Family Class Migration
There is also the family visa for migration to Canada for persons who have eligible relatives in Canada who are willing to sponsor them.
Sponsors must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident: spouse, common-law or conjugal partners; dependent child, parent or grandparent; an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild (under 19); and any relative if the Canadian sponsor does not have another close relative who is in Canada or who can be sponsored to come to Canada.
The most common type of family class application is for those who are married or engaged to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Family Sponsorship
Your relatives 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 at least 18 years old and a:
- Canadian citizen or
- person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
- permanent resident of Canada
Sponsor your spouse, partner or child:
If you are eligible, you can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent children to become permanent residents of Canada.
If you do, you must be able to:
- support them financially
- make sure they don’t need social assistance from the government
Who is eligible to sponsor their spouse, partner or child?
You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if:
- You are at least 18 years old
- You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- If you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
- You can’t sponsor someone if you are a permanent resident living outside Canada.
- You are able to prove that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
- you can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor
If you live outside Quebec
To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially take care of the persons you are sponsoring for a period of time. It is known as “promise an undertaking”.
The undertaking commits you to:
- providing financial support for your sponsored family members, starting when they become permanent residents
- repaying any provincial social assistance your sponsored family members get during that time
Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.
The sponsorship agreement means that:
- you will provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members
- the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members
When you apply, you will have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.
Income requirement
In most cases, there isn’t an income requirement to sponsor your spouse or partner or dependent child. You only need to show that you have enough money to meet the income requirements if:
- you are sponsoring a dependent child that has 1 or more dependent children of their own, or
- you are sponsoring a spouse or partner that has a dependent child, and their dependent child has 1 or more children of their own.
The Financial Evaluation form instructions explain how much money you will need and how to fill out the form. You will get the form when you download your application package.
If you live in Quebec
You must meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after IRCC approves you as a sponsor. You must sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec. The Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.
Who can’t sponsor their spouse, partner or child?
You can’t sponsor your spouse, partner or child if:
- you are less than 18 years old;
- you won’t live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents;
- you are not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
- you are a temporary resident, that is you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit;
- your permanent residence application is still in the process;
- You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
- you don’t have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor (if applicable).
You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, or partner if you:
- were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago;
- are still financially responsible for a previous spouse or partner that you sponsored. This means you are still bound by the 3 year undertaking to take care of this person.
You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, partner or child if you:
- you have already applied to sponsor the spouse, parent or child you are currently seeking to sponsor and a decision on that application hasn’t been made
- are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
- didn’t pay back:
- an immigration loan
- a performance bond
- court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
- didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
- declared bankruptcy and are not discharged (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
- receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
- you were convicted of attempting, threatening to commit or committing a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
- can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order
There may be other reasons that make you ineligible to sponsor your spouse, partner or child. If IRCC determines you are not eligible to sponsor, IRCC will inform you of the reason.
Who you can sponsor
You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent children.
Your spouse
Your spouse can be either sex and must be:
- legally married to you
- at least 18 years old
Your common-law partner
Your common-law partner:
- isn’t legally married to you;
- can be either sex;
- is at least 18 years old;
- has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart;
- Any time spent away from each other should have been
- short
- temporary
- Any time spent away from each other should have been
If you or your common-law partner choose to end the relationship, we consider the relationship to be over. You will need to give proof of your common-law relationship.
Your conjugal partner
Your conjugal partner:
- isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you;
- can be either sex;
- is at least 18 years old;
- has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year;
- lives outside Canada;
- can’t live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as:
- their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible);
- their sexual orientation (for example, you are in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships are not accepted, or same-sex marriage is illegal where they live);
- persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups which is not accepted and they may be punished legally or socially).
You will need to give proof that you could not live together or get married in your conjugal partner’s country (for example, proof of refused long-term stays in each other’s country).
Dependent children
Children qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:
- they’re under22 years old
- they don’t have a spouse or common-law partner
Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:
- they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
- they have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22
With the exception of age, your dependent child must continue to meet these requirements until we finish processing your application.
Use this IRCC online tool to check if a child qualifies as a dependent.
If they qualify as a dependent child, you can sponsor
- your own child
- If you are a Canadian citizen, your child may also be a Canadian citizen, even if they weren’t born in Canada. You can’t sponsor your child for permanent residence if they are Canadian citizens already. Check if your child is already a Canadian citizen.
