Sponsor your family members

You may be eligible to sponsor your family members to become permanent residents so they can live, study and work in Canada.

Sponsor your spouse, partner or child

You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if:

  • You’re at least 18 years old
  • You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
    • If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
    • You can’t sponsor someone if you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada.
  • You’re able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
  • you can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor

If you live outside Quebec

To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially take care of the persons you are sponsoring for a period of time. We call this promise an undertaking.

The undertaking commits you to:

  • providing financial support for your sponsored family members, starting when they become permanent residents
  • repaying any provincial social assistance your sponsored family members get during that time

Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.

The sponsorship agreement means that:

  • you’ll provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members
  • the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members

When you apply, you’ll have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.

Income requirement

In most cases, there isn’t an income requirement to sponsor your spouse or partner or dependent child. You only need to show that you have enough money to meet the income requirements if:

  • you’re sponsoring a dependent child that has 1 or more dependent children of their own, or
  • you’re sponsoring a spouse or partner that has a dependent child, and their dependent child has 1 or more children of their own.

The Financial Evaluation form instructions explain how much money you’ll need and how to fill out the form.

You’ll get the form when you download your application package.

If you live in Quebec

You must meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after we approve you as a sponsor. You must sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec.

The Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.

Who can’t sponsor their spouse, partner or child

You can’t sponsor your spouse, partner or child if:

  • you’re less than 18 years old
  • you won’t live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents
  • you’re not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
  • you’re a temporary resident, that is you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit
  • your permanent residence application is still in process
    • You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
  • you don’t have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor (if applicable)

You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, partner if you:

  • were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago
  • are still financially responsible for a previous spouse or partner that you sponsored. This means you’re still bound by the 3 year undertaking to take care of this person.

You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, partner or child if you:

  • you have already applied to sponsor the spouse, parent or child you are currently seeking to sponsor and a decision on that application hasn’t been made
  • are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
  • didn’t pay back:
    • an immigration loan
    • a performance bond
    • court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
  • didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
  • declared bankruptcy and are not discharged (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
  • receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
  • you were convicted of attempting, threatening to commit or committing a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
  • can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order

Who you can sponsor

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent children.

Your spouse

Your spouse can be either sex and must be:

  • legally married to you
  • at least 18 years old

Your common-law partner

Your common-law partner:

  • isn’t legally married to you
  • can be either sex
  • is at least 18 years old
  • has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart
    • Any time spent away from each other should have been
      • short
      • temporary

If you or your common-law partner choose to end the relationship, we consider the relationship to be over.

You’ll need to give proof of your common-law relationship.

Your conjugal partner

Your conjugal partner:

  • isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you
  • can be either sex
  • is at least 18 years old
  • has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year
  • lives outside Canada
  • can’t live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as
    • their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible)
    • their sexual orientation (for example, you are in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships are not accepted, or same-sex marriage is illegal where they live),
    • persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups which is not accepted and they may be punished legally or socially)

You’ll need to give proof that you could not live together or get married in your conjugal partner’s country (for example, proof of refused long-term stays in each other’s country).

Dependent children

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

  • they’re under 22 years old
  • they don’t have a spouse or common law partner

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

  • they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
  • they have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22

With the exception of age, your dependent child must continue to meet these requirements until we finish processing your application.

Sponsor Your Adopted Child

There are 2 processes that you must go through when you sponsor your adopted child from another country: the adoption process and the immigration process.

The immigration process has 2 parts:

  1. the application for sponsorship
  2. the application for permanent residence for the child

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

Requirements to sponsor a child

To sponsor a child from another country for adoption, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident (if you do not currently reside in Canada, you must do so when the adopted child becomes a permanent resident);
  • live in Canada; and
  • be at least 18 years old.

You may not be eligible to sponsor in some cases, such as:

  • if you did not meet the requirements of a previous sponsorship agreement;
  • if you defaulted on a court-ordered support order, such as alimony or child support;
  • if you have been convicted of a violent criminal offence—depending on the nature of the offence, when it occurred and whether a record suspension was granted; or
  • if you do not live in Canada now and do not plan to live full-time in Canada when the child becomes a permanent resident.

