Are you eligible to sponsor a family member in Canada?
Family Class sponsorship has four pathways with different rules. Eligibility, income requirements, undertaking length, and Quebec rules vary by category. Review the requirements that apply to your relationship before submitting.
Are you eligible to sponsor a partner?
Spouse and partner sponsorship has its own set of rules, distinct from Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship. Review every condition below before you start your application.
Who can sponsor
As a sponsor you must be:
- Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered under the Canadian Indian Act
- At least 18 years old
- Living in Canada (or a citizen abroad with intent to return when your partner becomes a permanent resident)
- Able and willing to sign the undertaking and sponsorship agreement
- In compliance with all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Who cannot sponsor
You may not be eligible if you:
- Were sponsored as a partner and became a permanent resident less than five years ago
- Signed an undertaking for a previous partner that has not been three years yet
- Are receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
- Are bankrupt and not yet discharged
- Are in default of an immigration loan, performance bond, or court-ordered family support
- Were convicted of a violent crime, an offence against a relative, or a sexual offence
- Are under a removal order or in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
Income requirement
There is no Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) requirement to sponsor a partner. The only exception is when you are sponsoring a partner whose dependent child has dependent children of their own (rare). This is the key difference between Spousal Sponsorship and Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship.
Three-year undertaking
By signing the sponsorship agreement, you commit to financially supporting your partner’s basic needs for three years from the day they become a permanent resident. The undertaking remains binding even if the relationship ends, your finances change, or your partner finds employment. It cannot be cancelled once IRCC has approved the application.
Quebec residents
If you live in Quebec, you must sign a separate undertaking with MIFI under the Canada-Quebec Accord. MIFI is currently not accepting new partner sponsorship undertakings until June 25, 2026. IRCC will continue to accept applications but cannot approve them until MIFI has processed the undertaking.
Are you eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent?
PGP sponsorship has stricter rules than Spousal Sponsorship: an income test for three tax years and a 20 year financial undertaking. The program is currently invitation only and paused for new applications in 2026.
Who can sponsor
As a sponsor you must:
- Have received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from IRCC
- Be at least 18 years old
- Live in Canada with your primary residential address here through the entire decision process
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered under the Canadian Indian Act
- Have enough income to support all the people you will be financially responsible for, including yourself
- Be willing to sign the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement
- Meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Who cannot sponsor
You may not be eligible if you:
- Are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
- Have not repaid an immigration loan, performance bond, or court-ordered family support
- Did not provide financial support agreed to in a previous sponsorship undertaking
- Declared bankruptcy and have not been discharged
- Receive social assistance for any reason other than a disability
- Were convicted of a violent criminal offence, an offence against a relative, or a sexual offence (inside or outside Canada)
- Are under a Removal Order and must leave Canada
- Are otherwise inadmissible under IRPA
Income requirement
Unlike Spousal Sponsorship, PGP requires a Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for each of the three tax years before the application. The threshold depends on family size and is verified through Notices of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency. A spouse or common-law partner may co-sign with their own three NOAs to combine incomes; both become equally liable.
Twenty year undertaking
By signing the sponsorship agreement, you commit to financially supporting the parent or grandparent and any accompanying family members for 20 years in most provinces and 10 years in Quebec. The undertaking begins the day they become permanent residents and cannot be cancelled, even if your relationship, finances, or location change. If they receive social assistance during the period, you must repay the full amount.
Quebec residents
If you live in Quebec, you must sign a separate undertaking with MIFI under the Canada-Quebec Accord. MIFI is currently not accepting new PGP undertakings until June 25, 2026. IRCC will continue to receive applications from Quebec sponsors but cannot approve permanent residence until MIFI has processed the provincial undertaking.
Are you eligible to sponsor your child?
Dependent child sponsorship has no income requirement and a shorter undertaking than Parents and Grandparents. The age and dependency rules are strict and based on the day IRCC receives your complete application.
