A few questions about sponsoring, please help?

[kaged81]

I am a permanent resident here in Canada, residing in Alberta, and I will be applying for citizenship in February 2012. Does sponsoring a family member affect this application? (I would like to sponsor my widowed mother)


I also have questions about the financial requirements... I have read the guide and looked at several forums but still do not understand.

According to the guide, in my case, the sum of the following is required:

Basic Income Required by Sponsor to Meet Basic Needs of Own Family.... for 1 person is C$20,975
Additional Income Required by Sponsor to Meet Basic Needs of Sponsored Person and His/Her Family Members... for 1 person over 18 is C$15,343
If I am just under this sum total for the basic income required (by three hundred dollars) is this unacceptable?
What exactly is LICO? The figure for 2 persons is $27,264 would this be the figure I would use? (For myself the sponsor and my mother the principal applicant)


Do I have to continue working in the same job for the entire time the sponsor application takes to be processed (in my case 48 months) and would I have to be generating the same income?

I had planned on moving to another city (in the same province) to go to school next year. Would this be impossible now? Would school loans be unacceptable?

My last question... if I decide to get married/enter a common law partnership during the time that the application is being processed, would this be a problem?


Any information and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[scylla]

1. To sponsor your mother, you must be making a minimum income of $27,674 which is the LICO (low income cut off) amount required to support two people. LICO amounts are displayed in table 3 below.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5196e10.asp

2. You can switch jobs during the sponsorship process - but you must continue to meet the LICO minimum while the sponsor application is being processed AND while your mother's application is being processed (i.e. 48 months + processing times at local visa office). If you stop working and go back to school before your mother's application is approved,  the application will most likely be refused (note that student loans are not classified as income).

3. If you get any time married during the sponsorship process, you will have to meet LICO for three people to continue sponsoring your mother. LICO for three people is: $34,022.

4. Sponsoring your mother will not affect your citizenship application.

[Leon]

I'd like to add to what Scylla said that if you get married and your spouse co-signs your sponsorship of your mother, your spouses income can be counted as well.

[kaged81]

Thank you for your help!

Please could you clarify this:

If I put in this application now and 12 months later get married.... I would have to inform them of this change in status? Would my spouse then become my co-signer or would a new application have to be put in?

Govt school loans aren't classed as social assistance are they?

Thank you again!

[CharlieD10]

Yes, you must advise them of your change in status, as this will affect the LICO you will be required to meet, and you may also add your spouse's income in order to help with this.

Gov school loans such as OSAP are not counted as social assistance, nor are they counted as income for the purposes of the LICO.

[Leon]

Student loans are not social assistance but your spouse must co-sign if you want to count his income.  You do not have to apply again, just re-do the forms where he signs and send that in as a change/addition to your application.