Can a Canadian Citizen Sponsor a Family Member?

Yes, a Canadian citizen can sponsor a family member for permanent residence in Canada. The eligible relatives include a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child, parent, grandparent, an orphaned sibling, niece, nephew, or grandchild under 18, a child you intend to adopt, and in narrow circumstances any one relative by blood or adoption. Both you and the person you want to bring over must meet separate sets of requirements, and you will sign a legally binding promise to support that person financially for anywhere from 3 to 20 years.

Who You Can Sponsor

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations set out the family class, and the categories are broader than most people expect.¹

A spouse is a person you are legally married to. A common-law partner has lived with you in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 continuous months. A conjugal partner has been in a committed relationship with you for at least a year but cannot live with you because of circumstances beyond either person’s control, such as immigration barriers or persecution.
Dependent children include biological and adopted children under 22 who are not married or in a common-law partnership. A child 22 or older qualifies only if they have depended on a parent financially since before turning 22 because of a physical or mental condition.
Parents and grandparents are sponsored through a separate program with a limited annual intake.
Orphaned siblings, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren under 18 can be sponsored if both their parents are deceased and they are not married or in a common-law relationship.
A child under 18 whom you plan to adopt in Canada can be sponsored, subject to international adoption rules where they apply.
Under the “Lone Canadian” rule, if you have no living spouse, partner, child, parent, grandparent, or qualifying young relative who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered under the Indian Act, you can sponsor one relative of any age and any degree, so long as they are connected to you by blood or adoption.¹

What You Must Meet as a Sponsor

You need to qualify on your own side too. These conditions apply no matter which family member you are trying to bring over.²

You must be at least 18.
You must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person registered under the Indian Act.
You must live in Canada. A Canadian citizen abroad can still sponsor, but only with a genuine intention to return once the sponsored family member becomes a permanent resident.
You cannot be receiving government social assistance, other than for a disability.
You cannot be in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking, an immigration loan, a performance bond, or court-ordered family support such as child support or alimony.
Certain criminal convictions can bar you from sponsoring, particularly violent offences, offences against a relative, and sexual offences. Whether a conviction disqualifies you depends on the offence, how long ago it occurred, and whether a record suspension was granted.³

The Financial Undertaking You Are Signing

Every sponsor signs a legally binding undertaking to cover the sponsored person’s basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, and any health care not covered by public insurance. This is the part of sponsorship that catches people off guard, because the obligation does not end if the relationship does. Sponsor a spouse, then divorce a year later, and you remain financially responsible for the balance of the undertaking.

The length depends on the relationship:⁴

Spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners: 3 years from the date the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.
Dependent children under 22: 10 years, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first.
Parents and grandparents: 20 years from the date they become permanent residents.

If the person you sponsored collects social assistance during the undertaking period, the government can pursue you to repay those costs as a debt. A defaulted undertaking also blocks you from sponsoring anyone else until the balance is cleared.

When Income Requirements Apply

For a spouse, partner, or dependent child, there is generally no minimum income threshold. The exception is when the dependent child or partner has their own dependents.

For parents and grandparents, you must meet the Minimum Necessary Income for three consecutive tax years before you apply. The threshold depends on your total household size, counting yourself, anyone you already support, and everyone you are sponsoring. The figures for the 2024 tax year, used for the 2025 intake, are:⁵

2 people: $47,549
3 people: $58,456
4 people: $70,972
5 people: $80,496
6 people: $90,784
7 people: $101,075
Each additional person: add $10,291

These numbers are adjusted annually, so check the current IRCC figures before applying. Sponsoring other relatives, including under the Lone Canadian rule, also carries income guidelines following the same structure.³

Sponsoring a parent or grandparent is not something you can file on demand. The Parents and Grandparents Program uses a limited intake: you submit an interest-to-sponsor form, and IRCC invites a set number of potential sponsors to apply. New Ministerial Instructions for the program took effect on January 1, 2026, and you will need to watch the IRCC site for the next intake window.⁶

Proving the Relationship Is Genuine

This is where more spousal and partner sponsorships fail than anywhere else. The regulations say a foreign national is not your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner if the relationship was entered into primarily for immigration purposes or is not genuine.⁷

Officers assess the totality of the evidence: how you met, how long you have known each other, how you communicate, whether you have visited, whether both families know about the relationship, and whether the timeline has gaps that suggest a paper relationship. Call logs, chat histories, photos, travel records, joint financial accounts, and letters from friends and family who can attest to the relationship all help.

Medical and Criminal Issues on the Sponsored Person’s Side

The person you are sponsoring must complete a medical exam with an IRCC-designated panel physician and pass criminal background checks.

Canada can refuse someone whose health condition would place excessive demand on public health or social services. Spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children are exempt from refusal on excessive-demand grounds.⁸ Parents and grandparents are not, so a serious condition can become an obstacle in a PGP application.

