Parents-in-laws as sponsors

[littlegatter9]

Greetings,

I am a Canadian Citizen, and my husband is Portuguese. We are currently living in Portugal, but want to move back to Canada. We got married in Ontario, so our marriage is legal there.
I am afraid if I sponsor my husband personally, that I will at some point have to go to Canada to find work there before we both are able to go together. I want to avoid being seperated at all costs.
My question is whether or not my parents can sponsor my husband. They are Canadian citizens living in Canada. This way, I can worry about arranging a job when we have his Residence status and the two of us can move there together.

Does anyone have any advice about this? Is it possible for in-laws to sponsor? Or is there a way I can be sure to be my husband´s sponsor without having to be seperated from him?

Thanks in advance

Laura

 

[RobsLuv]

This is a little complicated to explain - so bear with me, please. No, your parents cannot sponsor your husband . . . but there is another way they can help you. As a Canadian citizen, you are permitted to sponsor your husband while you remain with him in Portugal. But you must be able to adequately demonstrate that you will accompany your husband back to Canada, and that you are able and willing to support him once you arrive. Even though there is no minimum income requirement for spousal sponsorships, sometimes when a sponsor lives abroad and has no job or home in Canada, the IO will look at the employment potential for the applicant, and some couples end up getting "tangled up" in the requirements of Section 39 of the IRPA - if an IO can show cause for believing that the potential immigrant is not willing or able to support themselves once they arrive in Canada. It says: "A foreign national is inadmissible for financial reasons if they are or will be unable or unwilling to support themself or any other person who is dependent on them, and have not satisfied an officer that adequate arrangements for care and support, other than those that involve social assistance, have been made."

Since it can be difficult to make arrangements for housing or employment when you have no idea exactly when you'll be returning to Canada because you're awaiting a spouse's PR approval, your parents can help you by submitting a declaration that they will provide support and accomodation for you and your husband after you arrive in Canada. It's not the same thing as sponsoring him, or even co-signing the sponsorship . . . it is simply a way to assure the IO that you have an alternate solution to claiming social assistance until you get settled.

 

[littlegatter9]

Thank you so much for your response. I have been trying for months to find an answer as clear as that. I believe for us it is good news, because I am a Registered Nurse and my husband is a Computer Programmer, both of which are jobs in demand in Canada, specifically our area of Ontario.

Just one last question This declaration that my parents would write, is it handed in initially with our application papers? Is there a specific form asking for this kind of declaration, or do we just send it in as additionally information?

Thank you once again. All the best.

Laura.