Family Sponsorship
If you are a permanent resident or a citizen of Canada and have a family member who wishes to immigrate to Canada, you may be able to assist them in obtaining permanent residency. Family reunion continues to be a cornerstone of Canada’s immigration system.
Basic requirements for family sponsorship:
To be a sponsor:
- You must be 18 years of age or older.
- you must be a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
- You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative, if necessary. This agreement also says the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support her or himself.
- Depending on the person you sponsor, additional obligations may be imposed.
Who you can sponsor:
- A spouse, a common-law partner or a conjugal partner
- Your dependent children
- Your parents and grandparents
- Your brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship
- Another relative of any age or relationship but only under specific conditions
- Certain accompanying relatives of the above