Minimum income requirement

[tiffaany]

Hi everyone, Im now about to send an application in vancouver for inland application and a friend of mine just told me they have a minimum income requirement for my spouse in order to be eligible to sponsor me. Because on the CIC website there's the form IMM5482, and here is the details, so i just want to make sure if there's any minimum income requirement. thank you so much!!

Table 1 - Basic Income Required by Sponsor to Meet Basic Needs of Own Family

Total Number of Family Members Basic Annual Income Required
1 C$22,590
2 C$30,495
3 C$37,650
4 C$43,301
5 C$48,192
The gross annual income is increased by C$4,891 for each additional dependant.

 

[CDNPR2014]

there is no minimum income requirement for SPOUSAL sponsorship. I'm guessing what you quoted is for parent sponsorship.

first, has your friend gone through spousal sponsorship to canada? if not, i would recommend not listening to what they have to say because unless they have gone through spousal sponsorship they are not going to give you the right information and will only be opinion or their guess that is based on nothing more than what they think they know/have heard/read, etc. if they have, then it is odd they are telling you there is an income requirement.

second, as already stated there is no minimum requirement for spousal sponsorship. with that said, CIC will want to be convinced that you both won't go on welfare once approved and settled. this is part of the sponsor application process. this is why they ask for documents from the CRA and letters of employment, etc. if the sponsor is not employed, then it's the sponsor's responsibility to prove they will be able to financially support their spouse without welfare. this can be done in many ways, and many sponsors without a job have successfully been approved.

 

[Ponga]

For a Spousal sponsorship application, there is no minimum income requirement. All that CIC needs to know is how the sponsor and applicant will be financially capable, without the need for Social Assistance.

There is a minimum income requirement for those sponsoring parents.


What have you decided to do regarding the OWP (since you're out of status)?

 

[CDNPR2014]

also, where is the applicant from and what is the reason for applying INLAND? Are you aware an applicant can be IN Canada as a visitor, worker or student and still apply outland? Outland is 95% usually the best choice for spousal sponsorship.

Also it's important to know the times posted online for outland processing are NOT averages and do not represent what applicants face today. For example, US applicants are getting approved in as little as 4-6 months, yet the times posted online suggest it takes substantially longer.

Depending on where your spouse is from, i would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend reconsidering applying inland.

 

[tiffaany]

also, where is the applicant from and what is the reason for applying INLAND? Are you aware an applicant can be IN Canada as a visitor, worker or student and still apply outland? Outland is 95% usually the best choice for spousal sponsorship.

Also it's important to know the times posted online for outland processing are NOT averages and do not represent what applicants face today. For example, US applicants are getting approved in as little as 4-6 months, yet the times posted online suggest it takes substantially longer.

Depending on where your spouse is from, i would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend reconsidering applying inland.

Both my common law spouse and I live in Vancouver, he got his citizenship in 1995. im on study visa and its expiring on July 31 2016, im applying for the Open work permit as well. and yeah i heard about people saying applying outland will be a lot faster, but will the immigration office reject my application if they found out im in canada? i couldnt find any information about ppl in canada applying for outland application, would you mind guiding me through it? thanks so much!

 

[tiffaany]

For a Spousal sponsorship application, there is no minimum income requirement. All that CIC needs to know is how the sponsor and applicant will be financially capable, without the need for Social Assistance.

There is a minimum income requirement for those sponsoring parents.


What have you decided to do regarding the OWP (since you're out of status)?

Thanks for the info! Im kinda frustrated cause I have no idea what i should do right now, i have Hong Kong citizenship and since HK doesnt need a visa to visit Canada so im thinking if i should leave Canada and come back as a visitor. or i should find something to study at VCC to extend my study permit. Do u suggest me not sending out the application until I solve my status problem? please give me some advice!!

 

[CDNPR2014]

Both my common law spouse and I live in Vancouver, he got his citizenship in 1995. im on study visa and its expiring on July 31 2016, im applying for the Open work permit as well. and yeah i heard about people saying applying outland will be a lot faster, but will the immigration office reject my application if they found out im in canada? i couldnt find any information about ppl in canada applying for outland application, would you mind guiding me through it? thanks so much!

No, CIC does not reject outland applications because the person is in canada. Again, a person can be IN canada as a visitor, worker or student AND apply outland. Outland has NOTHING to do with where the person is physically. It has everything to do with the citizenship of the applicant. There are many many many outland applicants that are approved with no issue and are IN canada during their process and there are TONS of those people on this forum.

If you are from Hong Kong, then APPLY OUTLAND. I believe Hong Kong has quick processing, possibly anywhere from 6-10 months? there should be a thread on this forum for Hong Kong applicants that will confirm how quickly they are approved.

the open work permit for inland applicants is NOT a reason to apply inland. you can be approved or close to approved as an outland applicant within the same amount of time as it would take to get the owp as in inland applicant.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thanks for the info! Im kinda frustrated cause I have no idea what i should do right now, i have Hong Kong citizenship and since HK doesnt need a visa to visit Canada so im thinking if i should leave Canada and come back as a visitor. or i should find something to study at VCC to extend my study permit. Do u suggest me not sending out the application until I solve my status problem? please give me some advice!!

you don't need to leave, you can simply apply to extend your stay and switch your status to visitor. this is done online and costs $100 i believe. this is very common and those with pr apps in process or those who show plans to apply are rarely denied extensions. you can ask for a 12 month extension to help you get through landing when you apply OUTLAND!!!!!!!!

