TWO STAGES IN FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

Any sponsorship application under the Family Class Program has two (2) stages. Processing time varies depending on the category, but steps are always the same.

The first stage is to assess whether a sponsor meets the eligibility requirements, which is a Sponsorship Application. Read about the requirements that a sponsor must meet.

Sponsor(s) will receive an acknowledgment letter when this stage is completed, stating that they have met or not the criteria for eligibility as a sponsor. Processing time depends on the category of family sponsorship.

In some cases, the assessment stage may take longer. For example, when an exemption from any eligibility requirements has been requested on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds.

The second stage is the Application for Permanent Residence. However, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) visa office only proceeds to the second stage if a sponsor is assessed as eligible and meets the requirements in the first stage – sponsorship application.

Even though the two (2) stages have certain different documents and sponsorship application forms, all these documents and forms must be submitted at the same time. 

Thus, to make a family sponsorship application, the whole application package containing sponsorship application and application for permanent residence must be submitted together.