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements.

Not sure which process to use? Read about the differences between the citizenship and the immigration processes for adoption.

Requirements for intercountry adoption

Most intercountry adoptions will take place in the child’s home country. Each country has different laws and procedures covering adoption by foreigners. For instance, some countries allow adoptions outside the child’s home country, while others only permit adoption inside the country. Not all countries allow adoptions.

If you are adopting a child who is related to you, different rules from the provinces and territories and/or the country of origin may apply.

The immigration process allows two types of adoptions of children under 18. Depending on the law of the child’s home country, the intercountry adoption must either:

  • be completed outside of Canada; or
  • be completed in Canada.

For Canadian immigration purposes, all intercountry adoptions must:

  • be legal in the child’s home country and in the province or territory where you live;
  • end the legal relationship between your adopted child and his or her biological parents;
  • meet the requirements of your province or territory, including a home study;
  • create a genuine parent–child relationship between you and the child;
  • be in the best interests of the child;
  • not be primarily to gain permanent resident status for the child in Canada.

Children adopted outside Canada may be sponsored to come to Canada if:

  • informed consent has been given by both of your child’s biological parents (if they are living).
  • your child has been legally adopted outside Canada.
  • the requirements of the Hague Convention have been met, if they apply.

Medical requirements

Adopted children must complete a medical exam before being issued a permanent resident visa. Your province or territory or a licensed adoption agency will tell you how and when it will take place. You must also sign a statement that you have obtained information regarding any medical conditions the child may have.

Intercountry adoption is complex. Other requirements may apply depending on the country from which you are adopting and your home province or territory. Your provincial or territorial government office will be able to tell you about adoption requirements.

Sponsor your relatives

You may be able to sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada under the Family Class if you’re at least 18 years old and a:

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

If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must:

  • support your relative financially when they arrive
  • be able to meet basic needs for yourself and your relative, such as:
    • food
    • shelter
    • clothing
  • make sure your relative doesn’t need social assistance

Your responsibilities

When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must:

  • meet set income guidelines
  • agree in writing to give financial support to your relative and any other eligible relatives coming with them:
    • beginning on the date they become a permanent resident
    • for up to 20 years (depending on their age and how you’re related)

The person you sponsor must sign an agreement saying they will make the effort to support themselves. This includes sponsored dependent children 18 or older. Dependent children under 19 don’t have to sign this agreement.

Who isn’t eligible to sponsor a relative

You may not be able to sponsor a relative if you:

  • are in prison
  • have not paid your alimony or child support payments
  • have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet
  • got social assistance for reasons other than being disabled
  • didn’t pay back an immigration loan, made late payments or missed payments
  • sponsored another relative in the past and didn’t meet the terms of the sponsorship agreementwere convicted of a violent crime, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence, depending on details of the case, such as:
    • the type of offence
    • how long ago it was
    • whether a record suspension was issued (formerly called “pardons” in Canada)

You can only sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt or uncle in very specific situations. If your family member doesn’t meet the criteria below, you can use our Come to Canada tool to find out which programs they may be eligible to apply for.

Depending on your situation, there are 2 options for who you can sponsor.

Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild

You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild only if they meet all of these conditions:

  • they’re related to you by blood or adoption
  • both their mother and father passed away
  • they’re under 18 years of age
  • they’re single (not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship)

You can’t sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if:

  • one of their parents is still alive
  • no one knows where their parents are
  • their parents abandoned them
  • someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive
  • their parent is in jail or otherwise detained

Other relative

You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet all of these conditions:

  • you (the person who wants to sponsor your relative) don’t have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
    • spouse
    • common-law partner
    • conjugal partner
    • son or daughter
    • parent
    • grandparent
    • orphaned brother or sister
    • orphaned nephew or niece
    • orphaned grandchild
  • you (the potential sponsor) don’t have any relatives (aunt or uncle or any of the relatives listed above), who is a:
    • Canadian citizen
    • permanent resident
    • registered Indian under the Indian Act

If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.