 

[tiffaany]

No, CIC does not reject outland applications because the person is in canada. Again, a person can be IN canada as a visitor, worker or student AND apply outland. Outland has NOTHING to do with where the person is physically. It has everything to do with the citizenship of the applicant. There are many many many outland applicants that are approved with no issue and are IN canada during their process and there are TONS of those people on this forum.

If you are from Hong Kong, then APPLY OUTLAND. I believe Hong Kong has quick processing, possibly anywhere from 6-10 months? there should be a thread on this forum for Hong Kong applicants that will confirm how quickly they are approved.

the open work permit for inland applicants is NOT a reason to apply inland. you can be approved or close to approved as an outland applicant within the same amount of time as it would take to get the owp as in inland applicant.

Yeah Im from Hong Kong, i have been completing the application forms for 'Spouse or common-law partner inside Canada', so if i wanna apply for outland, do i fill out "Spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child living outside Canada'' instead? or i jsut send the application to the outland offices?

 

[CDNPR2014]

Yeah Im from Hong Kong, i have been completing the application forms for 'Spouse or common-law partner inside Canada', so if i wanna apply for outland, do i fill out "Spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child living outside Canada'' instead? or i jsut send the application to the outland offices?

yes, you need to fill out the forms for OUTSIDE of canada. while most of the forms are the same, there are slight differences and the last thing you want to happen is to have your application confused as inland. There is an instruction page, and both the sponsor and applicant applications get sent TOGETHER to mississauga, then they will internally transfer it to the visa office in your country once the sponsor is approved.

go here and ask about processing times for hong kong:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/hong-kong-timeline-t82193.2685.html

 

[Ponga]

Thanks for the info! Im kinda frustrated cause I have no idea what i should do right now, i have Hong Kong citizenship and since HK doesnt need a visa to visit Canada so im thinking if i should leave Canada and come back as a visitor. or i should find something to study at VCC to extend my study permit. Do u suggest me not sending out the application until I solve my status problem? please give me some advice!!

Since your study permit is no longer valid, because you haven't studied in ~ 9 months, you would have to apply for a new one...which is not a good idea, because you are in Canada without legal status. It is far too late to apply for Restoration of Status.

The only appealing part of an Inland application, is the new OWP program that applies to those with legal status. Since you will not qualify for the OWP, you really should consider an Outland application. Whether to leave Canada or not, is entirely up to you. There have been people that have submitted Outland from within Canada, without status, and had no problems, while at the same time...there have been some that had to leave Canada during the process. I have no idea how CIC/CBSA determines who stays and who goes.

 

[tiffaany]

yes, you need to fill out the forms for OUTSIDE of canada. while most of the forms are the same, there are slight differences and the last think you want to happen is to have your application confused as inland.

go here and ask about processing times for hong kong:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/hong-kong-timeline-t82193.2685.html

I see!! thanks for all the information, i really appreciate it! so yeah my study permit is till July 31 2016 I have stopped studying since June 2015 and am now applying for OWP and the common law sponsorship application. Some people told me here since im out of status, ill likely be refused for the pr and owp permit as i have been staying in canada with no status. so should i still apply for owp and extend my study visa together? can you please gv me some advices?

 

[Ponga]

I see!! thanks for all the information, i really appreciate it! so yeah my study permit is till July 31 2016 I have stopped studying since June 2015 and am now applying for OWP and the common law sponsorship application. Some people told me here since im out of status, ill likely be refused for the pr and owp permit as i have been staying in canada with no status. so should i still apply for owp and extend my study visa together? can you please gv me some advices?

You should be out of status, because you have not been studying (based on the new rules)! Submitting an OWP will be asking for trouble, IMHO.

 

[CDNPR2014]

I see!! thanks for all the information, i really appreciate it! so yeah my study permit is till July 31 2016 I have stopped studying since June 2015 and am now applying for OWP and the common law sponsorship application. Some people told me here since im out of status, ill likely be refused for the pr and owp permit as i have been staying in canada with no status. so should i still apply for owp and extend my study visa together? can you please gv me some advices?

I didn't realize you stopped studying. if you are out of status, you will not be eligible for the owp. i think the best thing to do is apply outland, go home for a bit and come back as a visitor, remembering to supply enough proof of ties to your home country. I'm not sure what would happen if you apply outland and CIC finds out you are in canada illegally. my guess is you could be subject to deportation at that point.

IMO outland is still your best choice since you are not eligible for the work permit due to your lack of status. the last thing you want is to be "stuck" in canada for 2.5 years while out of status. you'll be looking over your shoulder for CIC to contact you about deportation for sure.

 

[tiffaany]

Since your study permit is no longer valid, because you haven't studied in ~ 9 months, you would have to apply for a new one...which is not a good idea, because you are in Canada without legal status. It is far too late to apply for Restoration of Status.

The only appealing part of an Inland application, is the new OWP program that applies to those with legal status. Since you will not qualify for the OWP, you really should consider an Outland application. Whether to leave Canada or not, is entirely up to you. There have been people that have submitted Outland from within Canada, without status, and had no problems, while at the same time...there have been some that had to leave Canada during the process. I have no idea how CIC/CBSA determines who stays and who goes.

So if im applying for outland ill most probably be ok is that right? and since i have no status right now, do i still provide them my study permit and do i put student or visitor as my current status in canada?