CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Dear Miss Powell, My sister is a Canadian citizen and she would like to sponsor me and my 13-year-old brother to go to Canada to live. How can she sponsor us? I'm working, but my little brother is in high school. - A.M.  Dear A.M., A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor her siblings to become permanent residents of Canada if all the parties are able to satisfy certain requirements as outlined under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ( IRPA). Your sister will first need to ensure that she qualifies to be a sponsor. She cannot be receiving social assistance, be in prison, or bankrupt. She must be able to satisfy other requirements depending on the details of your application. In the case of your 13-year-old brother, there is a special provision made for persons who are orphans, single, and under the age of 18. So if both of your parents are deceased and your brother is dependent on your sister for support, she can make a special application

Dear Ms. Powell, I  met a man on the beach a few years ago who said he was a Canadian citizen. I took him home with me, where he spent the rest of his vacation with me. I showed him all of Jamaica and we had a wonderful time. After he left, I realised that I was pregnant. I told him about the child and he sends money every now and again. Can he sponsor our daughter to be a citizen? I asked him to sponsor her and he said he can't. What would prevent him from making the application? What can I do to make sure my child has a good life? She looks so much like him. I think she would have better opportunities in Canada. What can I do? - A.W. Dear A.W. , Only citizens and permanent residents of Canada over the age of 18 are permitted to sponsor family members to Canada. Family members, under Canadian laws, include dependent children under the age of 19 years old. The definition of who is deemed to be a child was changed in August 1, 2014, from the previous limit of 22 years

Dear Ms. Powell, I recently finished my degree at University of the West Indies (UWI) and job prospects here seem very slim. I would like to do the self sponsorship programme to become a citizen of Canada. I have a half sister living there, plus my Dad said he would give me the funds. How do I sponsor myself? Do I need to have a job offer before I apply? How easy is it to get through? How long will it take? Thank you for taking the time to guide me as I see so many advertisements out there that I don't know who to trust and I don't want to get scammed. B.L. Dear B.L. Canada has several immigration programmes under which you could apply to become a permanent resident, provided that you can meet the requirements. The main programmes are the Federal Skilled Worker Programme, Federal Trades Programme, Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Programme . These programmes are accessible via the Express Entry System. It is a two-step process which involves, f