Family Sponsorship

If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, age 18 or over, you can sponsor certain family members to become Canadian permanent residents. If you become a permanent resident, you can live, study and work in Canada. If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you are responsible for supporting your relative financially when he or she arrives.

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You can sponsor your:

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• Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner

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• Dependent child (or a child you plan to adopt): must be 21 and younger

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• Parents and Grandparents: father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother

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• Orphaned  Relatives: brother, sister, nephew, niece, grandson, or granddaughter, who are orphaned, under the age of 18, and not married or in a common-law relationship

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• Other relatives:  *only Lonely Canadians are eligible to sponsor (have no other family living in Canada)

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Basic requirements for family sponsorship

To be a sponsor:

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• You must be 18 years of age or older

• You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative, if necessary. This agreement also says the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support her or himself

• You must provide financial support for a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner for three years from the date they become a permanent resident

• You must provide financial support for a dependent child for 10 years, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first

One of the objectives of the Government of Canada is to see that families are reunited. Certain family members may qualify to settle in Canada long-term and become permanent residents under the family class category. After becoming permanent residents, they can live, study and work in Canada, thus you no longer need to apply for a visitor visa and provide a letter of invitation. Like other immigration categories, family class sponsorship has certain requirements, such as minimum necessary income which should be met by the sponsor. If you are wondering how to sponsor someone to Canada, you should start by reviewing family sponsorship applications, eligibility, and requirements. You may be eligible to sponsor a child, spouse, or a common-law partner living outside or inside Canada, if you are 18 years of age or older, and you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

When you are sponsoring a family member, whether it is your dependent child or spouse/common-law partner, you promise to support them financially. Therefore, you must work in Canada and meet certain income requirements. Sponsoring a family member to Canada is a big commitment, as you must sign an undertaking agreement. Kindly note, that family sponsorship in Canada is not eligible for a tax receipt. Below you’ll find more information on how to sponsor a relative to Canada, what are family sponsorship income requirements, how you should be sponsoring a child born outside of Canada, as well as surrogacy and immigration considerations.