Family sponsorship allows a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Indian Act to bring certain close family members to Canada as permanent residents. Two applications are involved: yours to sponsor, and your relative’s for permanent residence. They are assessed together.

This page covers the family class as a whole. Spousal and partner sponsorship, which is the largest part of it, has its own page, and so does the super visa, which is the route most families use while the Parents and Grandparents Program is closed.

Who you can sponsor

A spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner. Covered in detail on the spousal and partner sponsorship page.
A dependent child. IRCC treats a child as dependent if they are under 22 and have no spouse or partner, or if they are 22 or older and have depended on a parent financially since before that age because of a physical or mental condition.
An adopted child, under a separate process that also involves adoption law in the child’s country.
Parents and grandparents, through the Parents and Grandparents Program. See the note below on its current status, and the super visa as the alternative.
Certain other relatives, including an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild under 18. There is also a narrow provision for one other relative of any age where the sponsor has no living relative in any of the categories above and none already in Canada.

IRCC sets out each category on its family sponsorship pages.

Parents and grandparents: where things stand

Program status, checked 19 September 2026

IRCC is not accepting new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program. Its page states that it will not accept new interest to sponsor forms or invite potential sponsors to apply until further notice, and it points parents and grandparents towards the super visa, which allows visits of up to five years at a time.

Source: IRCC, Sponsor your parents and grandparents. Intake can reopen at short notice, so confirm the current position before making plans.

What IRCC asks of a sponsor

To sponsor, you must be at least 18, be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a person registered under the Indian Act, and live in Canada. A Canadian citizen living abroad may sponsor a spouse, partner or dependent child if they will return to live in Canada when the application is approved.

Some circumstances prevent a person from sponsoring at all. IRCC’s eligibility page lists them, and they include being in default on a previous undertaking, an immigration loan or a support order; being in prison; having an undischarged bankruptcy; receiving social assistance other than for a disability; certain convictions; and being under a removal order. There are also timing bars: a person who was themselves sponsored as a spouse or partner and became a permanent resident less than five years ago cannot sponsor a spouse or partner, and a person who signed an undertaking for a previous spouse or partner within the last three years cannot sponsor another.

If any of that applies to you, it is better to establish it at the start than after the fee has been paid.

The undertaking

Sponsorship is a financial commitment, not just a form. The sponsor signs an undertaking to provide for the basic needs of the people being sponsored so that they do not have to claim social assistance. The undertaking begins when they become permanent residents, and it cannot be cancelled or shortened afterwards. It survives a separation, a divorce, and a move to another province.

Outside Quebec, IRCC sets the length of the undertaking by relationship:

spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner: three years;
dependent child under 22: ten years, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first;
dependent child 22 or older: three years;
parents and grandparents: twenty years;
other relatives: ten years.

Quebec applies its own undertaking, signed with the province, and its periods differ. IRCC’s page on what it means to be a sponsor sets out the current terms.

Income requirements

Sponsoring a spouse, partner or dependent child does not usually require you to meet an income threshold. An income requirement applies where the person being sponsored has dependent children of their own, and it applies to parents and grandparents, where the sponsor must meet a minimum necessary income for the relevant tax years. The same minimum necessary income is used to assess the host of a super visa applicant, and the figures change from year to year.

How the application runs

The sponsorship application and the permanent residence application are submitted together, online through IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal. After submission IRCC issues an acknowledgement of receipt, which matters because other steps depend on it. Biometrics, medical examinations and police certificates follow, and IRCC may ask for further documents at any point.

Processing times vary by category and by visa office, and IRCC publishes its own current estimates. Nobody can shorten them, and a representative who suggests otherwise is not being straight with you.

Where family applications run into trouble

Evidence of the relationship. Officers assess whether a relationship is genuine. Thin or inconsistent evidence is the single most common reason a family application fails.
Dependants left out. A family member who is not declared and examined can create serious problems later, including for the sponsored person’s own ability to sponsor.
Admissibility. Medical, criminal or security issues, and any earlier misrepresentation, need to be identified and addressed rather than hoped past.
Documents that do not match. Names, dates and spellings that differ between a passport, a marriage certificate and a birth certificate need explaining, usually with a sworn statement.

If a family class application is refused, there may be a right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division. Appeal deadlines are short and are counted from the date of the refusal letter, so a refusal should be looked at immediately rather than set aside.

How the practice assists

The usual work is establishing which category applies, confirming that you are eligible to sponsor before anything is filed, assembling the relationship and financial evidence, preparing and submitting both applications, and responding to whatever IRCC asks for afterwards. Where a statutory declaration or an affidavit is needed, it can be commissioned at the office.

Common questions

Can I sponsor my brother, sister, aunt or uncle?

Only in limited circumstances: an orphaned sibling, nephew, niece or grandchild under 18 who is unmarried, or one relative of any age where you have no other relative you could sponsor and none already in Canada. There is no general category for adult siblings or for aunts and uncles.

Can I withdraw a sponsorship after it is approved?

A sponsorship can be withdrawn before the person becomes a permanent resident. Once they have landed, the undertaking runs for its full term and cannot be cancelled.

My parents want to come now. What are the options?

While the Parents and Grandparents Program is closed, the super visa is the usual route. It is a long-stay visitor visa rather than permanent residence, and it has its own income, insurance and medical requirements.

Discuss your matter

If you are considering sponsoring a family member, the practice can confirm whether you are eligible and what the application would involve before you commit to it.

Request an Assessment

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Last reviewed: 19 September 2026 against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada guidance. Requirements and program status change; confirm the current position before acting. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Family Sponsorship