PR visa is in the passport, can sponsor go on welfare?

[marco polo]

My wife arrives in Canada in two months.
Her PR visa is in the passport, can I (sponsor) go on welfare now? I lost my job.
I don’t want to jeopardize her visa or landing..

 

[Leon]

I think it is unlikely that immigration will find out that you are on welfare for the 2 months until she lands but still I don't think it would be safe for you to go on welfare until she has landed. You never know if immigration finds out later that you were already on welfare when she landed, they might revoke her PR based on that her sponsor was no longer eligible. Try to find another job fast, even a survival job if you are not eligible for EI.

 

[CharlieD10]

Try to find something, anything, so long as it contributes towards your expenses. Remember, until the PR lands in Canada, officially a decision has not been made, and if (although unlikely) CIC follows up your case for ANY reason and learns you were on social assistance before she became a PR, they CAN revoke her PR as you were no longer eligible to sponsor her.

 

[scylla]

Unless I'm mistaken, you have another problem.

Since you are married, I believe you will have to apply for welfare as a couple rather than as an individual. Since you signed an undertaking to support your wife for three years after landing, this means you will be responsible for paying back some/all of any welfare funds you receive over the next three years.

Hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Sunshine87]

I definitely wouldn't risk it. I'm sure the last thing you'd want to happen is for her to be denied after all that you've been through. Find a job... any job that pays the bills! Good luck =)

 

[marco polo]

Unless I'm mistaken, you have another problem.

Since you are married, I believe you will have to apply for welfare as a couple rather than as an individual. Since you signed an undertaking to support your wife for three years after landing, this means you will be responsible for paying back some/all of any welfare funds you receive over the next three years.

Hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

If I understand well, for these three years even sponsor can not go on welfere? I thought that it applies only for the sponsored person.

I did not realize that the welfere in the three years is joint/mutual for married couple.

 

[Sunshine87]

If I understand well, for these three years even sponsor can not go on welfere? I thought that it applies only for the sponsored person.

I did not realize that the welfere in the three years is joint/mutual for married couple.

The rule applies to both the sponsor and the sponsored person since the reason you are the sponsor is because you agree to be financially responsible for them. For those 3 years, you could go on welfare but you are required to pay that money back (from what I understand)

 

[marco polo]

I thought about it, but everywhere I read is mentioned only that I am responsible for her welfare. I have not read anywhere that I would have to repay for my own.

Anyway, thanks for the advice everybody, I will not risk!

 

[canadianwoman]

I think it is because the sponsor and the recently-arrived PR are a unit. A married couple gets welfare as a couple. One spouse cannot get welfare while the other spouse is working, supposing the salary earned is high enough. For example, if a woman who is a recent PR has a job that pays $30,000 a year, but her husband who sponsored her has no job, if he applied for welfare he would be refused, because the family income is too high.
I suppose if the couple separated or got divorced, then the sponsor could go on welfare without having to pay it back.

 

[Leon]

You should in any case not risk it before she lands and because that is 2 months from now, you should try to find a survival job so you will not even need to go on welfare. If you still don't have anything by the time she lands, you can try welfare. I do not know how they treat couple applications but I suppose you personally would be eligible for welfare if your wife is not making any money. However, it is not really going to be enough to support the two of you so you should really be looking for another job as fast as you can.

 

[marco polo]

I think it is because the sponsor and the recently-arrived PR are a unit. A married couple gets welfare as a couple. One spouse cannot get welfare while the other spouse is working, supposing the salary earned is high enough. For example, if a woman who is a recent PR has a job that pays $30,000 a year, but her husband who sponsored her has no job, if he applied for welfare he would be refused, because the family income is too high.
I suppose if the couple separated or got divorced, then the sponsor could go on welfare without having to pay it back.

Thank you so much for this explanation, only now I understand how it works.