Immigration Door

There are two main aspects to sponsorship:

1) It allows your family member to immigrate to Canada and get permanent residence (PR).

2) It requires you, as an individual, to make a commitment to provide for basic needs and to support that person financially.

Can I be a sponsor?

To sponsor a family member, you are required to meet several requirements such as being:

• a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• 18 years of age or older
• able to support the sponsored person for several years

• Spouses and common-law partners
• Dependent children
• Parents and grandparents

There are exceptions to this rule, however, and it may be possible to sponsor a non-immediate family member (for example, a sister, niece, or uncle) if: 

• you do not have any other immediate family members you could sponsor, or
• you have legally adopted them and they meet the definition of a dependent child.

Canada has several economic streams available for immigration.  The most popular streams are managed through the Express Entry system.  Express Entry is a form of pool where applicants submit what is called an Expression of Interest (EOI).  Once an online form has been submitted, the application is given a score out of a possible 1200 points.  Periodically, the Immigration Minister orders a pull from the pool of applicants for certain number.  For example, if the Minister requests 1200 EOIs to be pulled, then the top 1200 candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).  In the event there is a tie score, the candidate that has been in the pool longer will receive the ITA.  The applicant then has a period of 90 days to provide all of the required information and supporting documentation to apply for permanent residence.  Invitations to Apply can be issued under the following immigration classes:

• Federal skilled workers
• Canadian experience class
• Federal skilled trades class
• Some Provincial Nominees

Visit our Express Entry tab.

To come to Canada as a temporary foreign worker, you must get a work permit. There are different kinds of work permits.

If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you need a work permit to work legally in Canada.

In general, you need to apply for a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or a Canadian visa office before you come to Canada. For these work permits:

• You need to get a job offer from a Canadian employer before you apply.
• The employer must apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
• ESDC will decide whether the employer can hire a foreign worker to fill the job.

There are special work permits for some kinds of workers. For example, there are special work permit programs for caregivers, business people and agricultural workers.

If You Are in Canada

If you are already in Canada, you may be eligible to apply for a special type of work permit.

You cannot use a work permit to immigrate to Canada. If you want to come to Canada as a permanent resident based on your work skills and experience, see if you qualify to apply as a skilled worker.

Please visit our Jobs tab.

Canada welcomes millions of temporary residents (non-immigrants) each year. People enter Canada as tourists, to travel and see this great country, to visit friends and relatives or to decide if they wish to immigrate permanently. Over the past several decades, increasing numbers of travelers from a growing variety of countries have been making Canada their destination for business or pleasure.

If you wish to come to Canada for a temporary purpose like a vacation or to visit family/friends, you may need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), unless you are a citizen from a “visa exempt” country. The TRV (visitor visa) is a document issued by a Canadian Immigration Visa Office outside of Canada, showing that the holder has satisfied the requirements for admission to Canada as a visitor. TRVs may be for single entry or multiple entry. Typically, tourists are admitted for a period of six months. Temporary foreign workers (TFW) and international students are admitted for varying periods of time, as determined on a case-by-case basis.