Family Sponsorship or Super Visa?

[GKYL]

Hi,

Please give me some sound advice as to whether to apply family sponsorship or super visa to bring my maternal 88 yo grandmother from HK into Canada ASAP.

Here is my situation...Her health is declining and neither my parents are in the position to take care of her. I'd like to bring her to Montreal to spend her remaining time with me and my family. Super visa seems to be a viable solution and the quickest way to get her in but I have the following questions:

1. She has many pre-existing conditions, not sure if it would be possible to get her insured and even if so would be very expensive I think.
2. My understanding is Super Visa can be good for 10 years but every 2 years need to be renewed. Would it be possible to get declined during renewal?
3. Can I apply for family sponsorship while she is on Super Visa in Canada?
4. My mother does not have a birth certificate. So it's difficult to prove my grandmother is indeed my grandmother. Any suggestions and alternatives?

Thank you in advance!

 

[profiler]

Her health is declining and neither my parents are in the position to take care of her.

A general note on her health and age: is she safe to fly in a plane?? If she would pose a risk to health care, they may deny her entry (so she would need travel insurance).

1. She has many pre-existing conditions, not sure if it would be possible to get her insured and even if so would be very expensive I think.

Probably would be. I would be surprised if you can get insurance, given her age.

2. My understanding is Super Visa can be good for 10 years but every 2 years need to be renewed. Would it be possible to get declined during renewal?

Good for the life of the passport. 2 years is the amount of time the person can visit Canada.

3. Can I apply for family sponsorship while she is on Super Visa in Canada?

You could, but she would need to pass a medical. They would likely decline just on health concerns alone.

4. My mother does not have a birth certificate. So it's difficult to prove my grandmother is indeed my grandmother. Any suggestions and alternatives?

You will need these for sure. You might start asking at government registry offices.

Good luck!

 

[CDNPR2014]

Hi,

Please give me some sound advice as to whether to apply family sponsorship or super visa to bring my maternal 88 yo grandmother from HK into Canada ASAP.

You could, but she would need to pass a medical. They would likely decline just on health concerns alone.

I don't think a person's GRANDMOTHER is eligible for family sponsorship. I think you can only sponsor your parents. the "grandparent" visa is referencing grandparents of children, not adults, meaning that child's parents are sponsoring THEIR parents, not their own grandparents. I'd assume for a grandparent to be eligible for family sponsorship, the sponsor needs to be considered "alone in canada" and not have parents who are alive.

you may want to try for a TRV first, not a super visa.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I don't think a person's GRANDMOTHER is eligible for family sponsorship. I think you can only sponsor your parents. the "grandparent" visa is referencing grandparents of children, not adults, meaning that child's parents are sponsoring THEIR parents, not their own grandparents. I'd assume for a grandparent to be eligible for family sponsorship, the sponsor needs to be considered "alone in canada" and not have parents who are alive.

Wrong. Don't know how you came by that idea when it's called the "Parent and Grandparent Program"...

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/parents.asp

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may be able to sponsor your parent or grandparent to become a permanent resident under the Family Class (FC).

 

[CDNPR2014]

Wrong. Don't know how you came by that idea when it's called the "Parent and Grandparent Program"...

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/parents.asp

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may be able to sponsor your parent or grandparent to become a permanent resident under the Family Class (FC).

i see. thanks for the info. even still, with the failing health of the grandmother and the fact that seems to be the reason for the sponsorship, it is highly unlikely a grandparent sponsorship will be successful. the current application period is closed, and new applications can not be submitted until January. also, it takes a significant amount of time for this type of sponsorship to be approved, so i don't see it being the best option.

 

[canadianwoman]

You can try to sponsor her as your grandmother, but this requires three years of meeting the minimum income for your family size with Canadian income, it takes a long time to process, and she would almost certainly be refused for medical reasons.
I would try getting her a super visa. She will need health insurance for this.
You could possibly try to sponsor her under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, if there is no one else to look after her back home. I would get an immigration lawyer for this option.

