WELFARE & SPONSORSHIP!

[rackeya]

Hello readers,

this is a very important question and i appreciate every single reply!!

My friend just gave birth to her baby in Canada on dec 2013, she was on welfare while pregnant but has gotten off welfare on nov-dec 2013 because she wants to sponsor her husband. Since she has just given birth she is not in the right position to work because she needs to take care of her baby and she is planning on working ASAP. But to my knowledge once youve been on welfare you have to be off welfare for a period of 12 months before you can apply to sponsorship. I know this because my brother was on welfare for 1 month and when he got off welfare he quickly applied to sponsor his wife the next month. everything was okay, but after a year he recieved a paper telling him he was on welfare in the past 12 months so they dont know if he is financially able to sponsor. so he had to cancel the current application and start another one. I dont want the same thing to happen to my friend so I am asking if anyone knows if the case for a pregnant or new mother is different. can she write a letter saying she was on welfare but is off now she was only on when she was pregnant.

please help

thanks for your time! :-[

 

[canuck_in_uk]

My friend just gave birth to her baby in Canada on dec 2013, she was on welfare while pregnant but has gotten off welfare on nov-dec 2013 because she wants to sponsor her husband. Since she has just given birth she is not in the right position to work because she needs to take care of her baby and she is planning on working ASAP. But to my knowledge once youve been on welfare you have to be off welfare for a period of 12 months before you can apply to sponsorship. I know this because my brother was on welfare for 1 month and when he got off welfare he quickly applied to sponsor his wife the next month. everything was okay, but after a year he recieved a paper telling him he was on welfare in the past 12 months so they dont know if he is financially able to sponsor. so he had to cancel the current application and start another one. I dont want the same thing to happen to my friend so I am asking if anyone knows if the case for a pregnant or new mother is different. can she write a letter saying she was on welfare but is off now she was only on when she was pregnant.

Hi

There is no special exemption for pregnant women or new mothers. She cannot sponsor him until she's been off welfare for a year.

 

[rackeya]

Hi

There is no special exemption for pregnant women or new mothers. She cannot sponsor him until she's been off welfare for a year.

do you know of some one that had the same situation as my brotheR?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

do you know of some one that had the same situation as my brotheR?

No, just what I've seen here on the forum. It seems that CIC goes back 12 months looking to see if a person has been on welfare. Apparently, some people have successfully sponsored their spouse after being off welfare for only a few months but some people have also been refused. She could try, maybe her app would get through or maybe it would be refused and she would need to wait until she's been off welfare longer.

 

[needhimback]

As long as your off welfare while your application is processing you will be fine. You just cant be on it while it's going through. I've never heard of being off welfare for a complete year before you can sponsor your spouse.

 

[Madal]

Hi
Where do you get that figure saying you need to be off welfare for 12 months?
Madal

 

[needhimback]

call them and see but I was told from about 12 people here and around including lawyers that you must be off while the application is going through the sponsorship. just be sure they are off then.

 

[mikeymyke]

Hi
Where do you get that figure saying you need to be off welfare for 12 months?
Madal

Its not on the cic website but when u call them they will tell you they check the sponsor's financial history 12 months back

 

[Leon]

They ask for the sponsors last years tax return (option C printout) and that would show them if you were getting welfare. However, even though they check it, it doesn't mean you would be denied if you had been on social assistance in the past but had discontinued it less than 12 months ago.

See for example http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/RESOURCES/manuals/ip/ip02-eng.pdf on page 21 where it says:

Since receipt of social assistance demonstrates an inability to provide for one's own basic requirements, the recipient would be unable to support other family members, including spouses, common-law or conjugal partners and dependent children. The sponsor may be eligible once social assistance is discontinued.
This bar to sponsorship may, upon request by the foreign national, be waived for humanitarian and compassionate reasons or public policy provided the sponsor requests that the application continue despite their ineligibility

 

[canadianwoman]

Yes, it is not a rule that you have to be off welfare for 12 months in order to sponsor. It is just that your application will show that you were on welfare. This may make the visa officer suspicious that you will not be able to support your spouse and kids if any, once they arrive.
But if you can show that you now have a good job, being off welfare for less than 12 months may not prevent you from sponsoring. Suppose someone was on welfare for a couple of months, then got a stable job that paid well and had a cheap place to live. The visa officer would probably think that he or she would be able to sponsor.

 

[Aenthicut]

I was wondering the same thing about the social assistance issue. I understand that if the applicant and sponsor request exemptions under H&C, that an application can still be approved. Is this the case? And if so, is the application still processed under SCLPC or H&C?

 

[Kalikay]

Hello readers,

this is a very important question and i appreciate every single reply!!

My friend just gave birth to her baby in Canada on dec 2013, she was on welfare while pregnant but has gotten off welfare on nov-dec 2013 because she wants to sponsor her husband. Since she has just given birth she is not in the right position to work because she needs to take care of her baby and she is planning on working ASAP. But to my knowledge once youve been on welfare you have to be off welfare for a period of 12 months before you can apply to sponsorship. I know this because my brother was on welfare for 1 month and when he got off welfare he quickly applied to sponsor his wife the next month. everything was okay, but after a year he recieved a paper telling him he was on welfare in the past 12 months so they dont know if he is financially able to sponsor. so he had to cancel the current application and start another one. I dont want the same thing to happen to my friend so I am asking if anyone knows if the case for a pregnant or new mother is different. can she write a letter saying she was on welfare but is off now she was only on when she was pregnant.

please help

thanks for your time! :-[

How did the application go?

 

[Zaafranizaafrani123]

I lost my job after being with my husband for two months in his country I come back and my job is gone I couldn't get the EI they refuse me twice it's my only alternative to get some kind of income was welfare this is while my a pill that was in effect I didn't even think at the time it would hurt us I don't know what's going to happen my appeal day is this December I quickly got off of it after on November I'm really worried but I screwed up things not even realizing this could screw up things

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I lost my job after being with my husband for two months in his country I come back and my job is gone I couldn't get the EI they refuse me twice it's my only alternative to get some kind of income was welfare this is while my a pill that was in effect I didn't even think at the time it would hurt us I don't know what's going to happen my appeal day is this December I quickly got off of it after on November I'm really worried but I screwed up things not even realizing this could screw up things

If your app was refused because you were on welfare, it was correctly refused. You should be re-applying, not appealing.

 

[canuck78]

You didn't qualify for EI because looks like you took an extended vacation for 2 months. The government views that as quitting your job unless your employer is happy to give you time off without pay and is able to survive without someone doing your job during that time. Most Canadians have 2-4 weeks vacation a year and usually closer to two.