Canadian Immigration Family Sponsorship
Join us in this article to get acquainted with the concept of the Canadian Family Sponsorship Visa and how to apply for this visa. Firstly, it’s better to have a brief definition of the term ‘sponsorship’. Simply put, sponsorship means financial support of a dependent person who can enter Canada and obtain permanent residence if needed. The process of this program is that a sponsor, who is a permanent resident or citizen of Canada, undertakes to provide financial support for his immediate family members by providing valid financial and job documents. As a family-oriented country, Canada has considered various programs and conditions for permanent residents and citizens of this country so that they can invite their loved ones to this country and work and live in this country with more motivation and peace. Canada usually welcomes about 80 percent of these immigrants under the Spouses, Partners, and Children Program, and the remaining 20 percent under the Parents and Grandparents Program.
Who can I sponsor to come to Canada?
Canada's family sponsorship program includes immediate and close family members, who can be divided into the following groups.
Spouse or Common-Law Partner Sponsorship
As a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may be eligible to sponsor your spouse or common-law partner for moving to Canada, whether they are living in Canada with a valid temporary visa or residing abroad.
There are two types of spousal or common-law sponsorship applications: Inland and outland.
If the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner lives in Canada, the sponsorship is ‘inland’ type. If the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner lives outside Canada, the sponsorship is ‘outland’ type. In this case, the person you are sponsoring who resides abroad will normally wait for permanent residence outside of the country but may visit you in Canada.
Parent or Grandparent Sponsorship
Canada has introduced a program called the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP), under which Canadian citizens and permanent residents can help their loved ones move to Canada. To sponsor a parent or grandparent, citizens, and permanent residents will be required to demonstrate that they can financially support their family by meeting the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for the size of their family unit. Sponsors must also agree to financially support their sponsored family members if needed. Sponsors who are unable to provide permanent support for their parents or grandparents can try their luck to apply for a Super Visa.
Child or Other Dependent Sponsorship
If you are moving to Canada, you may be eligible to include your children as accompanying dependents on your application for permanent residence. Even if you cannot do not want to include your children at this point, they may still be able to join you in Canada later. Canada’s child sponsorship program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their children under the age of 22 for permanent residence, as long as they are unmarried and have no children of their own. Children over 22 can be considered as dependent children if they suffer from a physical or mental condition that prevents them from being able to support themselves.
Orphaned sibling, nephew, niece, or grandchild
In some cases, citizens or permanent residents of Canada will be allowed to sponsor their orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild to come to Canada. These dependents must be under the legal age of 18, unmarried, and related to the sponsor by blood or adoption.
Other relatives (under exceptional circumstances as a “Lonely Canadian”)
In some special cases, IRCC allows citizens and permanent residents of Canada to sponsor their other relatives. To sponsor a relative that falls outside of Canada’s current Family Class definition, you must be considered a “Lonely Canadian”; which means you should not have any spouse, common-law partner, child, parent, or grandparent.
Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), except for Quebec
As an applicant for Canadian Immigration Family Sponsorship, you must obtain a notice of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for 3 fiscal years before applying for Canadian sponsorship. According to the latest information from the official website of the IRCC, the minimum income that the sponsor must provide during the last 3 fiscal years is as described in the below table. In this table, the number of family members means the sponsor plus his dependent family in Canada plus the new sponsored people in the sponsorship program who enter Canada through this program.
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | Total number of people you’ll be responsible for |
| $ 32,898 | $32,270 | $41,007 | 2 people |
| $40,444 | $39,672 | $50,414 | 3 people |
| $49,106 | $48,167 | $61,209 | 4 people |
| $55,694 | $54,630 | $69,423 | 5 people |
| $62,814 | $61,613 | $78,296 | 6 people |
| $69,934 | $68,598 | $87,172 | 7 people |
| $7,120 | $6,985 | $8,876 | If more than 7 people, each additional person |
Who is eligible to sponsor a family member?
To sponsor a family member, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- be at least 18 years old
- live in Canada, or plan to return to Canada
- be able and willing to provide for the basic financial needs of your family members
Who is not eligible to sponsor a family member?
In some cases, permanent residents or citizens are not eligible to sponsor. As a sponsor, you may not be eligible to invite your dependents if you:
- are currently in prison
- have not paid alimony or child support payments
- have declared bankruptcy
- received social assistance for reasons other than a disability
- failed to pay back an immigration loan, made late payments, or missed payments
- have previously sponsored another relative and failed to meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement
- have been convicted of a violent crime, any offense against a relative, or any sexual offense, etc.
Duration of sponsoring the family members
The duration of the commitment you have to sign for sponsorship depends on the relationship between that person and you, as well as the age of your children:
Sponsored person | Length of undertaking (excluding Quebec) |
Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner | 3 years |
Dependent child | 10 years, or until age 25, whichever comes first |
Dependent child 22 years of age or older | 3 years |
Parent or grandparent | 20 years |
Other relatives | 10 years |
For Quebec residents, the length of the undertaking also depends on the family member you are sponsoring and, in the case of children, their age:
Sponsored person | Length of undertaking |
Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner | 3 years |
Dependent child under 16 years of age | Minimum 10 years (or until age 18), whichever is longer |
Dependent child 16 years of age and older | Minimum 3 years (or until age 25), whichever is longer |
Other relatives | 10 years |
How much does it cost to sponsor a family member in Canada?
According to the latest information provided on the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the sponsorship fee for each minor child is 155 dollars and the sponsorship fee for adults (22 years and older) is 1080 dollars, which includes the cost of applying for permanent residence. In case of not applying for permanent residence for adult dependents, the amount of $565 is payable.
Conclusion
We had a full review of the conditions of the family sponsorship immigration program of Canada in this article. As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, this program is a good opportunity for family members to join each other, strengthen their spirits, and increase the economic efficiency of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. If you want to apply for this program, get in touch with us for professional consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner of the sponsored person
- The dependent children of the sponsored person
- The dependent children of the sponsored person's spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner
- The dependent children of the sponsored person's dependent children
- The dependent children of the sponsored person's spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner's children.
Eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents may apply to sponsor their spouse or child at any time.
Canada does not have any program for sponsoring a fiancé or romantic partner of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident unless they get married or prove that they are common-law partners.
Sponsor must be at least 18 years old, but there is no age limit for sponsored people.
Of course; To do so, you will need to submit separate applications for each person (or couple) you are sponsoring.