Sponsor Wife and Child while living on ODSP

[Hellonyc]

Hello,

I got injured in the last year and now living on odsp, but need to sponsor my wife to canada. She is out of Cacada and will birth a new baby soon. I am very very worried about whether I am qualified to sponsor my oversea wife and oversea child to canada on low odsp income. How likely it can be apprved? Can my baby get child tax benefit if he came to Canada with my wife? Thanks for consideration.

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

You and your spouse can find some information on the CIC Website in the Guide 3900 - Sponsorship of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child living outside Canada guide.

It states,

You may NOT sponsor if you…

[…]
-receive social assistance for a reason other than disability,

So as you can see it states that you may not sponsor if you receive social assistance for a reason other than disability.

It may be helpful if your spouse contacts the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Call Centre directly for information specific to your situation.

In terms of getting the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB), you must meet all of the following requirements listed on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website.

Here is an excerpt,

Are you eligible?

To get the CCTB, you must meet all of the following conditions:

-You must live with the child, and the child must be under 18 years of age.
-You must be the person primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child.

Note
If a child does not live with you all the time, see Do you share custody of a child?

You must be a resident of Canada for tax purposes. We consider you to be a resident of Canada when you establish sufficient residential ties in Canada. For more information, see Income Tax Folio S5-F1-C1, Determining an Individual’s Residence Status.

You or your spouse or common-law partner must be:
-a Canadian citizen;
-a permanent resident (as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act);
-a protected person (as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act); or
-a temporary resident (as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) who has lived in Canada throughout the previous 18 months, and who has a valid permit in the 19th month other than one that states “does not confer status” or “does not confer temporary resident status.” If this is your situation, do not apply before the 19th month.

It additionally states about the statement Primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of a child,

Primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of a child – means that you are responsible for such things as supervising the child’s daily activities and needs, making sure the child’s medical needs are met, and arranging for child care when necessary. If there is a female parent who lives with the child, we usually consider her to be this person.

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.

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