponsor a common-law or conjugal partner. But let's face it folks, if one of you is prepared to immigrate to (and therefore is committing to) a whole new country surely you can take a chance and commit to each other and get married? It's a great excuse to have a party, get a loads of gifts, buy a new frock and married men live longer - though my husband assures me they don't it just feels that way.

• Does my spouse/partner/family member have to complete the medicals and background checks?
  Yes.

• Does my spouse/partner/family member have pay the Right of Landing Fee?
  Yes.

International Adoption

Canadian law allows you to adopt a child from another country if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. To bring your adoptive child to Canada, you must sponsor the child for immigration. Click here to go to the relevant page on the government site.

Adoptions are the responsibility of the provinces in Canada. You need to have a Home Study done, usually by your province, before Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) processes your application for sponsorship.

You will have to comply with the adoption laws of the child's country of origin. You must also comply with the laws of your province. Make sure you are familiar with all of the legal requirements relevant to you before beginning the adoption process.

For more detailed information on the process click here.

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