Canada Work Permit With Family

The Canadian Government has made it easier for foreign workers to get a Canada Work Visa . Previously, foreign workers could only work on work visas if they had no ties to partners or family in Canada. Now, family members can come along with a worker’s Canada Work Permit . This means parents can now join their children who have been granted a Work Visa for the country. After working for 3 years, a worker can apply for permanent residency. Their spouse and children (under 18) who were granted a Permit at the same time will also be eligible to apply for permanent residency at this point.

Canada Work Permit With Family

You love your job and it’s time to be promoted or you want to find a new career opportunity. To pursue this you must consider the Canada work permit. HR is always looking for an ideal candidate for the job opening in their companies. Before applying, you need to know what the Canadian employer wants.

Canada’s economy is booming and that’s because the vast majority of Canadians are working. Immigrants to Canada should want to work if they want to stay in the country for very long. This sounds simple, but it’s one of the most important aspects of your immigration application process. Your job offer from Canada’s Human Resources department places you on an equal footing with native born Canadians, and also helps you with your Family Visa application . To find out more about family visas and how they can help your Canadian Immigration application, contact us today.

The Canadian Government does understand that families wish to be together and immigration is permitted for many members of the family. Some family members – such as spouses and dependent children – can be included on the initial visa application for new immigrants to Canada, while parents, grandparents, and others must be sponsored by Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Requirements for family immigration

Spouses and Partners

Your spouse or common-law partner can normally be included in your own application for immigration. A common-law partner is defined as a person of any sex (including same-sex partners) who has been living with you as a partner for at least 1 year. Similar information needs to be provided for your partner as for the “Principal Applicant” (yourself) on the visa application form.

Your spouse’s dependent children can also be included on your visa application.

This is normally a straightforward family immigration application to make.

Children

As of August 2014 only dependent children under the age of 19 can be included in your visa application, except in the case of children with certain physical and/or mental disabilities and health conditions, who have no age limit. Previously children up to the age of 22 could be included.

A dependent child is defined as any child under the age of 19 who does not have a spouse or partner, or any child of any age who is financially dependent on you (or your spouse) due to a physical or mental disability or health condition.

If you or your spouse’s dependent children have dependent children of their own, these children can also be included on your visa application.

Parents and Grandparents

In most cases parents cannot be included on the initial visa application, and must instead be sponsored by a permanent resident or citizen, except in rare cases where the parents or grandparents are living in some hardship, and there are compelling humanitarian and compassionate reasons to allow them to be included on the initial application.

Eligibility

In order to sponsor your parents and grandparents to enter Canada as permanent residents you and your parent(s)/grandparent(s) must co-sign a sponsorship agreement, which states:

• That you will provide them with financial support if necessary – such as if they become unemployed, for a period of between 3 and 10 years. 
• That your parent(s)/grandparent(s) will take all reasonable measures to support themselves financially.

Restrictions

You may be unable sponsor your parents or grandparents if any of the following conditions apply:

• You did not abide by the financial support conditions for another relative you sponsored in the past. 
• You have ever defaulted on a court support order, such as a child support order. 
• Have ever received benefits/financial support from the Canadian government (except support for a disability) 
• Have ever been convicted of a violent or sexual offence, or any offence against a relative. 
• Have ever missed payments, made late payments, or defaulted on an immigration loan. 
• You are currently in prison. 
• You are currently declared bankrupt.

Others

Sponsorship applications can be made for orphaned relatives under 19 years of age such as brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild. Sponsoring these relatives has similar eligibility requirements and restrictions with sponsoring parents/grandparents (above).

Further, you can normally sponsor a child under 19 years of age that you plan to adopt (subject to the relevant adoption laws). Please see our International Adoptions page for more details.

Further information, help, and advice

Workpermit.com’s team of specialists has over 25 years of experience in immigration services, and have helped thousands of people to study and work in Canada. All applications for Canadian visas are dealt with in-house by a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.