Family Sponsorship

Canada offers a number of immigration programs that provide the citizens and permanent residents with the opportunities to sponsor their family members to Canada. These fall under the category of Family Sponsorship.

If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you can sponsor your: –

• Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner 18 or plus years of age.
• Dependent child (under 22 years of age)
• Parents and grandparents
• Orphaned relatives: brothers, sisters, nephew, niece, grandson or granddaughter under the age of 18 and not married or in a common-law relationship.

Relationship definitions

• Spouse — the person you are legally married to
• Common-law partner — Either of the opposite or same sex, living together uninterrupted for at least one year. this will need the support of proof of your setting up a household together.
• Conjugal partner — partners either of the opposite or same-sex who on account of exceptional circumstances cannot live together
• Dependent children —- Children 21 years old or younger. The children cannot be married or have a common-law partner. Children above 21 years of age, dependent on financial support from parents because of physical or mental disability also come under this category.

Family Sponsorship Obligations

• The sponsor must be 18 years of age and a citizen or permanent resident in Canada.
• The sponsor must not be bankrupt
• Have sponsored a family member in the past and failed to meet the terms
• The signing of an agreement by you along with the sponsored relative that commits you to provide financial support for your relative for a period ranging from three to twenty years post his/her arrival in Canada.
• Providing financial support to a dependent child for 10 years or till the child turns 25.
• You must meet the selection criteria of income as noted under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Once the sponsorship application is in process, sponsored family members over the age of 18 years need to submit police certificates and all family members will need to have a medical exam.