 

[GKYL]

You can try to sponsor her as your grandmother, but this requires three years of meeting the minimum income for your family size with Canadian income, it takes a long time to process, and she would almost certainly be refused for medical reasons.
I would try getting her a super visa. She will need health insurance for this.
You could possibly try to sponsor her under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, if there is no one else to look after her back home. I would get an immigration lawyer for this option.

Maybe I should clarify the health condition of my grandmother. Her major issues are diabetes, high blood pressure, severe arthritis which causes her to be immobile.She also partially deaf and has dementia. She is taking medications to control her issues but don't need any on-going medical treatment.So burden on health care is limited. Given her advanced age, even if we find out later on that she has other conditions and may be offered medical options such as surgery or other invasive treatments, we will most likely decline them as she won't be able to withstand any discomforts and to recover from any potential risk of infections and other complications. All this is to say that while she may not be healthy enough to pass medical exam but her burden on the health system would not be substantial.

I found some info on CIC site on H&C applications. But there are not as much info as normal family sponsorship applicationis. Please direct more info my way to help me make a decision.

For now my questions are:
1. What would be the typical processing time for H&C applications?
2. Is it essential to hire an immigration lawyer for this? What would be the advantage?

Thank you so much everyone for your replies. Please keep it coming.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Given her advanced age, even if we find out later on that she has other conditions and may be offered medical options such as surgery or other invasive treatments, we will most likely decline as she won't be able to withstand any discomforts and recover from any potential risk of infections and other complications. All this is to say that while she may not be healthy enough to pass medical exam but her burden on the health system would not be substantial.

I've read some info on CIC site on H&C applications. But there are as much info as normal sponsorship applicationis. Please direct more info my way to help me make a decision.

1. What would be the typical processing time for H&C applications?
2. Is it essential to hire an immigration lawyer for this? What would be the advantage?

This is very little chance that your grandmother would pass the medical. IRCC looks to see whether a person would exceed the Excessive Demand Threshold in the 5 years after they become a PR. They look at both medical and social services. Given her age and conditions, it is likely that she would exceed the threshold.

Given that your parents are still alive and back in your home country, I doubt that an H&C application would be successful.

 

[canadianwoman]

A H & C application is difficult. It is best to have an experienced immigration lawyer help you.

 

[Hasan9999]

With so much emotion pouring into your mind, while it would be great to take care of your loving grandma in Canada with you, reality is far beyond your dream...Chances are her application will be refused at the end solely because of her deteriorating health condition...both sponsorship or TRV/ super visa.

You may consider moving back to HK for couple of months to take care of her.

Hasan

 

[truesmile]

With so much emotion pouring into your mind, while it would be great to take care of your loving grandma in Canada with you, reality is far beyond your dream...Chances are her application will be refused at the end solely because of her deteriorating health condition...both sponsorship or TRV/ super visa.

You may consider moving back to HK for couple of months to take care of her.

Hasan

Well that's a crock of BS!

To get a regular TRV you don't NEED proof of medical insurance. That BTW is what I would suggest, just apply for a regular TRV. I also don't believe diabetes, HBP and arthritis would generate 'excessive' demand on the health system.

 

[mad_hatter]

The problem is travel insurance. In Hong Kong travel insurance will not provide coverage for more than 90 days. If she got ill after 90 days, she will have to pay for medical expense herself and that could be costly. God forbidden, if she needs medivac back to HK...

 

[scylla]

I would forget about the regular grandparent PR sponsorship stream. I think she's guaranteed to be refused on medical grounds. I believe the same will happen with the super visa. Her medical issues are significant.

TRV is certainly doable and you can try the H&C path (if the TRV is approved). If she has any children or grandchildren who are alive and living in her home country - it will likely be quite difficult to make a case for H&C. I agree that you should hire a lawyer if you decide to go the H&C route.

 

[profiler]

To get a regular TRV you don't NEED proof of medical insurance.

You'd need it to satisfy the CBSA for sure.

 

[mad_hatter]

I won't want to be in Canada without medical insurance coverage.