If you are Canadian or have permanent resident status and wish to bring certain family members to Canada, we can advise and assist you on the best way on how to do so through the Family sponsorship program. To be a sponsor, you must meet some general requirements, such as proving that you can financially support the sponsored person, you are not receiving government social assistance, you are a Canadian citizen and over 18 years of age.
Find below the sponsorship program options available in Canada and their key application requirements:
Sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent children
In the case of Spouse Sponsorship, the program is valid both for those who are married and for those who have a proven stable relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. In any case, the spouse must be over 18 years of age.
Regarding the Child Sponsorship, the child must be under the age of 22, not married, nor in a stable relationship. Children over the age of 22 are only eligible for the program if they have any physical or mental condition that prevents them from supporting themselves financially, and provided that this financial dependence has occurred since before reaching 22 years of age.
Sponsor your parents and grandparents
The family sponsorship program called “Parents and Grandparents (PGP)” gives families the chance to reunite in Canada, giving them the opportunity to prosper in this country, allowing Canadians and permanent residents to bring their loved ones to Canada.
Family reunification plays a significant role in attracting, retaining and integrating immigrants that contribute to Canada’s success as a country.
Using the same random selection process used in previous years, the IRCC will only send invitations to potential sponsors who have already submitted a Family Sponsorship interest form. Therefore, only those who have already submitted this form will have the chance to apply. Those invited to apply will have up to 60 days to submit the necessary documentation.
The applicants who received an ITA (invitation to apply) will be able to use the new permanent residence digital portal which allows applications to be submitted electronically. This is part of Canada’s commitment to modernizing Canada’s immigration system, speed it up and simplify the application process.
The IRCC intends to receive up to 40,000 full applications in 2021 – 10,000 from the 2020 admissions process and 30,000 from 2021.
If you are invited to apply, there are 2 types of applications that are submitted and reviewed for the Parent and Grandparent Program:
- The request for sponsorship; and
- The application for permanent residence.
Sponsor other family members who are orphans
You can only sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt or uncle in very specific situations. If your family member doesn’t meet the criteria below, you can use our Come to Canada tool to find out which programs they may be eligible to apply for.
Depending on your situation, there are 2 options for who you can sponsor :
1. Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild
You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild only if they meet all of these conditions:
- they’re related to you by blood or adoption
- both their mother and father passed away
- they’re under 18 years of age
- they’re single (not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship)
You can’t sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if:
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- one of their parents is still alive
- no one knows where their parents are
- their parents abandoned them
- someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive
- their parent is in jail or otherwise detained
2. Other relatives
You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet all of these conditions:
- you (the person who wants to sponsor your relative) don’t have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
- spouse
- common-law partner
- conjugal partner
- son or daughter
- parent
- grandparent
- orphaned brother or sister
- orphaned nephew or niece
- orphaned grandchild
- you (the potential sponsor) don’t have any relatives (aunt or uncle or any of the relatives listed above), who is a:
- Canadian citizen
- permanent resident
- registered Indian under the Indian Act
If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.
If you are sponsoring a family member to become a permanent resident of Canada, you are required to:
- Financially support your family member;
- Meet your basic needs and those of your family, including support in:
- Food
- Accommodation
- Clothing
STILL GOT QUESTIONS?
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- Book an appointment with us to assess your chances of immigrating through the Federal Skilled Worker.
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- See also the comparison between the 3 Express Entry programs here
Content main source: IRCC – www.canada.ca
