Family Sponsorship

This application allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor close family members for permanent residence, helping families reunite and build their lives in Canada.

This program prioritizes family unity and offers pathways for spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, dependent children, parents, grandparents, and, in rare cases, other eligible relatives.

When you sponsor a family member—such as your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child—you agree to take full financial responsibility for them. This commitment remains in place even if your personal or financial circumstances change.

The Undertaking: Your Financial Commitment

By signing the undertaking, you agree to:

• Provide financial support to the sponsored person(s) for a specific period (known as the undertaking period)
• Ensure they do not require social assistance from the government

If the sponsored individual receives government assistance during this period, you’ll be required to repay that amount, and you may be barred from sponsoring others until it’s repaid in full.

The duration of your financial responsibility depends on who you’re sponsoring and begins when they become a permanent resident:

Once approved, this responsibility cannot be cancelled or shortened, even if:

• The person becomes a Canadian citizen
• Your relationship ends
• You or the sponsored person moves to another province or country
• You experience financial hardship (e.g. job loss, debt)
• You request to withdraw the application after they’ve become a permanent resident

You may only withdraw a sponsorship application before the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.

If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you may be able to sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or your conjugal partner for permanent residency of Canada.

There are two types of Spousal Sponsorship applications:

Outland application (Family Class application)

• Sponsor can live in Canada or abroad (if a Canadian citizen)
• Can be used to sponsor your conjugal partner
• Possibility to appeal (only if opted in)
• Principal Applicant cannot apply for an Open Work Permit
• Principal Applicant can apply for a Visitor Visa or a Study Permit

Inland application (Spouse or Common-law partner)

• The Sponsor must live in Canada
• Can’t be used to sponsor your conjugal partner
• No right of appeal if the application is refused
• Possibility to apply for the Spousal Open Work Permit

The application can be put at risk if the Principal Applicant leaves Canada

Who Can You Sponsor as a Dependent Child?

You may sponsor a child if they are not inadmissible to Canada and meet the definition of a dependent under Canadian immigration law.

A child is considered a dependent if they meet both of the following conditions:

Relationship to You:

• They are your biological or adopted child, or the biological or adopted child of your spouse or common-law partner

Age and Dependency Status:

• They are under 22 years old and not married or in a common-law relationship
  OR
• They are 22 years of age or older, unmarried, and:
  • Have been financially dependent on their parents since before the age of 22, and
  • Are unable to support themselves financially due to a mental or physical condition

Important: Except for the age limit, the child must continue to meet the dependency criteria throughout the entire processing of your application.

If they meet eligibility requirements, you may sponsor the following family members:

• Your parents or grandparents, related to you by blood or adoption
• Their dependent children (e.g. your siblings, half-siblings, or step-siblings), and those children’s dependents
• If your parent or grandparent is divorced and remarried, you may also sponsor their current spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner

Application Notes:

• If your parents or grandparents are divorced, you must submit separate applications for each.
• If they are separated but not legally divorced, you must submit one application because they are still considered married under immigration law.

You need to submit an interest to sponsor form and wait for an invitation.

Please note, the interest to sponsor form is currently closed. You cannot submit a new form at this time.

Current categories

1. French-language proficiency
2. Healthcare and social services occupations
3. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
4. Trade occupations
5. Agriculture and agri-food occupations
6. Education occupations

Category-based rounds are intended to supplement other round types to meet the identified economic goal.

Who’s eligible for each category

To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, you must:

• meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for 1 of the 3 immigration programs it covers, and
• meet all the requirements in the instructions for that round

When IRCC holds a category-based round of invitations, they will:

• rank candidates in the pool who meet the category requirements, and
• invite top-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence