Group Sponsoring

There are many Canadian citizens who want to know whether they could sponsor to Canada their siblings still remaining in their country of birth.

Under Canadian immigration law, only those within the ‘family class’ can be sponsored. And those falling in this category are: spouses, dependent children, adopted children, parents, grandparents, orphans and ‘other relatives’. For an extended explanation of the Family Class, please refer to backgrounder on Family Class Immigration.

But there have been questions whether the remaining siblings who are married with children could be sponsored. Some say there the option is available under Group Sponsoring. When this question was put to Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, he says there is no way a married sibling could be sponsored under a category called ‘group sponsoring’.

The only way a married sibling could come to Canada would be through the skilled worker system.

Group of 5 (G5)

But the Canadian government has an avenue open for refugees to be sponsored. Called Group of 5, or G5, this allows a group of five or more Canadian citizens, or those with permanent residence, to sponsor a refugee. The person to be sponsored should fulfil the criteria for refugee under Canadian refugee law or the UN convention on refugees. Generally, the refugee should be able to prove he or she has a well founded fear of being prosecuted because of race, religion etc, and should be living outside the country of birth (where he or she fears persecution). For more information, go to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website’s section on G5 sponsorship.

Jobs With Future 2 – Nursing

Canada needs nurses. Lots of them.

According to Health Canada and the Canadian Nurses Association, Canada might need up to 113,000 nurses by year 2016.

Generally, the shortage of nurses is a worldwide phenomenon, for reasons ranging from increasing population to diseases becoming treatable.
And in many countries, such as Canada, the population is also ageing, and therefore demand for geriatric care is increasing.

In Canada, nursing population is also ageing: in 2006, the average age of a nurse was 45, with about a third over 50 years.
In fact, a former official of the Canadian Nurses Association has said securing sufficient nurses would be vital for the sustainability of Canada’s health care system.

Those in Demand in Canada

The latest list of High Demand Jobs issued by the Canadian ministry of immigration lists three categories within the nursing profession.

Head Nurses/Supervisors
Registered Nurses
Licensed Practising Nurses

At present, just under eight percent of Canadian nurses are foreign-trained but this can be expected to increase as Canada tries to meet the demand. As well, Canada is becoming very diverse and in some parts of the country, such as the Greater Toronto Area, health institutions carry notices in more than one language.

How to Apply
Nursing in Canada is delegated to provinces/territories and, as such, it is they who regulate the profession.
Anyone needing more information about immigrating to Canada as a nurse, and sitting for the exams can approach the local consulate/embassy/high commission. More information can also be found at the website of the Canadian Nurses Association.

Time Taken To Process Spousal Applications

On average, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), it takes about eight months to process an application to sponsor a spouse or a partner.

But the time taken to process a spousal application differs from country to country. Interestingly, according to official data provided by the CIC, time taken to process an application is longer in western Europe than in Asia. In general, the time is spread between four months in Beijing, China, to 18 months in Accra, Ghana.

Here are the official processing times for the various regions.

Africa & the Middle East 10 months

Asia/Pacific 7 months

Europe 9 months

The Americas 11 months

One of the factors that can cause delay in the completion of a sponsorship process is the time taken to secure the security clearance. This is particularly true if the applicant is a citizen of a country in a civil-war situation. Canada is keen to ensure those who might fall under its law governing crimes against humanity and/or acts of terrorism do not enter the country.

Another reason for a delay might be when the applicant is considered off-shore. For example, if the spouse is a citizen of India but currently resides in the United States, it is the US consulate that would deal with the application but this is considered off-shore and there could be delays.

Sponsoring Your Spouse/Common-Law Partner/Conjugal Partner

Spouses/partners are given top priority under immigration law in Canada.

Some of the requirements, such as minimum income, are not needed for one to sponsor his or her spouse/partner.

First, let us see who falls under Spousal/Common-Law Partner/Conjugal Partner category.

Spouse

• You can sponsor someone as a spouse if you are married under Canadian or a foreign country law.
• If you were married in Canada, you should have the marriage certificate issued by the provincial/territorial authority.
• If you were married in a foreign country, then the marriage must be valid under that country’s, and Canadian, law. In case you were married in a foreign embassy/ high commission or a consulate premises in a country, then the marriage must be valid under the laws of the country where the diplomatic mission is located, and not under the laws of the country of diplomatic mission. For example, if the marriage was conducted in the Chinese embassy in India, then the marriage should be valid in India, and not in China.

Common-Law Partner

• If two people – either of the opposite gender or of the same – have been living together in a conjugal relationship for least one year in 12-month period. Short absences are allowed for business and family reasons.
• You have taken steps to set up a household together and these steps can include joint bank accounts and credit cards, joint ownership of a home, joint rentals, and mail addressed to either the same person or both at the same address.

Conjugal Partners

• Those who live in exceptional circumstances that prevent them from living together as common-law partners or spouses can apply under this category.
• You could prove that your coming together is being prevented for a number of reasons such as an immigration barrier, your sexual orientation or if you have been refused long-term stay in each other’s country.
• You can apply if you can prove you want to get married/live together but cannot because of war or other similar situations.
• You cannot apply if you could have lived together but chose not to for reasons such as education and career.

Criteria for the Sponsor

The sponsor should commit to financially support the partner for three years from the date the spouse/partner becomes a permanent resident.

Some Reasons Why You Cannot Sponsor

You had failed on a previous sponsorship commitment.

You had failed to pay a court-issued support order such as alimony or child support.

You had received state assistance for reasons other than disability.

You had declared bankruptcy and have not been released from it.

You were convicted of violent crime.

You are in prison.

Family Class Immigration

Canada allows many types of people to be sponsored under the Family Class.

They are:

• Spouses: (married/ living together/ conjugal partners)

• Children: Dependent children who are under the age of 22 and are unmarried can be sponsored. As well, children who are over 22 and those who are married can also be sponsored, if they can prove they are full-time students and are financially dependent on the sponsor.

• Adopted Children: A person who is under 18 and whom the sponsor wants to adopt in Canada can be sponsored.
• Parents: Obviously, parents of the sponsor. And parents may also bring their dependent children with them.
• Grandparents
• Orphans: An orphan is described as someone whose parents are both deceased. An orphaned sibling, grandchild or a nephew or niece can be sponsored if they are under the age of 18 and are unmarried.
• Other Relatives: If the sponsor does not have any spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, nephew, or niece living in Canada, and no relative living abroad who can be sponsored, then the sponsor may sponsor any other relative regardless of their age.