Through my work as a massage therapist I met a Canadian couple who were on vacation. I asked if they would be willing to sponsor me to immigrate to Canada. They said they would look into it. How does sponsoring work?

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Mary Joan's Response to this Question

Hi Marianne,

That's a good question. Sponsorship for immigration is a very special category. It is reserved only for family members.

That means the Canadians you met cannot sponsor you to immigrate to Canada, because they are not related to you.

Immigration law is very specific about this. There is a financial commitment which is required, that can only be fulfilled by your relatives or family members who are living in Canada.

If you have no family members living in Canada, however, you can still apply by several routes to immigrate to Canada. You would need to do your own research into this to find out which route is best for you.

Once you choose that route, you can't change it. You can only apply through one route.

Here are 4 ways to enter Canada.
1. Immigrating under the Canadian Experience Class - this involves coming as a student
2. Immigrating as a Foreign-Trained Professional
3. Being Sponsored as a Family Member
4. Taking The Quebec Option

You can come as a student with a student work permit. This is one of the best ways to enter Canada. As a professional you can apply to retrain in your profession or one similar to it, in Canada. You would first have to apply as a student in one of the educational programs where you would receive Canadian training and then as part of the program you would get work experience.

Your spouse can work while you are a student, but you must get a work permit before you enter Canada. After you get your training and experience, you and your family would be eligible to enter Canada under the Canadian Experience Class.

Use this link to see what kinds of programs are available.
Finding an Educational Program in Canada

You can come as a foreign-trained professional. In the past, this has been a very frustrating way to find employment in Canada. You can quickly be admitted to Canada through this route.

But if you are a professional who needs to be licensed by a professional association in Canada, in order to find work, you may find blocks put in your way. There are stories about medical doctors who are still unable to find work in their field, even after being in Canada for years.

Another route is through the province of Quebec, which has its own rules and regulations. You can research that option too.

Important: Do not look for someone to act as an intermediary in making your application. There are many scam artists who pose as intermediaries who say they will help you with the application process. Here is a video you may want to view on what happened to one couple who paid someone to help them. Becoming Canadian: Combatting Immigration Fraud