FAMILY REUNIFICATION VISA PROGRAM
Participate in the Family Reunification Visa Program by expressing your interest through the designated form. Once selected, you have the opportunity to bring your parents or grandparents to Canada as permanent residents.
For the year 2021, the program is set to welcome 30,000 new applications for parent and grandparent sponsorship.
As a sponsor, your responsibilities include:
- Financially supporting your sponsored family members, including their dependents.
- Ensuring they do not require government welfare assistance.
Eligibility Criteria for Sponsors: To qualify as a sponsor for your parents or grandparents, you must:
- Be 18 years or older.
- Reside in Canada.
- Hold Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or be a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
- Demonstrate financial stability to support the sponsored individuals. This can be proven with financial documents from the past three tax years, up to and including 2021.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OVERVIEW FOR SPONSORSHIP
This table outlines the yearly income requirements for sponsors based on the number of family members they commit to support. The data spans three years – 2020, 2019, and 2018, providing a clear financial guideline for potential sponsors.
For sponsors with more than seven dependents, there’s an incremental financial requirement for each additional family member.
| Total Dependents Sponsored | Required Income in 2020 (USD) | Required Income in 2019 (USD) | Required Income in 2018 (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $32,270 | $41,007 | $40,379 |
| 3 | $39,672 | $50,414 | $49,641 |
| 4 | $48,167 | $61,209 | $60,271 |
| 5 | $54,630 | $69,423 | $68,358 |
| 6 | $61,613 | $78,296 | $77,095 |
| 7 | $68,598 | $87,172 | $85,835 |
| Additional per person (beyond 7) | +$6,985 | +$8,876 | +$8,740 |
This chart should serve as a reference for sponsors to ensure they meet the financial criteria necessary to support their family members effectively in the sponsorship process.
You are required to submit a formal promise, confirming your commitment to:
- Offer financial backing for your sponsored relatives for two decades, commencing from the date they receive their permanent residency in Canada.
- Reimburse any social assistance funds your sponsored family members may receive from provincial authorities during this period.
For sponsors residing in Quebec, be aware that distinct income criteria apply. These will be evaluated by Quebec’s immigration authority.
Qualifications for Sponsorship Application
Eligibility to sponsor extends to your biological or adoptive parents and grandparents.
In situations of divorce or separation, you have the option to sponsor the spouses, or conjugal or common-law partners, of your parents and grandparents.
Your sponsorship application may include your siblings or half-siblings, but only if they are considered dependent children. This includes those under 22 years of age who are unmarried and without children.
You are permitted to sponsor multiple individuals or couples, provided you can fulfill the financial requirements for all the people you wish to sponsor, including their dependents (spouse, partner, and children).
