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Can a Sponsor or Sponsored Person Collect Employment Insurance?
May 7, 2020
Cassandra Fultz, RCIC-IRB
Can you sponsor your spouse or other family member to Canada if you don’t have a job?
YES!
You do not need to be employed in order to be a sponsor. You can have a job, or be self-employed, or unemployed but supporting yourself with other means such as savings or investments. However, you cannot be on social welfare if you are applying to be a sponsor (more below).
You can also sponsor a spouse, partner, or child if you are a fulltime student. You can be a sponsor if you live at home with family. You can even sponsor if you are on CERB, EI, or disability, as it is not considered social welfare. This applies to both In-Canada Sponsorship and Family Class (Overseas) Sponsorship applications.
How much money you need to make depends entirely on who you are sponsoring.
Sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, or child
If you are sponsoring a spouse, partner, or child, there is no minimum amount of money that you need to make per year – you are exempt from the Minimum Necessary Income requirement.
You simply need to meet the other requirements to be a sponsor, such as being 18 years old and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. You also must not be subject to any bars against sponsorship, such as having been convicted of certain criminal offences or being in undischarged bankruptcy or on welfare.
Sponsoring a parent, grandparent, one of their dependent children, or other family member
If you are sponsoring your mom, dad, grandma, or granddad, any of their family members, or another family member not already mentioned, then you must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) + 30% for the last 3 tax years.
The Minimum Necessary Income is calculated based on family size. Family size includes the sponsor, the sponsor’s spouse, any children of the sponsor who are 21 and under (or other dependents), plus the members of the family who are being sponsored.
| Total number of persons you would be responsible for | Minimum income required for the 3 taxation years right before the date of your application | |||
| 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
| 2 persons | $40,379 | $39,813 | $39,372 | $38,618 |
| 3 persons | $49,641 | $48,945 | $48,404 | $47,476 |
| 4 persons | $60,271 | $59,426 | $58,768 | $57,642 |
| 5 persons | $68,358 | $67,400 | $66,654 | $65,377 |
| 6 persons | $77,095 | $76,015 | $75,174 | $73,733 |
| 7 persons | $85,835 | $84,631 | $83,695 | $82,091 |
| If more than 7 persons, for each additional person, add: | $8,740 | $8,616 | $8,521 | $8,358 |
Regardless of who you are sponsoring, you must continue to meet the financial and other requirements for sponsorship throughout the processing time of the application up until the time the principal applicant (person being sponsored) lands in Canada and becomes a permanent resident.
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Contact us if you aren’t sure whether you meet the requirements to sponsor your spouse or other family member.
