Family Class Sponsorship

Permanent Resident Canada | Immigration To Canada

If you are a Permanent Resident of Canada or a Canadian citizen you can sponsor a family member to immigrate and settle in Canada.

Who Can I sponsor For Canadian Permanent Resident Status?

Only certain family members will qualify for sponsorship. They include: husband/wife, common-law or conjugal partners, dependent children (including adopted children), parents and grandparents. Brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons also qualify if they are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship. If none of the above relatives could be sponsored, and the applicant has no other relatives who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, he/she may sponsor any other relative regardless of relationship or age.

What are the different categories for family class sponsorship?

There are four different categories by which a Canadian citizen or permanent resident may sponsor a family member. They include:

• Spousal Sponsorship
• Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class
• Conjugal Partner Sponsorship
• Sponsoring a dependent child

What are the requirements for being a sponsor?

In addition to being either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, the sponsor must satisfy a number of requirements. They include:

• The Sponsor must be able to financially support the immigrant (and dependents) and to provide for their essential needs. There also are strict income requirements that the Sponsor must meet to qualify. However, if the Sponsor is sponsoring a spouse or a dependent child under the age of 19 who is unmarried, then these strict income requirements do not apply.
• The sponsor must be willing to sign a sponsorship agreement between the sponsor and the government of Canada or Quebec promising to support the sponsored person for a prescribed period of time.
• The Sponsor must have either physical residency in Canada or for Canadian citizens sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child, the sponsor must have a demonstrated intention to reside in Canada by the time the Sponsored family member lands in Canada as a permanent resident.
• The Sponsor must be at least 18 years old; not in prison; not bankrupt; not under a removal order if a permanent resident; and not charged with a serious offence.