Who is a Dependent Child?

Children who are under 22 years of age are considered dependent upon a sponsor, sponsor’s spouse, or common-law partner.  Children above 22 years of age who are still dependent upon their parents/guardians financially also fall in this category. This also applies to children above 22 years who are physically and mentally unwell to support themselves financially. A sponsor who has more than one dependent child is required to prove their financial power to support all children.

Who is a Sponsor?

To be a sponsor the applicant must be a Canadian permanent resident or citizen. They must reside in Canada or plan to reside in Canada. The applicant must be 18 years and above. The applicant will be eligible if:

• He/she has a clean criminal record.
• He/she Is not under any removal order.
• Does not receive social assistance however this condition may be waived off if there is a disability.
• Is not facing bankruptcy.
• Has not been convicted of any kind of sexual offense.
• It has been 5 years until the applicant has become a permanent resident.
• The applicant has paid all child support payments.
• The applicant has paid off all immigration loans.
• Is not in prison or convicted.
• He/she is admissible to Canada.

Eligibility for Adopted Child Sponsorship:

To be eligible for this program the following conditions have to be met:

• The sponsor and sponsored person must be able to prove their relationship whether the child is naturally born to the parent or adopted.
• In case the adoption is in the final phase the sponsor may apply for sponsorship until the adoption is finalized.
• The Canadian citizen/permanent resident sponsor and the sponsored child must be approved by the Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to receive a visa.
• The child to be adopted can be adopted inside or outside of Canada.
• The sponsor must be able to prove that he/she can take care of the adopted child by providing evidence of being able to provide food, shelter, clothing health, etc.
•  The sponsor became a permanent residence at least 5 years ago.
• The sponsored person must be at least 16 years of age

How to Apply Sponsorship Application of Adopted Child:

To apply for sponsorship of a dependent or adopted child the following steps have to be taken:

1. Fill out the application.
2. Gather all requisite documents. The documents that you will need are as follow:

• Proof of dependency or adoption.
• Police certificates and criminal records.
• Medical certificates for both sponsor and child being sponsored.
• Income statements proving the sponsor can financially support the child being sponsored.
• Fingerprints and photos of sponsor and child being sponsored.
• Birth certificates of children below 18 years of age.
• In case the aforementioned documents are not in English or French translation documents would be required.
• Certification of true copies of the aforementioned documents.

3. Get the application signed and dated.
4. Pay application processing fees.
5. Submit your application.

In case there is any change in addresses, phone numbers, or any other contact details the visa office should be informed ASAP.

Processing Times:

After you have submitted your application the visa office will assess your application and may conduct an interview. They may also ask for additional information and documents. They may also ask for additional information and documents. Once the visa office is satisfied, they will ask for the passport of the sponsor and child being sponsored. Some of the possible questions that may be asked at the interview are as follow:

• The relationship between the sponsor and the person being sponsored.
• The Educational history of the child.
• Reasons for immigrating.
• Current and past financial conditions of the sponsor.
• Criminal convictions and records.
• The plans and preparations are done by the sponsor.
• Health conditions of sponsor and child being sponsored.

How to Adopt a Child for Sponsorship?

To adopt a child for sponsorship from another country the following criteria must be met:

• The sponsor must be a permanent resident or Canadian Citizen.
• The sponsor must reside in Canada. In case the sponsor is not in Canada at the time of applying he/she will eventually have to live in Canada.
• The sponsor must be at least 18 years of age.
• The sponsor must not have any default alimony or child support payments.
• The criminal record of the sponsor has to be clean especially free of violent crimes such as sexual misconduct.
• For the child to eventually become a permanent resident in Canada the sponsor will have to live full time in Canada.

Child Adoption Process:

The child adoption process will take place in the child’s home country according to the adoption laws of that country. To adopt children under 18 years of age the adoption must:

• Be processed outside of Canada
• Or be processed in Canada

(The place where the adoption will take place depends upon the laws of the home country.)

The following steps will have to be taken:

1. The child must be adopted legally in his/her home country.
2. A legal end to the child’s biological parents must be carried out.
3. Informed consent must be sent to the biological parents.
4. A parent-child relationship between the sponsor and adopted child must be made in the best interests of the child.
5. All legal requirements of the province the sponsor is residing in must be met.
6. The child being adopted has to take a medical exam before arriving in Canada.

Rejected Applications:

Your application may be rejected in case you do not meet the immigration requirements. You will be sent a letter stating why your application got rejected. Providing incorrect or fraudulent information can also cause your application to be rejected.

Successful Application:

In case the application is successful the sponsored child will receive Canadian permanent residence. He/she will be allowed to study and work in Canada and have the rights of a Canadian permanent resident.