Assessment of Qualifications
The first step towards Permanent Residency under the Federal Family Class Category is the completion of the RSS Assessment form. The assessment should indicate the qualifications of the Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada who wishes to sponsor a family member to Canada.

The expert and experienced staff at RSS will provide you with a quick and accurate assessment of your qualifications under the present regulations and criteria of the Federal Family Class category. If qualified, the applicant should proceed to the Contract provided by RSS Immigration and submit the completed contract online.

If an applicant does not qualify for Canadian Immigration under the Federal Family Class Category, RSS will advise the applicant and will not submit an application. RSS may advise of what to work towards and obtain in order to qualify at a future date.


2. Submission Process

Accumulating the supporting documents
Prior to submission of an application for Canadian Permanent Residency to a Canadian Immigration Centre there is a stage in the process considered by RSS Immigration to be the Submission Stage.

This stage includes the collection and submission of supporting documents in order to facilitate the immigration process as well as the completion of the application forms in draft form.

RSS Immigration will provide their clients with a detailed list of the supporting documents created by our expert and experienced team of immigration professionals. On average, the necessary documents and forms can be accumulated within a month’s time. Upon the receipt of the supporting documents, a review of the information contained within will be verified to match the information provided by the applicant within the application forms.

While there is a standardized list of required documents, certain processing posts require the submission of additional documentation in order for the application to be considered complete. RSS will cooperate and acknowledge the request of the individual processing posts in order to facilitate the processing of our clients’ applications and maintain our high standard of service.


3. Application Process

Preliminary Review (Paper Screening)

Interview Requirement

Application Decision

Medical Clearance

Security clearance

Visa issuance

a. Passport Request
b. Validity
c. Visa and COPR form
d. Conditions on visa

Preliminary Review (Determining eligibility)

The first communication issued by the Case Processing Center is the Acknowledgment of Receipt (AOR). The AOR provides the file number assigned to the application. The issuance of the AOR clearly indicates that the application was received at the immigration processing post and depending on the type of family class application submission may indicate the immigrations officer’s selection decision.

All future correspondences to and from the immigration post should contain the file number assigned to the case.

RSS Immigration will receive all communication on behalf of the Applicant. RSS Immigration’s policy is that the applicant will be notified via email within 72 hours of the receipt of the correspondence at their offices.

The Case Processing Center will conduct the initial review of the documents (paper-screening). All documents submitted to support the application will be reviewed at this time. It is therefore imperative that a completed application and supporting documentation be submitted, as only the documents submitted will be reviewed. Upon the conclusion of the paper screening of the application the immigration officer will make one of the following decisions:

- Interview Requirement or Interview Waiver.
- Refusal of the Application.

Interview Requirement

If the Sponsor is required to attend a Selection Interview, the application will be placed in queue to await an interview date. The interview will NOT be scheduled at this time. The exact date of interview will be provided by the processing post later and this process could take several months after the paper screening section is completed.

The immigration officer is entitled to request that the Sponsor applicant attend a Selection Interview if he/she has concerns regarding any or all of the following:

i. authenticity of the documents submitted
ii. truthfulness and total completion of the forms;
iii. verification of the information entered on the forms;

Application Decision

Upon the completion of the initial review of the application or upon the completion of the Interview (if one is required), the immigration officer will decide if the sponsor qualifies under the Federal Family Class Category.

The immigration officer may also decide that the documents submitted on behalf of the application does not establish the qualifications of the sponsor as set out by the Canadian Immigration Authorities. The officer will then refuse the application for Permanent Residency.

If the sponsor qualifies, the immigration authorities will begin assessing the sponsored applicant’s qualifications. Depending on the type of sponsorship application being processed, the second portion of the application, the assessment of the sponsored persons’ qualifications may be completed at a different post. If both parties are residing in Canada, the Case processing center will continue to process of the case. If the sponsoree is residing outside of Canada, the application will be transferred to the Immigration processing post nearest to the sponsoree’s country of residence. All future correspondences will be sent by this immigration post.

One of responsibilities of the sponsoree is the clearance of the Medical and Security sections of the Immigration processes.

Medical Clearance

All Applicants as well as all dependents (accompanying or not) will be required to complete a medical examination. All members listed in the application, with two exceptions, will be required to pas the medical examination requirement. The medical examination requirement is mandatory and serves the following purposes:

• to protect the health of Canadians;
• to protect the safety of Canadians;
• to reduce and prevent excessive demand on Canada's health and social services

The medical report is valid for one year from the date of completion.

The medical exam can be completed anywhere in the world. However, in order for the report to be valid, the attending physician who oversees the exam must be indicated on the Designated Medical Practitioner (DMP) list and the results sent to the appropriate medical office. DMP’s are medical officers certified by the Canadian Immigration Authorities to oversee the exams. The DMP’s do not make the final decision regarding an applicant’s admissibility into Canada. Only Canadian Immigration has the right to make this decision.

Under the current immigration regulations, the sponsorship of Spouses/partners and children cannot be refused for medical reasons.

Security Clearance

Each applicant over the age of 18 is required to pass the security requirement. All applicants must prove that they are not a threat to the safety of Canadian society. Applicants provide this information through police clearances which the applicant must obtain directly and by passing the background clearances which the immigration authorities obtain on behalf of the applicant.

Visa Issuance

The last stage of the application is the issuance of the Permanent Resident Visa.

a- Passport request: Once the Immigration authorities are ready to issue the visa, applicants will be required to submit their original passport for visa stamping. Original passports must be submitted for each family member listed in the application. For security reasons, the visa is now entered, via laser, directly into the passport. Each passport will need to be valid for at least 12 months and have a minimum of 2 pages per visa

b- Validity: Each Permanent Resident visa is valid for 1 year from the date of the medical exam or until the expiration of the passport, whichever is sooner. The validity of the PR visa from the date of medical exam refers to the first exam completed. All sponsored family members must make their official landing in Canada before the PR visa expires. Failure to land before the expiration of the visa will void the visa and will then result in the necessity of a new application. The validity date of the visa CANNOT be extended.

c- Visa and COPR form: Each visa will contain the case file number and each sponsored family member’s identification information (name, date of birth est.) The visa will also contain the EXPIRY date. The actual visa is only half the landing document required. Each accompanying family member will also be issued a Confirmation of Permanent Resident Form (COPR). The COPR form contains the same information as the visa as well indicating the name of all accompanying dependents and any conditions to landing that have been imposed. Both documents must be shown to the immigration officer at the port of entry for each person landing. All information entered on these forms must be CORRECT. Applicants must verify the documents upon their issuance and inform the immigration processing post, without delay if any clerical errors are found. Any changes to the civil status and/or passport information of the accompanying family members will invalidate the visas. All information entered on the visa must be accurate and valid at the time of landing. As any changes will invalidate the visa and we strongly recommend that no changes be made prior to actual landing in Canada.

d- Conditions on Visas: There may be conditions applied to your Permanent Resident visa. Failure to confirm to the conditions on the visa will result in the visa being voided and your Permanent Residence status annulled. This is possible even if you have already landed and reside in Canada.

Refusal of Application:
Applicants can be refused at anytime during the process of the application, the most common reasons are specified below:

• Financial reasons
• misrepresentation (failure to be truthful during the application or the omitting of information)
• non-compliance (failure to respond to the immigration officers requests and/or failure to provide the information within the deadline specified
• inadmissible of family members (family members must also comply with these requirements)
• Criminal Issues
• Medical Issues