A criminal record on the sponsored person’s side can also block admissibility. If the offence would be punishable in Canada by a maximum prison term of less than 10 years, the person may qualify as “deemed rehabilitated” once enough time has passed since completing the sentence: 10 years for a single indictable offence, or 5 years for two or more summary convictions.⁹ More serious offences require an individual application for criminal rehabilitation, which can take over a year. Address any criminal history before submitting, not after.

Fees and Processing Times

Every application includes a sponsorship fee and a processing fee. Most applicants aged 22 or older also pay a Right of Permanent Residence Fee, which can be paid at any point before landing.¹⁰

Spouse or partner, with RPRF: $1,205 ($85 sponsorship + $545 processing + $575 RPRF)
Dependent child added to a spouse application: $175 per child
Dependent child sponsored alone: $170 per child
Parent or grandparent, with RPRF: $1,205
Other relative aged 22 or older, with RPRF: $1,205
Other relative under 22, with RPRF: $745
Biometrics: $85 per person¹¹

Processing times shift, and the 12-month service standard for spousal sponsorship has not held in recent years. As of early 2026, inland spousal applications outside Quebec take roughly 21 months, and outland applications run about 15 months. Applications destined for Quebec often exceed 30 months. Parent and grandparent applications take considerably longer than spousal ones.¹²

Open Work Permit While You Wait

If your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner is already living with you in Canada and you have submitted a sponsorship application, they can apply for an open work permit and work for any employer while the permanent residence decision is pending. They need an Acknowledgement of Receipt confirming the PR application is being processed, must be living in Canada with you, and must be in a genuine relationship. If their current work permit, study permit, or temporary status will expire within two weeks, they can apply for the open work permit even before receiving the Acknowledgement of Receipt.¹³

If You Live in Quebec

Quebec runs its own selection process on top of the federal one. Sponsors living in Quebec must obtain a Certificat de sélection du Québec for the person they are sponsoring, which means separate provincial forms, additional fees, and a second assessment of your eligibility under Quebec criteria. Consult the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration alongside IRCC before starting.

The Super Visa as an Alternative for Parents and Grandparents

Given the limited PGP intake and long processing times, the Super Visa is worth weighing. It lets a parent or grandparent visit Canada for up to five years at a time without becoming a permanent resident. The applicant must apply from outside Canada, pass a medical exam, and carry valid private health insurance from a Canadian insurer or an approved foreign insurer for at least one year. The host child or grandchild must meet the Minimum Necessary Income threshold and provide a signed letter of invitation.¹⁴

Starting March 31, 2026, two changes take effect: the income assessment period extends from one year to two, and the visiting parent or grandparent will be allowed to supplement the host’s income toward meeting the threshold. You can apply for a Super Visa while a PGP sponsorship is pending, and withdraw the sponsorship application later if the Super Visa turns out to be the better fit.¹⁴

If Your Sponsorship Application Is Refused

A refusal is not always the end. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident whose sponsored family member has been refused permanent residence can appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. You have 30 days from the date your family member received the refusal letter to file a Notice of Appeal, together with a copy of the refusal letter.¹⁵

Not every refusal is appealable. You cannot appeal to the IAD if the sponsored person was found inadmissible for serious criminality (an offence punishable in Canada by 10 or more years in prison), involvement in organized crime, security threats, or human rights violations. Misrepresentation also creates inadmissibility, though the IAD may still hear appeals in misrepresentation cases when the sponsored person is a spouse, common-law partner, or child.¹⁶ If a bad-faith relationship finding is the reason for refusal, the appeal comes down to whether the relationship is real and whether it was entered into primarily for immigration.¹⁷ If the appeal is allowed, IRCC resumes processing the PR application. If it is dismissed, the refusal stands.

1
Justice Laws Website. Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations – Section 117
2
Canada.ca. Sponsor Your Spouse, Partner or Child – Check if You’re Eligible
3
Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Relatives – Check if You’re Eligible
4
Justice Laws Website. Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations – Section 132
5
Canada.ca. Income Requirements for the Sponsor
6
Canada.ca. Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents
7
Justice Laws Website. Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations – Section 4
8
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Does Medical Inadmissibility Based on Excessive Demand Reasons Apply
9
Canada.ca. Deemed Rehabilitation
10
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Fee List
11
Government of Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online
12
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Check Current IRCC Processing Times
13
Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Spouse, Partner, or Child – Optional Open Work Permit in Canada
14
Canada.ca. Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents – Who Can Apply
15
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Step 1 – File Your Notice of Appeal
16
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Make a Sponsorship Appeal
17
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Appealing a Decision About Sponsoring a Spouse or Partner – Bad Faith Relationship