Canadian citizens and permanent residents
living in Canada, 18 years of age or older,
may sponsor close relatives or family
members who want to become permanent
residents of Canada. Sponsors must promise
to support the relative or family member and
accompanying family members for a period
of three to 10 years to help them settle
in Canada.
If you live in Quebec, please contact
Quebec Immigration
for information on how to sponsor a relative
or family member. The Canada-Quebec
Accord provides information on
Quebec's responsibilities for immigration.
You can sponsor relatives or family members
from abroad if they are:
-
spouses, common-law or conjugal partners
16 years of age or older;
-
parents and grandparents;
-
dependent children, including adopted
children;
-
children under 18 years of age whom you
intend to adopt;
-
brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces or
grandchildren who are orphans, under the
age of 18 and not married or in a
common-law relationship; and
-
any other relative if you have none of
the above relatives or family members,
either in Canada or abroad.
A son or daughter is dependent when the
child:
-
is under the age of 22 and does not have
a spouse or common-law partner;
-
became a full-time student before the
age of 22 and has been substantially
dependent on a parent for financial
support since that time; or
-
is financially dependent on a parent
since before the age of 22 because of a
disability.
You may also sponsor a spouse or common-law
partner who has legal status in Canada.
A common-law partner is a person of the
opposite or same sex with whom you are in a
conjugal relationship and who is currently
cohabiting with you and has done so for at
least one year.
Sponsoring a Relative or Family Member
If you want to sponsor any of the above
listed relatives or family members, you may
have to meet certain income requirements. If
you have previously sponsored relatives or
family members who have received social
assistance, you may not be allowed to
sponsor another person. Sponsorship is a
considerable commitment so you should take
this obligation seriously.
To sponsor a relative or family member you
must sign a legal contract with the Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration. This is
called an Undertaking. You must also sign a
Sponsorship Agreement with your relative or
family member that outlines your mutual
commitments to each other.
Applying as a Sponsored Immigrant
If you wish to become a permanent resident
of Canada, your relative or family member in
Canada must first apply to sponsor you. You
must be one of the relatives or family
members listed above to be eligible for
sponsorship.
Both you and your sponsor need to sign a
Sponsorship Agreement. The Agreement
outlines your mutual obligations to each
other. Your sponsor must promise to support
you and your family members financially for
three to 10 years so that you will not need
to apply for social assistance. You must
promise to make every effort to become
self-supporting (unless you are elderly.)
Applications for Sponsorship and
Immigration to Canada from Abroad
Before your relative or family member can
immigrate to Canada, you must sponsor that
person. Your relative or family member must
then apply for immigration.
Applications for Sponsorship and
Immigration from Within Canada
In some cases, you may sponsor a spouse or
common-law partner who is already living
with you in Canada.
