Last Updated On 23 February 2023, 9:04 AM EST (Toronto Time)

Family sponsorship for Canada. If you are a permanent resident or citizen of Canada and have a family member who wishes to immigrate to Canada, you may be eligible to sponsor them to Canada.

Who can Sponsor?

You can sponsor certain relatives to come to Canada, if you’re at least 18 years old and meet the following criteria:

• Permanent resident (PR) of Canada or
• A person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
• Canadian citizen

Who Can Be Sponsored?

• Sibling, nephew, niece, or grandchild under 22 years who is unmarried and whose parents are deceased
• Grandparents
• Parents
• Dependent child
• Spouse, common-law or conjugal partner

Who can Not Sponsor?

An individual may not be eligible to sponsor if they:

• Were themselves sponsored and became permanent residents less than five years ago
• Have sponsored a previous spouse or partner who has not been a permanent resident for more than three years
• Have sponsored a family member in the past and failed to meet the terms
• Receive social assistance from the government (except for disability)
• Have failed to pay back immigration loans or have made late or missed payments
• Have failed to pay child support payments
• Are in the process of bankruptcy
• Have been convicted of (or attempted/threatened to commit) an offence of a violent or sexual nature or resulting in bodily harm of a family member
• Are subject to a removal order
• Are in prison

Sponsoring Relatives To Canada: Here’s All You Need To Know

Financial Obligation

In particular, the sponsor must pledge to financially support their family member. This is to assure that the new permanent resident won’t need government support.

Furthermore, the length of this financial commitment is determined by the person who is being sponsored:

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

Financial obligations for applications before October 24, 2017

Person you sponsor	Length of undertaking in all provinces except Quebec	Length of undertaking in Quebec
Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner	3 years	3 years
Child under 13 years of age	10 years	10 years, or until age 18, whichever is longer
Child 13 to 19 years old	until age 22	3 years, or until age 22, whichever is longer
Child over 19 years of age	3 years	3 years, or until age 22, whichever is longer
Parent or grandparent	20 years	10 years
Other relative	10 years	10 years

This financial obligation remains in place:

• If the sponsored individual becomes a Canadian citizen, divorces or separates from the sponsor, or relocates outside of Canada.
• Financial situation of sponsoring individual gets worse (for example, job loss or debt).
• Sponsoring individual sends a request to withdraw the sponsorship application and IRCC receives it after the sponsored person has become a permanent resident.

Click here for latest immigration news!

---