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Family Class Sponsorship

With Family Class Sponsorship, Canadians have the ability to sponsor their family members to live with them and become Permanent Residents of Canada.

Who can be a Sponsor?

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident who is already living in or intends to live in Canada
  • Not receiving social assistance (exception: disability)
  • Provide basic needs of the person being sponsored

Who can you Sponsor?

  • Spousal, Common-Law or Conjugal Partner Sponsorship
  • Parents, Grandparents and Relative Sponsorship
  • Children and other dependents

An Applicant must not be “inadmissible” under IRPA and has to do a Medical Exam, Criminal and Background Check.

Sponsor a Spouse, Conjugal & Common-Law Partner

The Sponsor and the person being Sponsored must meet the eligibility requirements:

  • Age: Both must be at least 18 years old.

  • Motive of relationship: Must demonstrate their relationship as genuine

  • Intention: Prove the fact they will live together in Canada.

  • Common law partners, including both opposite-and same-sex, who have been living together with another person in a marriage-like setting for more than 12 consecutive months or a period of one year

  • Conjugal partner, including both opposite-and same-sex relationships, who is living outside Canada and has had a binding relationship with the sponsor for at least one year, but couldn’t live with their partner. 

Sponsor a Parent, Grandparent or Relative

Eligible sponsors can sponsor their parents, grandparents or any relative within the family class sponsorship, if they meet certain requirements.

  • Age: Sponsor must be 18 years or older
  • Status & Residence: Sponsor must be a Canadian Citizen or permanent Resident who is living in Canada
  • Family Class Member: Sponsor must be sponsoring a member of the family class
  • Income: Sponsor muse meet Minimum Necessary Income in the last 3 years
  • Undertaking: Sponsor is required to commit to support the sponsored person + dependents financially + provide basic requirements
  • Sponsorship Agreements: Sponsor must sign a mutual agreement b/w the sponsor + applicant to ensure both parties confirm their obligations and responsibilities.

Sponsor a Child or Other dependents

Eligible sponsors can sponsor their dependent child/children, both natural and adopted, as the principal applicant(s) within the family class sponsorship.

  • The dependent child must meet the following eligibility requirements:
    • Dependency: Sponsored person must be less than 22 years of age and must not be a spouse or a common law partner, or is 22 years of age or older and is unable to support financially due a physical or mental condition
    • Nature of Relationship: Sponsored person must be either the biological child of the parent if the child has not been adopted by a person other than the spouse or common law partner, or the adopted child of the parent


*please note these are minimum requirements, additional requirements will vary with each category/program*