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Family Class Sponsorship Canada
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Family Sponsorship Canada 2026

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Canada’s Family Class immigration stream allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to reunite with their close family members by sponsoring them for permanent residence. This compassionate program emphasizes family unity, social stability, and long-term integration.

Through this stream, sponsors may bring their spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, dependent children, parents, and grandparents to Canada. In limited cases, other relatives—such as orphaned family members with no other support—may also be sponsored. Once approved, sponsored individuals obtain permanent resident status, granting them the right to live, work, and study in Canada.

To qualify, sponsors must be at least 18 years old, hold Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status, reside in Canada (or demonstrate intent to return), and meet eligibility requirements. Sponsors must also sign a legally binding financial undertaking, committing to support their family members and prevent reliance on social assistance. While most categories do not require a minimum income, the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) has additional financial thresholds.

Each sponsorship category has its own rules: under the Spouse/Partner stream, applicants must demonstrate that their relationship is genuine, with inland applicants eligible for an Open Work Permit while their application is processed. The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) operates through an invitation system with limited annual intake. Biological or adopted children may be sponsored at any time if they meet age and dependency criteria, while other relatives may only be sponsored in rare, specific circumstances.

Because applications are assessed under strict legal and procedural standards, understanding documentation, timelines, and strategic options—such as inland versus outland processing—is critical.

If you are looking for professional advice, you can check out our Immigration Service fees and book a consultation with our Toronto immigration consultants.

General Requirments

Family Class Sponsorship

Legal Requirements

All sponsorships are subject to legal checks to protect Canada’s immigration system.

  • Inadmissibility: Relatives cannot be sponsored if they are inadmissible due to criminality, security, or public health risks.
  • 5-Year Spousal Bar: If you were sponsored as a spouse or partner, you cannot sponsor a new spouse within 5 years of becoming a permanent resident.
  • Financial Undertaking: Sponsors are legally responsible for supporting the sponsored family member for the duration of the undertaking, even in cases of divorce or separation.

Excluded Family Members

Some relatives are permanently barred from sponsorship if they were not declared during your own immigration process.

  • Section 117(9)(d) IRPR: Individuals part of your family when you became a permanent resident but not declared or examined are permanently ineligible.
  • Example: A child in your home country at the time of your immigration who was not declared cannot be sponsored later.

Ineligible Individuals

Anyone who is inadmissible under Canadian law cannot be sponsored, regardless of relationship.

  • Criminal Inadmissibility: Convicted of a crime equivalent to a serious Canadian offense (e.g., DUI, assault, fraud).
  • Security Risk: Involved in espionage, terrorism, or organized crime.
  • Medical Danger: Poses a threat to public health due to a contagious disease. (Spouses and dependent children are generally exempt from medical “excessive demand” rules.)

Who Can Be Sponsored

Spouse, Common-Law, or Conjugal Partner

Sponsors can bring their spouse or partner to Canada, but the relationship must be genuine and meet specific legal requirements. The following categories apply to both opposite-sex and same-sex partners. 

  • Spouse: Legally married, with the marriage recognized under the laws of the jurisdiction where it occurred and under Canadian federal law.
  • Common-law partner: Two individuals who have cohabited in a marriage-like relationship for at least 12 consecutive months.
  • Conjugal partner: Couples who have maintained a mutually interdependent relationship for at least one year but cannot live together or marry due to exceptional circumstances (e.g., religious persecution, legal barriers, or laws preventing recognition of sexual orientation). (Only available for Outland applications.)
  • Key Requirements:
    • The relationship must be genuine and not primarily for immigration purposes (Section 4 of IRPR).
    • Sponsors must sign a financial undertaking committing to support their partner for 3 years.
    • Inland applicants may be eligible for an Open Work Permit during processing.

Dependent Children

Sponsors may bring biological or adopted children, provided they meet Canada’s definition of a dependent child. 

  • Standard Dependent: Under 22 years old and not married or in a common-law relationship.
  • Over-Age Dependent: 22 years or older if financially dependent on parents since before age 22 and unable to support themselves due to a physical or mental condition.

  • Important Considerations:
    • Non-Accompanying children: All dependent children must be declared, even if they are not immigrating immediately. Failure to declare a child can permanently bar sponsorship.
    • Adopted children must meet Canadian adoption requirements.
    • Legal custody and notarized consent from a non-accompanying parent are required if applicable.
    • Sponsors must sign a financial undertaking for dependent children, generally 10 years or until the child turns 25.

Parents and Grandparents (PGP)

Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor their parents and grandparents through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), which operates via an invitation system with limited annual intake.

  • Key Requirements:
    • Sponsors must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for the three consecutive tax years prior to applying.
    • Sponsors sign a financial undertaking to support their parents or grandparents for 20 years.
  • Alternative Option: Many families use the Super Visa, a multi-entry temporary resident visa that allows parents or grandparents to stay in Canada for up to 5 years at a time. While it does not grant permanent residence, it is often used as a temporary solution when PGP sponsorship is not immediately available.
  • Critical Requirement: Applicants must have private medical insurance from a Canadian insurer (or authorized foreign company) valid for at least one year.
  • Minimum Coverage: Policy must provide at least $100,000 for health care, hospitalization, and repatriation. Policies from non-authorized foreign companies will lead to refusal.

Other Eligible Relatives

In rare situations, sponsors may be able to bring other relatives to Canada.

  • Orphaned Relatives: Orphaned siblings, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren under 18, single, and related by blood or adoption. Cannot be sponsored if one or both parents are alive.
  • “Lonely Canadian” Rule: Sponsors may bring one other relative of any age (e.g., aunt, uncle, cousin) only if they have no other eligible family members in Canada (spouse, children, parents) and no family members who are already Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

Note: These cases are rare and strictly assessed, requiring detailed supporting evidence.

Who Cannot Be Sponsored

Fiancé / Fiancée

Canada does not provide a sponsorship pathway for fiancé(e)s, since engagement alone does not meet the Family Class criteria. Sponsors must either marry or meet the requirements for a common-law partnership.

  • Rule: Canada does not have a fiancé(e) visa or sponsorship category.
  • Requirement: To sponsor a partner, you must either be legally married (Spouse) or live together in a common-law relationship for at least 12 consecutive months.
  • Risk: Applying as “fiancés” will result in immediate refusal.
  • Alternative: If a fiancé(e) wishes to come to Canada temporarily, the most feasible option is to apply for a Visitor Visa, provided they meet all eligibility requirements and demonstrate temporary intent.

Friends and Distant Relatives

Only close family members may be sponsored; friendships or distant relationships are not eligible.

  • Rule: Friends, business partners, and distant relatives such as cousins, aunts, or uncles cannot be sponsored.
  • Alternative: These individuals must qualify through other immigration programs like Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), or study/work permits. If they do not qualify under these programs, the only feasible option is to apply for a Visitor Visa.

Siblings (Brothers and Sisters)

Siblings are generally not eligible unless they meet very specific criteria. Exceptions exist for orphaned or extremely rare “Lonely Canadian” cases.

  • General Rule: Adult siblings cannot be sponsored.
  • Exceptions: Orphaned siblings under 18, or rare cases under the “Lonely Canadian” rule, may be eligible.
  • Express Entry Note: While siblings cannot usually be sponsored, applicants under Express Entry may receive additional CRS points if they have a brother or sister who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada. These points can improve an applicant’s ranking but do not guarantee permanent residence.
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