Your family 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 are 18 years or older and a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident.
Who can you sponsor?
- Spouse, Common Law Partner or Conjugal Partner
- Dependent Child or child you want to adopt
- Father, Mother, Grandfather or Grandmother
- Brother, Sister, Nephew, Niece, Grandson or Granddaughter, who are orphaned and under the age of 18 and not married or in a Common Law Relationship
- Another relative of any age or relationship, however only under specific conditions
Requirements of the Sponsor
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- The Sponsor and the Sponsored relative must sign a Sponsorship Agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative where applicable.
- The Sponsor is responsible for providing financial support for a Spouse, Common Law Partner or Conjugal Partner for 3 years from the date that the sponsored person becomes a Permanent Resident.
- The Sponsor is responsible for providing financial support for a dependent child for 10 years, or until the child turn 25, whichever comes first.
Sponsorship Obligations and Undertakings
Every Sponsor is required to sign an Undertaking to provide the Sponsored person with their basic requirements from the day they enter Canada until the term of the Undertaking terminates. The Undertaking is a contract between the sponsor and IRCC that the Sponsor will repay the government for any social assistance payments made to the sponsored person. Sponsors are obligated to the Undertaking Agreement for the entire period of the contract, even if a change of circumstances takes place such as a marital breakdown, separation, divorce or if financial circumstances change.
For Spousal, Common Law Partners or Conjugal Partner a sponsor is required to sign an Undertaking Agreement to reimburse the Federal / Provincial governments from the date in which the Sponsor becomes a Permanent Resident for a period of 3 years. In the case of a dependent child under the age of 19 the obligation starts on the day that the child becomes a Permanent Resident and for a period of 10 years or until the child reaches the age of 25, whichever comes first. Where a child is over the age of 19, the Undertaking Agreement starts on the day that the dependent child becomes a Permanent Resident, for a period of 3 years. In the case of Parents and Grandparents, the Sponsorship obligation extends for a period of 20 years from the date in which the member of the Family Class becomes a Permanent Resident. For all other family members, the obligation is of a duration of 10 years.
For Spousal, Common Law Partners or Conjugal Partner a sponsor is required to sign an Undertaking Agreement to reimburse the Federal / Provincial governments from the date in which the Sponsor becomes a Permanent Resident for a period of 3 years. In the case of a dependent child under the age of 19 the obligation starts on the day that the child becomes a Permanent Resident and for a period of 10 years or until the child reaches the age of 25, whichever comes first. Where a child is over the age of 19, the Undertaking Agreement starts on the day that the dependent child becomes a Permanent Resident, for a period of 3 years. In the case of Parents and Grandparents, the Sponsorship obligation extends for a period of 20 years from the date in which the member of the Family Class becomes a Permanent Resident. For all other family members, the obligation is of a duration of 10 years.
What if my Canadian Sponsor is living outside of Canada?
Canadian Citizens who live outside of Canada may sponsor their Spouse, Common Law Partner, Conjugal Partner or dependent children provided that they are able to demonstrate that they will reside in Canada before or when their Sponsored relative is issued their Permanent Resident status. Permanent Residents of Canada who reside internationally are not able to sponsor their family from outside of Canada.
