
Family Sponsorship
In order to cater the immigration objective to see that families are reunited in Canada; Canada offers a number of immigration programs that give citizens and permanent residents the opportunity to sponsor their family members to Canada.
You can sponsor your spouse or common-law partner for Canadian permanent residence, regardless of whether they are living in Canada with a valid, temporary visa, or residing abroad.
Applicants who are living in Canada may also qualify for an open work permit. A spousal open work permit gives sponsored individuals the ability to work in Canada while their sponsorship application is being processed.
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may sponsor:
- your spouse (you are legally married)
- common-law partner (you are not legally married; however, you are cohabiting together for at least 12 months in a conjugal relationship).
- conjugal partner (you are not legally married or in a common-law relationship and they are living outside Canada)
To be eligible for spousal or common-law partner sponsorship, you must:
- be 18 years of age, a Canadian permanent resident living in Canada or Canadian citizen,
- demonstrate that you can provide for the basic needs for yourself and your spouse or partner,
- Prove your relationship with the sponsored person is genuine by providing supporting documentation.
To be eligible for spousal or common-law partner sponsorship, the sponsored person must:
- be at least 18 years of age
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their dependent children, whether biological or adopted, to live with them as permanent residents in Canada.
Children must meet the following definition of a dependent child to be eligible for sponsorship:
- A child is considered a dependent if he or she is not married or in a common-law relationship and is under 22 years of age.
- If a child is over 22 years of age, they may be considered a dependent if they have a physical or mental condition that prevents them from being able to support themselves.
The Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program (PGP) and the Super Visa Program are two programs that offer Canadian citizens and permanent residents the opportunity to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.
To be eligible under the Parents and Grandparents Program, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada
- be at least 18 years of age
- be the child or grandchild of the person(s) you are sponsoring
- meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) required for the size of their family unit and provide Canada Revenue Agency issued notices of assessment as proof
- sign a sponsorship agreement that acknowledges your promise to provide for the basic needs of family member(s) for a period of 20 years
Your spouse or common-law partner can help you meet the income requirement by co-signing the undertaking. If a co-signer is helping you meet the MNI requirements, the co-signer must meet the same eligibility criteria as you, the sponsor.
The Super Visa program allows parents and grandparents to come to Canada on extended multiple-entry visas that can last up to 10 years in total.
To be eligible under the Super Visa Program, you must:
- be the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
- have signed a letter of invitation from your child or grandchild
- have medical insurance
- apply for the super visa from outside Canada
In addition, your Canadian child or grandchild will have to prove that their household meets the minimum necessary income.