Sponsor your family members

The Family Reunification Program enables Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents. Family reunification is one of the three main pillars of permanent immigration to Canada, alongside economic immigration and refugee protection.

The program aligns with the IRPA objective to "see that families are reunited in Canada." Eligibility criteria focus on the authenticity of the relationship between the applicant and the sponsor (who must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident).

Applicants can apply from abroad (under the Family Class) or from within Canada (under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class).

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Who can be Sponsored?

• Spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners

• Parents and grandparents

• Dependent children: generally defined as those under 22 years old; includes biological or adopted children, as well as intercountry adoptions

• Other relatives under special circumstances: such as orphaned relatives under 18 or the sponsor's last remaining relative

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Who can Sponsor?

• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or status Indian living in Canada (with some exceptions)

• Be at least 18 years old

• Sign an agreement to support their sponsored family member financially for a specified period, ranging from 3 years (for spouses and partners) to 20 years (for parents and grandparents), and repay any provincial social assistance received by the sponsored person during this time.

• Willing to provide basic financial assistance to family member for three years

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Income Requirements 

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Minimum income requirements apply to sponsorship applications for parents, grandparents, eligible orphaned relatives, and those under the “lonely Canadian” policy. Sponsors must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for their family size and provide proof via Canada Revenue Agency-issued Notices of Assessment for three consecutive years.

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To sponsor a spouse, demonstrating a minimum income is not required. The undertaking duration varies by sponsorship category: for spouses and partners, it is 3 years from the sponsored individual's permanent residency date. Sponsors of dependent children are exempt from the MNI requirement unless the child has their own dependents, in which case the sponsor must meet the MNI for their family size.

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However, all sponsors must sign an undertaking to provide financial support for the basic needs of the sponsored family member and repay any social assistance benefits received for a period of 20 years. An additional undertaking is needed for sponsors living in Quebec.

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For more info BOOK APPOINTMENT

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