Immigrating to Canada: Family Class

Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada, 18 years of age or older, may sponsor close family members who wish to immigrate to Canada. Sponsors must agree to support the family member and accompanying dependents from three (3) to ten (10) years. Since a sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, the information will follow in English.

To learn more on who can sponsor and what are the conditions:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/sponsor/index.html

To learn more on international adoption:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/sponsor/adopt-1.html

If you have a relative in Canada

If you have a relative in Canada and would like to be reunited with him/her, you must be aware that the sponsorship process starts in Canada by presenting a sponsorship application to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (Ontario).

If your relative resides in the province of Québec and needs more information on how to sponsor a family member, his/her obligations and responsibilities, please consult the Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du Québec

Visa Refusal and Right of Appeal

A family class application could be refused. There are various reasons that can justify that decision: sponsor's economic situation, lack of satisfying proof of the relationship, criminal record, serious health problems, etc. In all cases, the officer taking the decision will send a letter explaining the reason(s) for the refusal. This letter will be sent to your sponsor in Canada who will have right of appeal on that decision. This appeal will have to be filed by the sponsor at the Immigration Appeal Division.

Information on the Sponsorship Process

Your sponsor can call the call centre in Canada:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/contacts/call.html

The Embassy wishes to remind you that under no circumstances is the Embassy allowed to give information over the phone and we thank you for not calling the Embassy if you wish to obtain information about your file as this prevents us from processing the cases quickly and efficiently.