The Minister of Immigration, Honorable Ahmed Hussein announced yesterday 11 January, 2019 in Ottawa, that the government will start accepting applications to sponsor parents and grandparents for this year 2019 as of Noon Monday 28, 2019. This announcement includes the new way of handling requests on a First Come First Serve basis, which is in response to many people who were asking for the system to return back to this way of handling instead of random selection.

The Canadian government will open the door for receiving completed applications as of the date set above, until the cap of 20,000 (Twenty Thousand) applications is reached.

Application will be done mainly online. The applicant will need to prove his/her eligibility to become a sponsor. You may now ask, how do I qualify to become a sponsor. Keep reading…

4 Main Conditions to Fulfill:

1. Your age should be 18 or more
2. You should be resident in Canada
3. You must be either a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident of Canada, or a Registered First Nation
4. You can prove your financial ability to support those you intend to sponsor

While there are eligibility factors, There are reasons that would disqualify you as a sponsor.

How to Not Qualify as a Sponsor?

• If your age is less than 18 years old
• If you do not intend to reside in Canada when your sponsored persons obtain the Canadian PR
• If you are not a Canadian citizen or a PR holder
• If your PR application is still under processing
• If your income is below the threshold determined by the government
• If you have any legal problems in Canada (in prison or having a legal penalty)
• If you have defaulted in a previous government loan or child support expenses, etc.
• If you have previously sponsored someone and did not fulfill your sponsorship obligations
• If you are bankrupt
• If you are receiving any kind of government support (other than disabilities)
• If you are indicted in a violence or sexual harassment crime
• If you are under review for a departure order so your residency in Canada is not guaranteed (You will need to handle such problem first)

What is the Income Threshold and How Do I Prove it?

In order to prove your income level, you submit your Notice of Assessment for the last 3 years preceding your application. This year, the income assessed will belong to the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. The following is a table showing the current table used by the government

Keep this in mind:

• You should maintain your eligibility throughout your application period. The government may very well verify that your current income is still within the minimum level required
• You must also maintain all other eligibility terms and conditions and refrain from committing any of the elements that disqualifies you as a sponsor.
• You and your spouse can co-sign a sponsorship application and will therefore both be liable for the responsibilities included with such a sponsorship.

Responsibilities Included in a Sponsorship Application:

You and your co-signer (if that is the case), will sign a “Sponsorship Agreement”, by which both of you will be responsible for the basic needs of your sponsored persons (in this case parents and/or grandparents). Those basic needs include:

• Food
• Clothing
• Housing and Facilities
• All living requirements
• All personal requirements
• Fuel and transportation
• Medical care not covered by the government (such as eye and dental)

It is also important to know that your sponsorship will last for 20 years, even if your parents or grand parents get involved in the job market or start their own businesses. 

How to Calculate the Income Threshold

In order to correctly select the income level that applies to your case, make sure you include the following:

• All your family members (yourself, your spouse and all your dependents)
• Your sponsored persons and their dependents (even if they will not accompany them to Canada)
• Any individuals included in a previous sponsorship that you are still involved with
• Any individuals included in a previous sponsorship that your co-sponsor is still involved with

I hope the information above have shed some light on this type of application.

If you wish for us to represent you with your Sponsorship Application, please communicate with us via any of the following means:

To hire our company to be your official representative, send an email to (ehab@vglobal.ca), and make sure your telephone information is included so we can call you.

If you only wish to discuss specifics related to your situation in a paid consultation (that is returned to you if you hire us to be your representative), book a consultation using this link (Personal Consultation)