Sponsoring Your Family
Certain relatives may be eligible to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents.
They must be sponsored by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The first step in the process is for the Canadian citizen or permanent resident to apply as the sponsor. Both you, as the sponsor, and your relative must meet certain requirements.
Who Can Be Sponsored in the Family Class?
Your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children may be eligible to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents. For more information on who is a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent child, please see the CIC website.
Additionally, the following relatives may also be sponsored:
- parents
- grandparents
- brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship
- if none of the above relatives could be sponsored, and you have no other relatives who are Canadian citizens, persons registered as Indians under the Indian Act or permanent residents, you may sponsor another relative of any age or relationship
Accompanying relatives of the above (for example, a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, and dependent children) may be included in the sponsorship application.
Other relatives, such as brothers and sisters over 18, or adult independent children cannot be sponsored. However, if they apply to immigrate under the Skilled Worker Class, they may get extra points for adaptability for having a relative in Canada.
Who Can Be a Sponsor?
You can be a sponsor if you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and if you are 18 years of age or older.
You may not be eligible to sponsor a relative if you:
- failed to provide the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor another relative in the past,
- defaulted on court-ordered support payments, such as alimony or child support,
- received government financial assistance for reasons other than a disability,
- were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative, or any sexual offence—depending on circumstances, such as the nature of the offence, how long ago it occurred and whether a pardon was issued,
- defaulted on an immigration loan— you had late or missed payments,
- are in prison, or
- have declared bankruptcy and have not been released from it yet.
Other factors not mentioned in this list might also make you ineligible to sponsor a relative.
Can I Be a Sponsor if I Live Outside Canada?
If you are a Canadian citizen who lives abroad and plans to return to Canada when your relatives immigrate, you may sponsor your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or your dependent children who have no dependent children. To sponsor any other eligible relatives (for example, parents and grandparents), you must be living in Canada.
Sponsoring
When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must promise to support them (and their dependents) financially. Therefore, you have to meet certain income requirements. If you have previously sponsored relatives to come to Canada and they later turned to the government for financial assistance, you may not be allowed to sponsor another person. Sponsorship is a big commitment, so you must take this obligation seriously
To be a sponsor:
- 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. NOTE: Dependent children under age 22 do not have to sign this agreement. Quebec residents must sign an “undertaking” with the province of Quebec—a contract binding the sponsorship.
- You must promise to provide financial support for the sponsored relative and any other eligible relatives accompanying them for a period of three to ten years, depending on their age and relationship to you. This time period begins on the date they become a permanent resident.
If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after Citizenship and Immigration Canada approves you as a sponsor. For more information, see the website of the Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles.
