Family Class

Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18 may sponsor their certain immediate family members who are citizens of other countries to immigrate to Canada. The sponsor is financially responsible to support the person sponsored upon their arrival. The sponsor’s financial requirement depends on the relationship of the sponsored person.

The types of relatives who may be sponsored under the family class include the following:

• A spouse;
• A common-Law partner;
• A conjugal partner;
• Dependent children;
• Parents;
• Grandparents;
• Brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship;
• Persons under the age of 18 who the sponsor intends to adopt, if the adoption is genuine, the person is legally available for adoption, and the competent authority in the applicant’s country and province has approved the adoption; or
• Any relative, if and only if the sponsor does not have a Canadian, Indigenous Peoples, or permanent resident family member.

It is essential for all sponsors to sign an undertaking that they will provide the sponsored person with their basic necessities from the day they arrive to Canada until the term of the undertaking ends. During the term of undertaking, the sponsor agrees to repay the government if the sponsored person applies for social assistance. Sponsors remain bound to the sponsorship undertaking for the entire term of the agreement, even in the cases of relationship breakdown, divorce, or deterioration of financial circumstances.