Family Class sponsorship

Sponsor Your Spouse, Partner, or Dependent Child to Canada

Are you a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who wants to reunite with your loved ones in Canada?
Canada’s Family Sponsorship Program makes it possible for your spouse, partner, or dependent child to become a permanent resident.

 What is Family Sponsorship?

Through the family sponsorship program, you can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child to live with you permanently in Canada. As a sponsor, you must commit to supporting them financially and ensuring they don’t need social assistance from the government.

 Who Can Be a Sponsor?

To be eligible to sponsor, you must:

Be at least 18 years old

Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a registered person under the Canadian Indian Act

Live in Canada

If you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must prove you will return when your sponsored person becomes a permanent resident

Permanent residents must be living in Canada to sponsor

Sign a sponsorship agreement and an undertaking

Meet all other eligibility criteria under immigration law

 Who Is Not Eligible to Sponsor?

You may not be eligible if:

You were sponsored as a spouse or partner and became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago

You are still financially responsible for a previous spouse or partner (within a 3-year period)

You are currently incarcerated or in a correctional facility

You have outstanding debts to the government (such as immigration loans, alimony, or child support)

You are receiving social assistance (except for reasons of disability)

You have a criminal record for violent or sexual offenses, or crimes against a family member

You have an active removal order

 What Is the Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking?

When you become a sponsor, you are legally agreeing to:

Provide for your sponsored person’s basic needs: food, shelter, clothing, and health-related expenses not covered by public insurance

Ensure they do not rely on government assistance

If they do, you’ll be responsible for repaying the amount received—and you will not be allowed to sponsor anyone else until the debt is settled.

 How Long Does Sponsorship Responsibility Last?

The undertaking period begins when your sponsored family member becomes a permanent resident:

Important: Once permanent residency is granted, you cannot cancel or shorten the sponsorship, regardless of your financial situation, changes in your relationship, or relocation.

 Is There a Minimum Income Requirement?

In most cases, no income requirement is needed to sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent child.
However, you must show income if:

You are sponsoring a dependent child who has children of their own

You are sponsoring a partner who has a dependent child, and that child has their own children