Sponsoring my father

Sponsoring Family
1

Hello,
I have been invited to sponsor my father. I will be sponsor only him to come to Canada.
As part of my father application, he needs to include his dependants: divorced spouse (even if separated, who is my mother) and dependent child. My father and mother have been divorced for 15 years, and therefore, my mother will not be accompanying my father to come to Canada.
My father has a dependant child who will not be accompanying him to come to Canada. The dependant child’s mother is not my mother and she was a past relationship of my father. The dependent child’s mother was never married to my father.

  1. Could you please advise if I (as his sponsor) would be also financially responsible for my mother (divorced spouse of my father) and his dependant child even if the child is not coming to Canada?.
  2. Does my father need to include the dependent child’s mother in the application? If yes, will I also be responsible for the dependent child’s mother even if she is not coming to Canada?
  3. If the answers to the question above are NO, then. I understand that my father can sponsor his dependent child once he becomes PR and meets the requirement. Since my father will sponsor his child, would my father be financially responsible for his child or would I be financially resposible for his child?

Your guidance and clarification is greatly appreciated. Thanks

2

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your question and situation with us.

For the first question, the answer is yes – you need to be financially responsible for both your mother and your father’s dependent child. You must prove that you have enough income to support all the people you “could” be sponsored by you once you become a sponsor. Also, you need to declare everyone in the application whether they are coming to Canada or not.

To calculate how many people that you will be responsible for, please refer to this page and below:

In assessing whether a sponsor – and co-signer, if applicable – meets the financial criteria for sponsorship, family size is determined by counting the total number of persons as follows:

  • the sponsor
  • the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner (whether or not they are co-signing the undertaking)
  • dependent children (based on the R2 definition) of the sponsor and/or the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner
  • the number of persons being sponsored on the application being assessed, i.e. the principal applicant and any accompanying or non-accompanying dependants
  • the number of persons the sponsor has previously sponsored (or acted as a co-signer for) and their family members for whom the duration of the undertaking (R132) remains in effect
  • if the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner is co-signing, the number of persons they have previously sponsored (or acted as a co-signer for) and their accompanying family members for whom the duration of the undertaking (R132) remains in effect
  • any person sponsored – or co-signed for – who is still being processed and has not yet become a permanent resident. This information is available in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)

Note: Children who meet the definition of a dependent child must be included in the calculation, even if the sponsor does not have custody or does not provide child support. This ensures MNI is met in the event that custody arrangements change during processing.

For the second question, the answer is no. Since the dependent child’s mother was never married to your father and their relationship has ended, she should not be counted in your family size.

For the third question, the answer is yes. If the kid doesn’t come now, then the father can sponsor at a later date (and be financially responsible for the kid). You will still need to include the kid and prove that you could be financially responsible for the kid. However, there is an age limit as to who qualifies as a “dependent child”. Therefore, it might be best that the kid comes NOW on this application and you are the one responsible for them.

We hope that the information we provided is helpful to you. We would also recommend you seek legal help from a lawyer or a licensed consultant familiar with Canadian immigration to find more information about your particular circumstances.

Please let us know if you have further questions.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org team

Disclaimer:
This document does not contain legal advice. This document was prepared with the assistance of PBSC University of Toronto law student volunteers. PBSC volunteers are not lawyers and they are not authorized to provide legal advice. This document contains general discussion of certain legal and related issues only. If you require legal advice, please consult with a lawyer.