FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

Family Sponsorship

Family reunification is one of the pillars of Canada’s immigration system. Family sponsorship program allows certain family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to immigrate to Canada. The family class category includes a spouse, common-law and conjugal partner, dependent children, adopted children, parents, and grandparents. Certain other relatives can also be sponsored in exceptional cases.

Sponsor Your Spouse / Common-law Partner / Conjugal Partner or Children

You can sponsor your spouse / common-law partner / conjugal partner or dependent children (biological or adopted) if:

- You are at least 18 years old;
- You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident living in Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act; If you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you sponsor become permanent residents;
- You have sufficient income to provide for basic needs of any grandchildren (dependent children of a dependent child) of the principal applicant.You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident living in Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;

A dependent child is a child who is less than 22 years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner. A child who is at the age limit or older can qualify as over-age dependents if they have depended on their parents for financial support since before they reached the age limit and can’t financially support themselves due to a mental or physical condition.

If you are a resident of Quebec, you must meet Quebec’s Immigration Sponsorship Requirements. You must also sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec.

Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents

You can sponsor your own biological or adopted parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada. In order to sponsor, you must:

- - Be at least 18 years old;
  - Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
  - Live in Canada;
  - Meet the Minimum Necessary Income required for the size of their family unit and provide Notice of Assessment (NOA) issued by Canada Revenue Agency as proof; You may have a spouse or common-law partner as a co-signer;
  - Sign a sponsorship agreement that acknowledges your promise to provide for the basic needs of family member (s) for a period of 20 years

If you are a resident of Quebec, you must meet Quebec’s Immigration Sponsorship Requirements. You must also sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec.

Sponsor Your Relatives

In certain circumstances, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident may qualify to sponsor any relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if sponsor does not have any of the following relatives in Canada, who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents or registered Indians under the Indian Act:

- Spouse
- Common-law-partner
- Conjugal partner
- Son or daughter
- Parent
- Grandparent
- Orphaned brother or sister
- Orphaned nephew or niece
- Orphaned grandchild

Additionally, sponsor should not have any members of family class, who could be sponsored, outside Canada.

In order to sponsor, you must be:

- Be at least 18 years old;
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
- Live in Canada (If outside Canada, you must plan to return to Canada when your relatives immigrate;
- Meet the Minimum Necessary Income required for the size of their family unit and provide Notice of Assessment (NOA) issued by Canada Revenue Agency as proof;
- Sign a sponsorship agreement that acknowledges your promise to provide for the basic needs of relative for a period of 10 years.

If you are a resident of Quebec, you must meet Quebec’s Immigration Sponsorship Requirements. You must also sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec.

Length of Undertaking

The length of undertaking is the time period you’re financially responsible for the person you sponsor. It starts on the day the person you sponsor becomes a permanent resident.

Person you sponsor	Length of undertaking for all provinces except Quebec
Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner	3 years
Dependent child (biological or adopted) or child to be adopted in Canada under 22 years of age	10 years, or until age 25, whichever comes first
Dependent child 22 years of age or older	3 years
Parent or grandparent	20 years
Other relative	10 years

Feel free to reach out to us to explore how we can assist your family and relatives in realizing their dreams in Canada.

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP