Spousal & Family Sponsorship

If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, age 18 or over, you can sponsor certain family members to become Canadian permanent residents. If they become permanent residents, they can live, study and work in Canada. If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you are responsible for supporting them financially when they arrive.

Who Can You Sponsor?

• Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner
• Dependent child (or child you plan to adopt):
  Must be 21 and younger.
• Parents and grandparents:
  Father, mother, grandmother or grandfather.
• Orphaned relatives:
  Brother, sister, nephew, niece, grandson or granddaughter who is orphaned, under 18, and not married or in a common-law relationship.
• Other relative:
  Only “Lonely Canadians” (those with no other family members in Canada) may sponsor.

Basic Requirements for Family Sponsorship

To be a sponsor:

• You must be 18 years of age or older.
• You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative if necessary. The agreement also states that the sponsored person will make every effort to support themselves.
• You must provide financial support for a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner for three years from the date they become a permanent resident.
• You must provide financial support for a dependent child for 10 years or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first.

Definitions of Relationships

Spouse

You are a spouse if you are legally married to your sponsor and the marriage is legally valid.

Common-law Partner

You are a common-law partner (same or opposite sex) if you have lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 continuous months. Proof of shared life and combined affairs is required.

Conjugal Partner

This applies to partners (same or opposite sex) who are unable to live together due to circumstances beyond their control and therefore cannot qualify as common-law partners or spouses.

Dependent Children

A son or daughter is considered dependent when they:

• Are 21 and younger and not married or in a common-law relationship, or
• Are over 21 and have depended on their parents financially since before age 22 due to a physical or mental condition.

Note: Dependent children 21 and younger became eligible on November 11, 2017.

Sponsorship Obligations

All sponsors must sign an undertaking to provide the sponsored person with basic requirements from the day they enter Canada until the undertaking period ends. This is a contract with IRCC stating the sponsor will repay the government for any social assistance provided to the sponsored person.

The sponsorship obligation periods are:

• Spouse, common-law or conjugal partner: 3 years
• Child under 19: 10 years or until age 25
• Dependent child over 19: 3 years
• Parents and grandparents: 20 years
• Other family members: 10 years

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled (AG Canada vs. Mavi, 2011) that sponsorship debt may be deferred but cannot be erased.

Sponsors Living Outside Canada

Canadian citizens living outside Canada may sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent children, provided they have no conviction for a violent offence and can show intent to return to Canada after sponsorship.

Permanent residents living abroad cannot sponsor family members from outside Canada.

A spouse or common-law partner in Canada may only file an in-Canada sponsorship application if they are cohabiting in Canada; otherwise the application must be filed through a visa office.

Sponsors and Sponsored Persons in Quebec

If you live in Quebec, you must meet provincial sponsorship requirements and sign an additional undertaking.

Need Help?

Contact us for more information about the Family Sponsorship application process or for assistance in preparing an application.