- If you are sponsoring just your child, without sponsoring your spouse or partner, you will name your child as the principal applicant in the application. You will have to show that the other parent or legal guardian agrees to your child immigrating to Canada. Review this checklist for what you will need to provide.
- If the child you want to sponsor has a child of their own (your grandchild), you will include your grandchild as a dependent in the application.
- If you want to sponsor your adopted child or an orphaned family member, follow the instructions to sponsor your adopted child or orphaned family member
- your spouse or partner and their child
- If you are sponsoring your spouse or partner and a child (either their own child or a child you have had together), you will name your spouse or partner as the principal applicant and the child as the dependent in the application.
- If the child you want to sponsor has a child of their own, you will include the grandchild as a dependent in the application.
Eligibility of the people you are sponsoring
To show they meet the eligibility requirements, your spouse, partner, dependent child and their dependent children (if applicable) must provide:
- all required forms and documents with their application
- any additional information we request during processing, including
You can’t sponsor someone who is inadmissible to Canada. This means they are not allowed to come to Canada.
To apply to sponsor your spouse, partner or child, there are 2 applications:
- You must apply to become a sponsor.
- Your spouse, partner or child must apply for permanent residence.
Send both the sponsorship and the permanent residence applications together at the same time.
If you want to sponsor your adopted child or an orphaned family member, follow the instructions to sponsor your adopted child instead.
Sponsor your parents and grandparents:
Who is eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent?
You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if:
- You are invited to apply
- You are at least 18 years old
- You live in Canada
- You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- You have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor
- to show that you have enough, you will have to provide your proof of income
- you may have a spouse or common-law partner co-sign to combine your incomes
- You meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
If you live outside Quebec
To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially support the people you are sponsoring for a period of time. This is known as the “promise of undertaking”.
The undertaking commits you to
- providing financial support for your sponsored family members for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents;
- repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) your sponsored family members get during that time.
Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. This is known as the “sponsorship agreement”.
The sponsorship agreement means that
- you will provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members, including
- food
- clothing
- utilities
- personal requirements
- shelter
- fuel
- household supplies
- health care not covered by public health insurance, such as eye and dental care
- the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members
This agreement is still valid, and you must still cover basic needs for the period it covers, even in the case of
- marriage ending, separation or divorce
- family rifts
- unemployment
- change in finances
- death of the main applicant, if you also sponsor their family members
When you apply, you will have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.
If you live in Quebec
You must meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after we approve you as a sponsor. The Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.
If your application is approved by IRCC as a sponsor, IRCC will send you information on what to do next. You must also sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec. The length of the undertaking is 10 years for Quebec.
Who can’t sponsor a parent or grandparent?
You can’t sponsor your parents and grandparents if
- you haven’t been invited to apply
- you are less than 18 years old
- you won’t live in Canada when you apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents and/or when your parents and grandparents become permanent residents
- Your primary residential address must be in Canada when you submit your application and until we make a decision on your application.
- you are not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- you are a temporary resident, that is you are visiting, studying, or working in Canada on a visa or permit
- your permanent residence application is still in the process
- You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
- your proof of income shows you don’t have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor
You may not be eligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents if you
- are in jail, prison or penitentiary
- didn’t pay back
- an immigration loan
- a performance bond
- court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support
- didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past
- declared bankruptcy and are not discharged
- receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
- were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
- can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order
There may be other reasons that make you ineligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents. If IRCC determines you are not eligible to sponsor, IRCC will inform you why.
Who you can sponsor
You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.
In case of divorce, you will need to submit separate applications if you sponsor divorced parents and grandparents. If your divorced parents or grandparents have a current spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner, these people become dependants on the application and can immigrate to Canada with your parents and grandparents, if approved.
In the application, you can include your brothers and sisters, half brothers and sisters, or step-brothers and step-sisters only if they qualify as dependent children.
You must meet the income requirements for all the people you want to sponsor and their dependants (spouse, partner, and children).
The people you sponsor must also be eligible
To show they meet the eligibility requirements, your parents and grandparents and their dependants must provide
- all required forms and documents with their application
- any additional information we request during processing, including
To learn more about Family Class Migration, please visit: Canada Immigration-Family Category