FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

Family sponsorship
You can sponsor certain relatives such as your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent children to come to Canada if you’re at least 18 years old and a:
Canadian citizen or person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or permanent resident of Canada
About the process
If you’re eligible,you must be able to:
  • Give them financial support
  • Ensure they don’t need social assistance from the government
 
Your spouse
Your spouse can be either sex and must be:
  • Legally married to you
  • At least 18 years old
 
Your common-law partner
  • Your common-law partner is not legally married to you can be either sex is at least 18 years old has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart(short and temporary periods are acceptable)
  • If you or your common-law partner choose to end the relationship, we consider the relationship to be over.
  • You’ll need to prove your common-law relationship.
Who is eligible to sponsor their spouse, partner or child
You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if:
  • You’re at least 18 years old
  • You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
  • If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must prove that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
  • You can’t sponsor someone if you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada.
  • You’re able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
  • You are able to provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor
 
Your conjugal partner
Your conjugal partner:
  • isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you
  • can be either sex
  • is at least 18 years old
  • has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year
  • lives outside Canada
  • can't live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as
    • their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible)
    • their sexual orientation (for example, you are in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships are not accepted, or same-sex marriage is illegal where they live),
    • persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups which is not accepted and they may be punished legally or socially)
You’ll need to give proof that you could not live together or get married in your conjugal partner’s country.
Dependent children

Children qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:

  • they’re under 22 years old
  • they don’t have a spouse or common law partner

Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:

  • they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
  • they have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22
With the exception of age, your dependent child must continue to meet these requirements until finish processing your application.
Eligibility of the people you’re sponsoring

  • To prove they meet the eligibility requirements, your spouse, partner, dependent child and their dependent children must provide:

  • all required forms and documents with their application
  • any additional information the visa officer request during processing, including
    • medical exams
    • biometrics
You can’t sponsor someone who is inadmissible to Canada. This means they will not be permitted to come to Canada.