Family Sponsorship under Canada’s Federal Immigration Program is generally limited to immediate relatives namely, spouses, common-law and conjugal partners, dependent children under 22 years of age, parents, grandparents and orphaned children.

Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor any of the above relatives to live in Canada providing they meet Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s eligibility criteria. However anyone who wanted to sponsor distant relatives such as brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles etc. have been unable to do so under the federal program; distant relatives have had to apply under different immigration categories such as the Federal Skilled Worker program.

Rules over the sponsorship of distant relatives have changed in the province of Alberta, which now allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents who live in the province to sponsor distant relatives under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program. The benefit to relatives sponsored to Alberta is that they can take advantage of its low taxes and high salaries.

To qualify for sponsorship of a distant relative in Alberta the relative must meet the following criteria:

• Be 21 years old or above
• Have a relative who has been a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the last 2 years
• Prove that their sponsor has lived in Alberta for the last 2 years
• Be able to prove with valid documentation their blood relationship to the sponsor

The sponsor must meet the following criteria:

• Submit an AINP Family Stream Affidavit of Support promising to financially support the distant relative for a 2 year period

• Prove they have had a regular source of income e.g. through a job, private pension or investments over the last year. If they cannot prove this they must prove they own outright net assets to the value of CDN $ 15,000 e.g. a car or collection of jewellery could amount to net assets to this value.
• Produce a comprehensive Settlement Plan showing how they will supervise and assist their relatives’ with shelter, food, clothing, finding work and general integration into Alberta society
• Ensure that they have no other outstanding or unfulfilled sponsorship agreements; only one sponsorship agreement per household is allowed

Providing a sponsor can meet all of the above criteria they will be able to bring distant as well as close family members to live with them in Alberta.

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Despite the effects of economic downturn on the world stage, the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta have managed to keep their unemployment rates remarkably low.

Saskatchewan’s provincial unemployment rate was 4.1 per cent in January, and Alberta’s was 4.4.  Alberta Employment and Immigration considers an unemployment rate of 5 per cent to be a balanced labour market.  Though these provinces have indeed been impacted by current economic events, economists say that they have been faring much better than other regions, and the United States.

“The jobs market in [Alberta] remains among the best in North America,” stated an ATB Financial senior economist.

Alberta’s two major cities, Calgary and Edmonton, recorded low unemployment rates at 4.1 and 3.8 respectively.  The areas of the province with the lowest rates were the Camrose-Drumheller region at 3.1 per cent and the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge region at 4 per cent.