Can you get social assistance (welfare) if you were sponsored?

[Al.Abed]

Hi,
this is just a general question I'm wondering about. After reading a few posts on here, some  people are getting into canada on sponsorship then breaking up and then the sponsored person going on welfare so the sponsor has to pay that back.

I was always under the impression that the sponsored person does NOT qualify for any financial assistance from the government. How are they getting it? I was always told that if you try to apply for anything, you will get rejected since you are sponsored.

[arewethereyet]

My understanding is that the sponsor has an obligation to reimburse the 'Crown' any welfare claimed/paid out to the sponsored person in the first three years following 'landing'. http://www.cba.org/cba/newsletters/pdf/consequences.pdf

[mitamata]

Yes, any social assistance the sponsored person receives, the sponsor has to pay back to the government. But you CAN get it, just like any other person.

[Leon]

Yes, you can get it.  I saw an interview on TV with a woman who was a victim of a marriage scam.  She sponsored her husband to Canada and as soon as he arrived, he said, "You are really not my type" and left.  Later she found out that he went and claimed welfare, only because she got the bill for it.  Welfare is only about $500 a month though.  After several months in Canada, he'd managed to get himself on disability and that is more like $1000 or 1200 and she got the bill for that as well.  Now she wanted to know the nature of his disability because she was not aware that he was in any way disabled and she was told by the government that it was none of her business because telling her, even though she was paying for it, would be violating his privacy.

However, if you did that, your sponsor could turn around and try to get your PR cancelled for marriage scam.  It's not common for that to happen but it has happened in some cases.

[fairouzm]

Hello al abed...

You can get it in some provinces... because they can't leave you go on the streets... but then you have to pay for it.... However, in Alberta there are lots of programs if you apply for you don't qualify for because you are sponsored... one of them like housing assistance.... they say you will be qualified in 3 years...

seriously i don't see this as fair because if you think about it... new immigrants such as skilled workers class or any other type... they can get welfare right away...so why not our spouses... ( we pay taxes) ...


I know people who only pay 200 for rent... and we have to pay so much money for rent... you know things happen when you get married to someone who is not established in canada yet... I know very sad stories... one of my friends... she was sponsored.. so she didnt' qualify for many assistance programs because her three years didn't finish..she was divorced by her sponsor (not her fault) she can't even pay bills to get a lawyer to get some money from him... she has a daughter as well...

She is working so she is making it very easy for him...

anyways...3 years is better than 10 years for some people... i am glad my hubby is working and we don't need to go through this...

[martha marita]

Yep! the rule applies in ontario.  The sponsored person can turn against you and collect it but they will not let you know other than bill you in the end.

So be careful when sponsoring someone

[canbrit]

I understand that the sponsor would be responsible for paying back anything collected by the sponsored person.

What about the sponsor themselves. I am applying to sponsor my husband. We plan to have children within the next 3 years, so I expect I would collect EI (employment insurance). What happens there? Am I still able to collect that, if I'm sponsoring my husband?

[Al.Abed]

Thanks everyone, that clears things up
and canbrit, i think everything still applies as it did before you sponsor your husband. if you qualified before, then you will qualify after.

[Leon]

EI is not social assistance.