SPONSORSHIP FOR PR

[CanadianResident11]

Hi Experts,

Looking for some expert opinion on important matters. Kindly oblige.
I am a permanent resident of Canada, tax paying, white collar job male living in Toronto for last 2.5 years and intend to file for my citizenship by September this year (upon completion of three years). I am 36 years old living with my same sex partner who is on a work permit expiring soon (student visa turned to work permit expiring soon).

I have a sister in India who is divorced and has a 11 year old kid. I intend to sponsor my sister to bring her to Canada and at the same time, I want to get my partner get his PR.

Questions
a.) How can I sponsor my partner to get him his PR. Do I need to marry him or could I via apply common law partnership? Does it have any issues with common law partnership?
b.) If I can apply for his PR based on our relationship, could he stay in Canada during the application period? Asking because his work permit expires this coming August.
c.) Could I sponsor my sister(39 years) and nephew (11 years) for PR in Canada? Would applying for PR for my partner impact in any way for sponsoring my sister?

Thanks a lot in advance for the answers.
Regards,
Canadian Resident since 2011.

 

[Rob_TO]

a - You must be married, or officially common-law meaning you've lived together 12 consecutive months in the same home with no breaks. For common-law you need to show proof of cohabitation, but if you have the proof then it's no different vs applying as married.

b - He could apply to extend his visa, turn the visa into a visitor status, or if you apply inland he can stay in CAnada during the processing time.

c - No, you can't sponsor your sister or nephew. They are not defined as members of the family class for you. You are only allowed to sponsor a spouse/spouse's dependents or parents/parent's dependents.

 

[CanadianResident11]

Thanks a lot Rob. Quick follow up questions

A.) Is it a simple process to get my partner PR or do I need to get an immigration lawyer involved to do the application?
B.) If advised to do it self, what do I need to fill and send to get him his PR? (We have lived together for last 2 and half years and even filed taxes together as partners for two years.
C.) Tentatively how long would the PR application for him based on my application take (We are located in Toronto) and what would be his status after expiry of work permit and till the time his application is not approved?
D.) Could he leave the country in the mean time?

Thanks a lot again.