In this article, we will provide you with all the information and tip strategies that you will need to begin your visa sponsorship application. Canada gives room for individuals or groups of people – an organization to sponsor their potential employee or relatives who are willing to come into the country either to live and work or to visit for a certain period of time. For any purpose, you may be visiting the country, it is never a loss course. Because other benefits and opportunities are readily available in the country for the citizens of the country and visitors. These include; an enabling, safe and hygienic environment for maximum production, affordable standard of living, modern and maximum security, highly paid salaries for workers, etc.
The overview of Canada Visa Sponsorship
What’s Canada Visa sponsorship?
Canada Visa Sponsorship is a program that allows any citizen of Canada or permanent resident of Canada to sponsor either their family relatives, spouse, children or potential employee’s visa application into the country. The sponsorship program is organized by the canada government to bring families close to each other and improve family’s unification and cooperation. The program also helps Canadian employers to bring their potential employees into the country.
Types of Canada Visa sponsorship
Canada offers two main types of visa sponsorship which are:
A. Family Sponsorship; Most foreign citizens in Canada are not with their family members which makes them not complete when they are not with them especially their immediate family like a spouse, children or parent. They can easily bring their family members via this sponsorship program. Sub-categories under this division are;
1. The spouse/common-law partner sponsorship
This kind of sponsorship program is for the spouses of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who are living outside the country. Eligibility criteria and requirements for the sponsors are:
- he/she must be above 18 years of above
- He/she must be able to prove that he is financially buoyant to provide and cater for the needs of his lover.
- He/she must be either a citizen of Canada or permanent resident of Canada.
- H/she must be living inside the country.
- He/she will sign a sponsorship agreement to be responsible for the needs of his family members – spouse for 20 years of their stay in the Country.
- The sponsor must not be a criminal or rather he/she must not be in person or convicted of any crime/judicial matters.
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For the Beneficent;
- He/she must promised to be law-abiding
- He/she must be willing to live in the country.
- He/she must be able to prove that he has a genuine, real relationship with the sponsor by presenting a marriage certificate, or similar documents.
2. Parent sponsorship
This kind of family sponsorship program is made available to the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of the country. The criteria and requirements for the sponsor includes:
- The sponsoring child must be capable of providing basic support for his/her parents like food, shelter, accommodation, etc.
- The sponsoring child must have a good paying job or financial capability to bring his/her parents to the country.
- You must also be willing to sponsor the needs of your parents for at least 20 years after their arrival.
- You must be living in Canada to take good care of them.
3. Dependent wards sponsorship
This is one of the most common family sponsorship visas in Canada which supports the transfer of the sponsor’s children to Canada. Any canada citizens or permanent residents can sponsor their dependent children(children who can not provide for themselves and are still unable to cater for their basic needs) into Canada. The dependent sponsoring child must be meet the below criteria:
- Your dependent child must be under the age of 22
- Your dependent child must not be in any relationship like marriage or traditional/common law relationship.
- Your dependent child must be your biological child or rather he/she may be adopted.
The below criteria are specifically for children who are older than 22 but they are dependent on their children.
- They must have been relying on their parents before they reach the age of 22 to make them qualify. This is to prove that they are still unable to provide for themselves which may be due to a mental illness or rather they are financially not capable.
- And you must also note that they will continue to be dependent children until the final decision is made to fulfil their independence or when applying for canada residency.
- The sponsoring parents (you) must also prove your relationship with him/her with a personal document like birth certificate, adoption certificate, etc.
B. Employer specific visa sponsorship
This is a specific type of visa sponsorship which allows a Canada employer to bring his/her potential employee to the country. The employer must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who has a business branch or headquarters in canada. The employer must also be a licensed sponsor and must also possess an LMIA document to give him the full authority to employ and sponsor the visa of any foreign workers. To be eligible for the employment sponsorship in canada, you must fulfil the below criteria:
- You must be under the age of 45 years old.
- You must have a valid job offer from a certified Canadian employer with a positive or neutral LMIA.
- You must have skills or possess some special abilities to work in the country.
- You must also be willing to live and work in the country.
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Basic Eligibility criteria and requirement of Canada visa Sponsorship for Both sponsor and the beneficiary
Here are the basic requirements for both the sponsor and the beneficiary:
- Age: You must be above 18 years old and above for the sponsor.
- Canadian citizen or Permanent resident: The sponsor must be either a canada citizen or permanent resident.
- Financial stability: You must be financially buoyant to cater for the needs of the beneficiary especially for the dependent child and the parents.
- No Criminal convictions/Crime: You must not be convicted of crimes or have any judicial issues with the law-abiding officer. This can be proven by getting a police clearance result to prove that you are truly free from all criminal charges.
- Valid Job offer: You must have a valid job offer from the Canadian employer.
- Work experience: You must have a good working experience in your field or profession.
- Possession of skills: It is also required that you have some skills and abilities to show that you are capable of doing your job.
- Academic Qualification: You must have at least a secondary school leaving certificate or bachelor’s degree.
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How to Apply for a Canada Sponsorship Visa
The following are the steps to successfully apply for a Canada visa sponsorship:
Step 1: Check your eligibility as a Sponsor
To consider sponsoring your beneficiary, you need to make sure you meet all the demands of the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) either as a family sponsor or employer.
Step 2: Get your documents
You will need some certain documents to process the canada visa sponsorship application, like:
- Proof of National status like Canada citizenship, permanent resident.
- Proof of family relationship like marriage, birth or adoption certificate, etc.
- Evidence of financial capability like bank statements, tax returns, etc.
- Police clearance certificate.
Step 3: Submitting Canada visa sponsorship application
You must submit your application online via the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) portaal . Please make sure that you carefully read all the instructions, fill the forms and submit all necessary documents to avoid delays.
Step 4: The Processing time
As your application is being checked and verified by the IRCC. Most Canada visa sponsorship application processes take about one to two months to be approved by the IRCC.
Challenges To be likely Faced in Visa Sponsorship Application
Here are the common challenges the sponsor and the applicants faced during application:
- Financial incapability: You will need to make sure that you are capable of taking care of the beneficiary needs and meet the minimum income requirement.
- Incomplete Application: When you failed to submit the documents required by the Canada immigration board. This can cause delay in the application or rather make your application unsuccessful.
- Criminal Background: You must have no criminal background and must prevent yourself from all kinds of crimes.
- Lack of communications: So many people misunderstand the eligibility criteria and requirements and do the opposite which leads to a lot of mistakes in the application process.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How long does it take to process a Canada employee specific visa sponsorship?
Most visa sponsorship processing time takes around one to two months to finish all the processes and necessary verification. The time variation depends on the time of application, regular check up, replying to updates and emails earlier.
- How do I get a Canada visa sponsorship?
To get a Canada visa sponsorship, especially an employee specific visa sponsorship, you will need a job offer from a Canada employer who has a branch or headquarters of his business in Canada. After a successful job application, your employer will continue to process your visa and other necessary processes.
- What are the basic requirements for a family sponsorship visa in Canada?
These are the basic requirements for the sponsor:
- The sponsor must be at least 18 years and above.
- The sponsor must be financially buoyant enough to sponsor the dependent or employee visa fee.
- He/she must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- Can I sponsor a friend for a Canadian visa?
No, You can not do any of that, the canada family sponsorship program is strictly for members of family, spouses, children, parents, etc.