| Family Sponsorship |
Family sponsorship is available to people who are already recognised as Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada. The idea of sponsorship is to promote family unity. So if at the time one qualified as a permanent resident or citizen the person has a family member outside Canada that will qualify the person to sponsor such member to join him/her in Canada. The category of family members that qualify include sponsor's i. spouse (wife or husband); ii. fianc�; iii. dependent son or daughter; iv. parents or grandparents; v. brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren who are orphans, unmarried and under 19; vi. children under 19 whom the sponsor wants to adopt; vii. any other relative, if the sponsor does not have any of the above or any family in Canada. If you have relatives who fall into any of these categories the other qualification you will need to pass is whether you have a steady income to take care of the housing, care and maintenance of your relatives when they arrive in Canada. The first step to take is to apply at the federal level. If you live in the province of Quebec and and you receive the initial approval, they will send your application to the Quebec government who will let you sign a contract (Engagement) that you are capable of being responsible for the upkeep of your sponsored relative(s) or family member(s). When this is approved, your dependants will receive the Certificat de selection. Send this and other application forms the federal government will mail to you to your dependants to fill and take it to the High Commission in their country to receive their landed papers. If the immigration authorities there demand that you do a DNA test to prove your DNA AND SPONSORSHIP DNA is a material that is found in the genes of almost all the cells in the human body, such as the hair, blood, saliva, etc. Scientific research has proven that half the DNA of a child comes from the mother and the other from the father. When one is asked to undergo a DNA analysis, one will have to consider the following before making a decision on it. The rules are that i. DNA is required if the sponsor wants to expedite the processing of the sponsorship application if he/she does not possess sufficient documentary proof to establish the relationship between him and the applicant. That is to say, it is something that is to help the sponsor with his application process, not vice versa; ii. If the immigrant officer himself comes to the conclusion, after analysing the file of the applicant that, there is not enough documentary evidence to prove the relationship between the sponsor and the applicant. In other words, DNA is a last resort from the part of the immigration officer, not a �first resort.� iii. Even if a last resort, the immigration officer should suggest to the sponsor that in view of the lack of sufficient evidence it is necessary to undergo a DNA testing. That is to say, the applicants are absolutely free to have or not to have the DNA analysis done; iv. The immigration officer should make it clear to the applicants that they will be responsible for bearing the fee for the DNA analysis, which costs around $1,000; v. If the applicants refuse, for example, on grounds of lack of funds, the immigration officer is supposed to go ahead and determine the sponsorship application; vi. The immigration officer, however, is not to allow the initial conclusion he came to and the refusal on the part of the applicants to under the DNA, to affect his or her judgement because lack of documentary evidence or refusal to submit to DNA analysis are not indications that applicants are not related. If one is able to prove that these two factors influenced the decision of the immigrant officer, it will be the subject of appeal. In case of refusal to submit to the DNA, applicants can suggest other forms or sources of evidence to prove the relationship between them. For example, if there is absence of baptismal or birth certificate, an affidavit from the parents of the sponsor and his/her spouse could be tended in evidence. |