FAMILY SPONSORSHIP VISA IMMIGRATION TO CANADA

About the process

If you’re eligible, you can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent children to become permanent residents of Canada.

If you do, you must be able to:

• support them financially
• make sure they don’t need social assistance from the government

Your relatives can live, study and work in Canada if they become permanent residents of Canada. You can sponsor certain relatives to come to Canada if you’re at least 18 years old and a:

• Canadian citizen or
• permanent resident of Canada

Sponsor a spouse, partner from $1,080, or a child from $150

These fees increased on April 30, 2022.

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor.

Read more about eligibility requirements in the Complete Guide.

WHO YOU CAN SPONSOR

You can sponsor a:

• spouse
• common-law partner
• conjugal partner
• dependent child

To be eligible for permanent residence, the principal applicant and any dependents must not be inadmissible to Canada.

SPOUSE, COMMON-LAW PARTNER OR CONJUGAL PARTNER

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner if:

• he or she is at least 18 years old
• your relationship is genuine (real) and wasn’t entered into just to get permanent resident status in Canada

If your spouse or common-law partner is applying in the Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada class, he or she must co-habit (live) with you in Canada.

WHO CAN BECOME A SPONSOR

You can become a sponsor if you are:

• at least 18 years old
• a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or a permanent resident living in Canada:
  • if you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when your sponsored relative becomes a permanent resident
  • you can’t sponsor someone if you are a permanent resident living outside Canada
• able to prove that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
• have enough income to provide for basic needs of any grandchildren (dependent children of a dependent child) of the principal applicant

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor.

Read more about eligibility requirements in the Complete Guide.

WHO CAN’T BECOME A SPONSOR

You can’t be a sponsor if you:

• have failed to pay:
  • an immigration loan
  • a performance bond
  • family support payments
• have failed to provide for the basic needs of a previously-sponsored relative who received social assistance
• are under a removal order
• are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison
• receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
• are still going through the process of bankruptcy (undischarged bankruptcy)
• were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than five years ago
• sponsored a previous spouse or partner and three years have not passed since this person became a permanent resident have already applied to sponsor your current spouse, partner or child and a decision on your application hasn’t been made yet were convicted of a violent or sexual offence, or an offence that caused bodily harm to a relative—or you attempted or threatened to commit any of these offences

WHO YOU CAN SPONSOR

You can sponsor a:

• spouse
• common-law partner
• conjugal partner
• dependent child

To be eligible for permanent residence, the principal applicant and any dependents must not be inadmissible to Canada.

SPOUSE, COMMON-LAW PARTNER OR CONJUGAL PARTNER

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner if:

• he or she is at least 18 years old
• your relationship is genuine (real) and wasn’t entered into just to get permanent resident status in Canada

If your spouse or common-law partner is applying in the Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada class, he or she must co-habit (live) with you in Canada.

Sponsor your parents and grandparents

Any relative immigrating to Canada within the Family Class must have a sponsor. Both the person sponsoring a relative and the person wishing to immigrate to Canada must meet certain requirements.

Applicants for permanent residence must go through:

• medical exams
• criminal checks
• background checks

An applicant with a criminal record may not be allowed to enter Canada. People who pose a risk to Canada’s security are not allowed to enter Canada. The applicant may have to provide a certificate from police authorities in the home country.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO SPONSOR A PARENT OR GRANDPARENT

You can sponsor your parent or grandparent if you’re 18 years of age or older, living in Canada and a:

• Canadian citizen or
• person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
• permanent resident of Canada

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after we approve you as a sponsor.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

When you sponsor a parent or grandparent to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must:

• meet certain income requirements
• support that person and their dependents financially

You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that:

• commits you to provide financial support for your relative (and any other eligible relatives accompanying them):
  • for a period of three to 20 years
  • depending on their age and relationship to you
  • beginning on the date they become a permanent resident
• states that the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support themselves

Dependent children under age 19 do not have to sign the agreement.

Quebec residents must sign an “undertaking” with the province of Quebec. This is a contract that binds your sponsorship.

WHO ISN’T ELIGIBLE TO SPONSOR A PARENT OR GRANDPARENT

You may not be eligible to sponsor your parent or grandparent if you:

• are in prison
• defaulted on an immigration loan (late or missed payments)
• have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet
• received government financial assistance for reasons other than a disability
• didn’t pay a court-ordered support order, such as alimony or child support
• didn’t provide the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor another relative in the past
• were convicted of a violent criminal offense, any offense against a relative or any sexual offense, depending on circumstances, such as:
  • the nature of the offense
  • how long ago it occurred
  • whether a record suspension (formerly called “pardons” in Canada) was issued

Other factors not in this list might also make you ineligible to sponsor a relative.