Spouse Sponsorship- PMM Leon and other seniors please

[pakistan]

This is a query on behalf of one of my friend...

I am a Canadian Citizen and was receiving the Social Benefits in Canada and they also had given me a house. I came back to Pakistan Seven months ago and as a result of this they have taken my house back and stopped my Social Benefits a month back while I am in Pakistan now.

Now I have gone married and I want to sponsor my husband from here.. I do not want to go to Canada unless my spouse is issued a PR visa.
I hv come to know that Canadian Citizens can sponsor their spouse even from outside Canada and without any job. They just need to show that after receving PR for spouse, they will again settle in Canada.
Can I sponsor my spouse from here without going to Canada and without a job?

[Leon]

Being in Pakistan and not having a job is not the problem here.  Having been on social benefits is, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-apply-who.asp

You need to find out if the type of benefits you were on disqualifies you from sponsoring and for how long.

[S.K]

Thanks Leon
I have checked the link... they say if you have received the social benefit then u are not eligible.. but my friend has stopped taking it since one month.. so there is no further clarification for how long she cannot sponsor..

[rjessome]

I love how you say they've "taken your house".  Whatever.

As a Canadian citizen you can sponsor your husband while you are living abroad however, you have to show proof of resettlement in Canada.  They can and will ask you about how you both intend to support yourselves once you get back to Canada.  If they feel that you will be unable to support yourselves, they can refuse you.  Bottom line is that they won't approve the PR application if they think you're going to go back to Canada and start collecting welfare again.

[S.K]

so how can we prove re-settlement after spouse PR...Do we need to show funds in Canadian Dollars or something else..

[Leon]

Thanks Leon
I have checked the link... they say if you have received the social benefit then u are not eligible.. but my friend has stopped taking it since one month.. so there is no further clarification for how long she cannot sponsor..

That's why I said "You need to find out".  Any friends in Canada can call CIC (phone number doesn't work from outside) and ask about this, that is the type of social benefits she was on and if that disqualifies her from sponsoring and if it does, then for how long.  Maybe it's a month, maybe it's a year, maybe something else.  Only CIC will know.

As for proving re-settlement in Canada, they will want a plan for moving to Canada.  They might want to know where they plan to live, do they own a house, have they secured an apartment, do they have the promise of friends or family that they can live there while they look for jobs.  What do they plan to do, do they have a job offer or acceptance to college etc.  If they fail to prove that they are going to move to Canada when the husband gets PR, they will be denied but in that case, the wife could move to Canada first and sponsor the husband from within.