Family Sponsorship

Canada is dedicated to reuniting families together. Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada may sponsor their family members to Canada using the Family Sponsorship program. If you have family members in Canada that are citizens or permanent residents and who are interested in sponsoring you for Canadian immigration, you may be eligible to obtain permanent residence status in Canada if both you and your sponsor meet the requirements of the Family Sponsorship program.

Find out how you can sponsor your family to come to Canada.

SPOUSE OR COMMON-LAW SPONSORSHIP

If you are eligible, you can sponsor your spouse or common-law partner to become a permanent resident of Canada. The sponsor must be either a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. You do not need to be legally married in order to be eligible as long as you can prove that you and your partner have been continuously living in a conjugal relationship.

There are many things to consider if you want to apply for this program. Both the sponsor and the spouse or partner must be approved by IRCC for the sponsored person to be granted permanent residence.

It is possible to apply for the Spousal Sponsorship from within Canada or outside Canada. If you and your spouse are both in Canada while they are on a valid permit or visa, the sponsored person may be eligible to apply for a spousal open work permit which will allow them to work while their application is being processed. On the other hand, if your spouse or partner is outside Canada, they may still obtain a temporary visa to travel to Canada while their application is being processed.

DEPENDENT CHILD SPONSORSHIP

Canada is committed to keeping families together. If a child meets the definition of a dependent, the eligible parent can apply for the child to become a Canadian permanent resident.

Children qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:

  • they are under 22 years old, and

  • they do not have spouse or common-law partner.

Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:

  • they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition, and

  • they have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22.

With the exception of age, the dependent child must continue to meet these requirements until the end of the application process. You can sponsor your own child, or your spouse or partner and their child. Canada has a separate program for sponsoring adopted children.

PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS SPONSORSHIP

The Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship allows a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residency.

There are two applications for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship:

  • you must apply to become a sponsor, and

  • your parents or grandparents must apply to become permanent residents.

Both applications must be sent together at the same time.

If permanent residency is not an option, parents and grandparents may apply for Super Visa instead.

RELATIVE SPONSORSHIP

You may be able to sponsor certain relative to immigrate to Canada under very specific circumstances.

You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild only if:

  • they are related to you by blood or adoption,

  • both their parents passed away,

  • they are under 18 years of age, and

  • they are not married or in a common-law relationship.

You may sponsor one relative of any age related to you by blood or adoption if you, the sponsor, do not have an immediate living relative you could sponsor instead and you do not have relatives who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

If your relative does not meet criteria for the aforementioned programs, we can help you find a suitable immigration pathway for them.

INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION SPONSORSHIP

International adoption, also called intercountry adoption, is a process by which a child from another country is adopted by an individual or a couple through permanent legal means, and then bring the child to Canada to live with them permanently.

In order to bring your adopted child to Canada, there are two parts to the immigration process:

  • the application for sponsorship, and

  • the application for permanent residence for the child.

You can apply for citizenship on the child’s behalf once your child arrives in Canada as permanent resident. However, the adoption must be finalized before the child can be granted citizenship.