How can I sponsor?-Receiving Ontario Works

Sponsoring Family
1

To whom it may concern,

Hello my name is Curtis and me and my fiancée have been in a relationship now for six wonderful months and we plan on getting married in Ontario next April.

I am currently a recipent of Ontario Works and am in rhe process of Ontario Disability due to a back injury that I received at work many years ago, depression because of it, and also due to having social anxiety.

We met last December on a game of all places and we instantly hit it off.

I got my first passport in January of this year and she bought me a plane ticket to go meet her and her family in March.

I was detained by the Border patrol Officers upon entry in the United Kingdom and was interiogated for nine hours about the purpose for my visit and I at first told them that I was there to visit a friend but then told them that I was actually there to visit my girlfriend at the time.

I was not able to contact any of my family members or my fiancée until these nine hours had passed. So unfortunately, I was unable to meet my fiancée on my first attempt.

She got a plane ticket dated two days later and came to visit me in Canada for three of the most wonderful weeks of our lives. She is coming for a second visit in July and is going to spend the summer with me here in Canada as she is a playgroup assistant in England and she gets her summers off.
( Sorry to ramble on here but I’m trying to describe to you our situation and hardship(s) ) She graduated University last September and has been working ever since.

We have researched quite extensively for the best way for her to be able to live with Mr in Canada after we are married next year but we are in need of assistance as we want to find our best way for her to be able to do so.

We looked into her applying as a skilled worker but the fact that she has less than a year of part time work disables her from having the minimum hours required to do so.

The fact that I’m unable to be her sponsor as I’m currently a recipient of Ontario Works is also disheartening.

We were just wondering what would our best way to go about her being able to live with me in Canada next year once we are married?

Do we have to wait for her to get the work hours in it do we wait to see if I receive Ontario Disability?

I did receive their decision today and of course it was a no which was exactly what we were expecting as by default that is how Ontario Disability works as most people will not bother with an appeal. The good thing about this is that I’m not ‘most people’ and I’m already expecting this to go all the way to the Tribunal board. Any help for us is much appreciated and we look forward to heating any advise from anyone.

On a side note: Why does the Government of Canada feel that people of ‘poor’ status not deserve the right to fall in love and live with the one person in the world that truly understands you just like everyone else?

I feel as if my rights as a human being are being violated here. Now tell me, Am I wrong to feel this way? Or is it just the way the world that we live in works? My fiancée wants to come to Canada and take care of me not only financially but in a way that I so desperately need… Emotionally.

Sincerely yours,

Curtis

2

Hello Curtis,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this situation.

As you may already know, in terms of a specific income requirement in order to sponsor a spouse to Canada, there is no income requirement at all for spousal sponsorship applications.

However, although there is no income requirement, you must not be receiving social assistance other than for reasons of disability from any province and you must not be in bankruptcy proceedings or an undischarged bankrupt. As you already know, this includes Ontario Works.

In terms of your appeal regarding the decision made about your social assistance benefits, you may want to contact the nearest Community Legal Clinic to see if they can provide you with some assistance with the appeal.

In terms of sponsorship, you can find some helpful and detailed information in our Settlement.Org How do I sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent child living outside of Canada? article.

You can also find some additional and very detailed, specific information in the Guide 3900 - Sponsorship of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child living outside Canada.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org

3

Hello again and thank you for the time that you’ve already gave to me. I have one last question for now I suppose. It’s off topic from this subject but I thought I’d just ask here anyways.

My fiancée is coming back to Canada for 6 weeks next weekend and I was wondering if she would need a visa or not? She’s coming from the UK and already has her ETA so I think this should be enough. I would just like a confirmation on this. She is staying with me and my parent’s place and my father has wrote her a letter just in case she’s asked by the Border patrol how she will afford her stay. She will have approximately $3000 CDN for her 6 week stay, sure that will be enough? Dad also wrote in his letter of invitation that himself and my mother will be supporting her.

Thanks for your time,

…Curtis