The immigration process has two parts:

• The application for sponsorship; and
• The application for permanent residence for the child.

Eligibility requirements

• You’re at least 18 years old
• You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• If you’re a Permanent Resident, you must live in Canada
• Follow all legal procedures in the child’s home country
• No existence of relationship between the adopted child and the biological parents

You may not be eligible to sponsor if you:

• did not meet the requirements of a previous sponsorship agreement.
• defaulted on a court-ordered support order, such as alimony or child support.
• have been convicted of a violent criminal offence—depending on the nature of the offence, when it occurred and whether a record suspension was granted; or
• do not live in Canada now and do not plan to live full-time in Canada when the child becomes a permanent resident.

If you live in Quebec

You must also meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements which includes signing an “undertaking” with the province. This is a contract that binds your sponsorship.

Requirements for permanent resident status:

For your child to be eligible for permanent resident status, you must be:

• a Canadian citizen, born or naturalized in Canada, applying on behalf of the adopted child who is under 18 years of age at the time of application;
• an adopted person who is 18 years of age or older at the time of application, and was adopted by a Canadian citizen, born or naturalized in Canada;
• a legal guardian applying on behalf of an adopted child under 18 years of age at the time of application if the child had at least one Canadian parent, born or naturalized in Canada, at the time of adoption;
• a non-Canadian adoptive parent applying on behalf of an adopted child under 18 years of age at the time of application if the other parent is a Canadian citizen, born or naturalized in Canada at the time of the adoption.

Requirements for intercountry adoption:

Most intercountry adoptions will take place in the child’s home country. Each country has different laws and procedures covering adoption by foreigners. For instance, some countries allow adoptions outside the child’s home country, while others only permit adoption inside the country. Not all countries allow adoptions.

If you are adopting a child who is related to you, different rules from the provinces and/or the country of origin may apply.

The immigration process allows two types of adoptions of children under 18. Depending on the law of the child’s home country, the intercountry adoption must either:

• Be completed outside of Canada; or
• Be completed in Canada.

For Canadian immigration purposes, all intercountry adoptions must:

• be legal in the child’s home country and in the province or territory where you live;
• end the legal relationship between your adopted child and his or her biological parents;
• meet the requirements of your province or territory, including a home study;
• create a genuine parent–child relationship between you and the child;
• be in the best interests of the child;
• not be primarily to gain permanent resident status for the child in Canada.

Children adopted outside Canada may be sponsored to come to Canada if:

• informed consent has been given by both of your child’s biological parents (if they are living).
• your child has been legally adopted outside Canada.
• the requirements of the Hague Convention have been met, if they apply.

Adoptions are the responsibility of the provinces and territories in Canada. You should contact your provincial or territorial adoption authority for information on eligibility to adopt and the accompanying requirements that must be met, but first you should read all of the information in this section to know what to expect.

Once the adoption process is in progress and you have received a Letter of No Objection from the province or territory, you can apply to sponsor your child. After that, you can apply for a permanent resident visa for your child to come to Canada.

You may apply for citizenship for the child after he or she has arrived in Canada and has permanent resident status. However, the adoption must be finalized before citizenship can be granted.

How we can help?

We will be conducting an assessment of your profile and determine your eligibility for Sponsor an Adopted Child program. Upon the assessment, an unbiased review will be provided on your profile. If eligible we will assist from preparing the complete application to facilitating the Sponsor an Adopted Child application until the outcome. For more details contact, info@trustcosmicimmigration.ca or 905-564-1888. Click here, to book an appointment for in person counseling with one of our business consultants.