Sponsoring an Orphaned Relative to Canada

If you’re on this page, you’re likely trying to bring a child to Canada after a family tragedy – and you want to know whether a family member in Canada (like an aunt, uncle, adult sibling, or grandparent) can sponsor that child.

Canada does have a Family Class option for this – but it’s narrow, and the word “orphaned” means something very specific to IRCC. A successful application comes down to whether the child fits that legal definition and whether the sponsor can prove it with the right documents. If you want the bigger picture first, start with our Family Class sponsorship page, then return here for the orphan-specific rules. This orphan option also sits inside what most people call the Other family member sponsorship section of Family Class.

Who you can sponsor under the orphaned-relative category

Under this orphaned-relative option, the only children you can sponsor are your:

• Brother or sister
• Niece or nephew
• Grandchild

This category does not cover every child in your extended family. It is limited to the relationships above.

If what you’re looking for is the separate pathway where someone can sponsor one relative only when they have no other eligible family to sponsor, that is the Lonely Canadian option – and we cover it on a separate page so you can compare it properly without mixing the rules.

What IRCC means by “orphaned”

In everyday language, people use “orphan” to describe many situations: abandonment, missing parents, parents who are ill, parents who are incarcerated, or children being raised by relatives. These are all serious realities—but IRCC’s orphaned-relative sponsorship category is much stricter.

For this specific orphaned-relative sponsorship, the child must generally meet all of the following:

• Under 18 years old
• Single (not married and not in a common-law relationship)
• Related to the sponsor by blood or adoption
• Both parents are deceased

Just as important: IRCC typically does not accept this orphan pathway if:

• one parent is still alive (even if not involved)
• the parents are missing or unknown
• the child was abandoned
• the parents are incarcerated or detained
• the child is being cared for by relatives while a parent is alive

So even if a child has been living with an aunt, uncle, or grandparent for years, this orphaned-relative sponsorship usually won’t work unless you can prove that both parents have died.

When families don’t fit the strict orphan definition, they often need to explore other legal routes. The most common confusion is between “orphaned relative” and “dependent child.” If you suspect the child might qualify as a dependent, read our Dependent child sponsorship page.

In some situations, families may also consider legally adopting the child and then applying through the adopted child sponsorship process. Adoption is not a workaround you can use casually – it must be a real, permanent, legal adoption that follows both Canadian provincial/territorial requirements and the child’s country’s laws, and it must create a genuine parent-child relationship (not be done mainly for immigration). If adoption is legally possible in your circumstances, it can be an appropriate path to bring the child to Canada even when the orphaned-relative sponsorship rules don’t apply.

Who can sponsor the orphaned child

To sponsor an orphaned child under this category, the sponsor generally must:

• be 18 or older
• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• live in Canada
• sign a sponsorship undertaking (a legal promise to support the child)

IRCC also checks whether the sponsor is eligible to sponsor at all. Issues like being in default of a previous undertaking, receiving certain social assistance (with limited exceptions), or other legal restrictions can block an application – even when the child clearly qualifies as orphaned. This is why an eligibility review before you apply can save months.