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Sponsorship for Family

Sponsors Need To Prove
They Are Eligible Before They Can Sponsor a Family Member.

You can become a sponsor if you are:

  • At least 18 years old

  • A Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or a permanent resident living in Canada

  • Not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability, and

  • Have enough income to provide for the basic needs of any grandchildren (dependent children of a dependent child) of the principal applicant.


You cannot become a sponsor if you:

  • Sponsored a previous spouse or partner and it hasn’t been three years since they became a permanent resident

  • Receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability

  • Previously sponsored someone and did not pay back any social assistance that they received while the undertaking was in place

  • You are in default on an immigration loan or a performance bond

  • Did not pay court-ordered alimony or child support

  • Have declared bankruptcy which has not been discharged

  • Were convicted of an offense of a sexual nature, a violent crime, an offense against a relative that caused bodily harm, or threatened or attempted to commit any of the above offenses

  • Were previously sponsored as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner and became a permanent resident of Canada less than five years ago (even if you got your Canadian citizenship within those five years)

  • Are under a removal order

  • Are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison, or

  • Have already applied to sponsor your current spouse or partner and haven’t received a decision

Sponsor Obligations

When you sponsor a family member, you must sign an undertaking with the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship.

The undertaking is a promise to provide financial support and basic requirements for the family members you are sponsoring. The basic requirements are:

  • food, clothing, utilities, personal requirements, shelter, fuel, household supplies, and

  • healthcare not provided by public health, such as eye and dental care. 

 

The undertaking ensures that the family member/s does not have to apply for social assistance. The length of the undertaking depends on their age and their relationship with the sponsor.

Your obligations as a sponsor begin as soon as the person(s) you are sponsoring arrive in Canada. Your spouse or common-law partner may help you meet the income requirement by co-signing the sponsorship application.

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The length of the undertaking is:

  • 3 years for your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner,

  • 3 years for a dependent child over 22 years of age,

  • 10 years for a  dependent child under 22 years of age, or until the child becomes 25 years old, whichever comes first,

  • 20 years for your parents and grandparents,

  • 10 years for any other relative.

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