Hi all, I searched but could not find a specific answer to this.
My retired friend wishes to sponsor a spouse from abroad. He is in his 70's and receives Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for a total of approx 1300/month. He is a citizen, but not eligible for CPP having never worked in Canada.
Would OAS and/or GIS disqualify him from being a sponsor?
I called CIC and they could not give me a definitive answer. They said the principle behind the "must not be on welfare" rule is that the sponsor should not be receiving money for nothing. So for example EI is fine, because you must have paid contributions in order to receive it.
They also said it is up to my province to determine whether OAS is classified as social assistance. I called Ontario and they said it's a Federal issue. :
I checked rules about tax returns and OAS must be reported under the "social assistance" box. So I'm thinking he won't be eligible.
My retired friend wishes to sponsor a spouse from abroad. He is in his 70's and receives Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for a total of approx 1300/month. He is a citizen, but not eligible for CPP having never worked in Canada.
Would OAS and/or GIS disqualify him from being a sponsor?
I called CIC and they could not give me a definitive answer. They said the principle behind the "must not be on welfare" rule is that the sponsor should not be receiving money for nothing. So for example EI is fine, because you must have paid contributions in order to receive it.
They also said it is up to my province to determine whether OAS is classified as social assistance. I called Ontario and they said it's a Federal issue. :
I checked rules about tax returns and OAS must be reported under the "social assistance" box. So I'm thinking he won't be eligible.