Family Sponsorship

Canada offers sponsorship programs for permanent residents or citizens of Canada that wish to bring their loved ones to Canada. These programs allow certain family members to become permanent residents of Canada. One of the most popular streams of Canadian immigration, family sponsorship programs makes it easy for citizens and permanent residents to bring their spouse and immediate family members to Canada with reduced processing times because Canada knows that family should never be put on hold.

Who can I sponsor to come to Canada?

Spouse, Common-law, or Conjugal Partner

You may be eligible to sponsor your spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner for Canadian permanent residence, whether they are living in Canada with a valid temporary visa or residing abroad. Applicants who are living in Canada may also qualify for an open work permit, giving couples the chance to relieve some of their financial burdens.

A spousal open work permit gives sponsored individuals the ability to work in Canada while their sponsorship application is being processed. Since Canada recognizes common-law partnerships, you may be eligible to apply for spousal sponsorship if you and your partner are not married but have been living together for a period of at least one year.

Parent or Grandparent Sponsorship

Canada’s commitment to family reunification extends to parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents through the parent and grandparent sponsorship program. In order to sponsor a parent or grandparent, citizens and permanent residents will be required to demonstrate that they can financially support their family by meeting the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for the size of their family unit. They must also agree to financially support their sponsored family members if needed. Sponsors who are unable to permanently support their parent or grandparent may be eligible for a Super Visa, a long term, multiple-entry visa for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Child or Other Dependant Sponsorship

If you are immigrating to Canada, you can choose to include your children as accompanying dependents on your application for permanent residence. However, if you choose not to include them, or are otherwise unable to do so, they may still be able to join you in Canada later. Canada’s child sponsorship program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their biological or adopted children under the age of 22 for permanent residence, as long as they are unmarried and have no children of their own. A child over the age of 22 may be considered a dependent if they suffer from a physical or mental condition that prevents them from being able to support themselves.

Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild

In some specific instances, Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents may be eligible to sponsor their orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild to come to Canada. To sponsor your orphaned relative, they must be unmarried, under 18 years old, and related to you by blood or adoption.

Other relatives (under exceptional circumstances as a “Lonely Canadian”)

In some rare circumstances, Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents may be eligible to sponsor one extended relative to come to Canada. To sponsor a relative that falls outside of Canada’s current Family Class definition, sponsors must be considered a “Lonely Canadian”. This means the sponsor has no spouse, common-law partner, child, parent, or grandparent.

How can I be eligible to sponsor a family member?

To sponsor a family member, you must meet minimum eligibility requirements. Eligible sponsors must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• be at least 18 years old
• live in Canada, or plan to return to Canada once your spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident of Canada
• be able and willing to provide for the basic financial needs of your family member for three years

Who isn’t eligible to sponsor a relative?

There are some cases in which a permanent resident or citizen is not eligible to sponsor. If one of the below scenarios apply, a sponsor may be ineligible if they:

• are currently in prison
• have not paid alimony or child support payments
• have declared bankruptcy and are not yet released
• received social assistance for reasons other than a disability
• failed to pay back an immigration loan, made late payments or missed payments
• have previously sponsored another relative and failed to meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement
• have been convicted of a violent crime, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence, depending on details of the case