Who can sponsor
As a sponsor you must be:
- At least 18 years old
- Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered under the Canadian Indian Act
- Living in Canada (citizens abroad may sponsor if they intend to return when the child becomes a permanent resident)
- Able and willing to sign the undertaking and sponsorship agreement
- In compliance with all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Who qualifies as a dependent child
The child must be your biological or adopted child, and:
- Under 22 years old and not married or in a common-law relationship
- Or 22 or older if they have depended on you for financial support since before age 22 due to a physical or mental condition
Dependency criteria must continue to be met until IRCC processes the application. Age is locked in on the day IRCC receives the complete application.
Who cannot sponsor
You may not be eligible if you:
- Are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
- Have not repaid an immigration loan or performance bond
- Receive social assistance for any reason other than a disability
- Were convicted of a violent criminal offence, an offence against a relative, or a sexual offence (inside or outside Canada)
- Are under a Removal Order and must leave Canada
- Are inadmissible under IRPA for any other reason
Income and undertaking
There is no Minimum Necessary Income requirement to sponsor a dependent child, unless the child has dependent children of their own (rare). The sponsorship undertaking commits you to financially support the child’s basic needs and any health needs not covered by public services. The undertaking lasts 10 years or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first, for children under 22 at the time of permanent residence. For children sponsored at 22 or older, the undertaking lasts 3 years.
Quebec residents
If you live in Quebec, you must sign a separate undertaking with MIFI under the Canada-Quebec Accord. MIFI is currently not accepting new undertakings for dependent children aged 18 or older until June 25, 2026. Applications for children under 18 continue to be processed normally. IRCC will continue to accept applications from Quebec sponsors but cannot approve permanent residence until MIFI has processed the provincial undertaking.
Are you eligible to sponsor another relative?
Sponsoring relatives outside the spouse, child, parent, and grandparent categories is restricted to two narrow legal pathways: an orphaned minor relative or one relative of any age under the Lonely Canadian rule.
Who can sponsor
As a sponsor you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered under the Canadian Indian Act
- Live in Canada
- Meet the LICO based minimum income for the three tax years before the application
- Be willing to sign the undertaking and sponsorship agreement
- Meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Pathway 1 · Orphaned minor relative
You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew, or grandchild only if all of these conditions are met:
- Related to you by blood or adoption
- Both parents are deceased (abandonment, missing parents, or incarcerated parents do not qualify)
- Under 18 years old
- Not married, not in a common-law or conjugal relationship
A Medical Condition Statement (IMM 0133) must accompany the application.
Pathway 2 · Lonely Canadian rule
You can sponsor one relative of any age, related by blood or adoption, only if you do not have a living spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, dependent child, parent, grandparent, orphaned sibling, orphaned niece or nephew, or orphaned grandchild that you could sponsor instead. You also must not have any of these relatives, plus aunt, uncle, sibling, niece, or nephew, who is already a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian. The accompanying spouse and dependent children of the sponsored relative may be included on the same application.
Who cannot sponsor
You may not be eligible if you:
- Are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
- Have not repaid an immigration loan, performance bond, or court-ordered family support
- Did not provide financial support agreed to in a previous sponsorship undertaking
- Declared bankruptcy and have not been discharged
- Receive social assistance for any reason other than a disability
- Were convicted of a violent criminal offence, an offence against a relative, or a sexual offence (inside or outside Canada)
- Are under a Removal Order and must leave Canada
- Are inadmissible under IRPA for any other reason
Income and undertaking
Other Relatives sponsorship requires LICO based income for the three tax years before the application. The undertaking commits you to financially support the sponsored relative for 10 years after they become a permanent resident, or for 3 years if the relative is 22 or older. If they receive social assistance during the period, you must repay the full amount and you cannot sponsor anyone else until the debt is settled.
Quebec residents
If you live in Quebec, you must sign a separate undertaking with MIFI under the Canada-Quebec Accord. MIFI is currently not accepting new undertakings for adult dependent children and other adult relatives until June 25, 2026. IRCC will continue to accept applications from Quebec sponsors but cannot approve permanent residence until MIFI has processed the provincial undertaking.
Why hire an RCIC?
Family sponsorship refusals most often stem from insufficient documentation, missed eligibility conditions, or incomplete submissions. Family Class refusals can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) within 30 days, but appeals are litigation-style proceedings. Mistakes are expensive: lost fees, family separation, and limited remedies.
Under Canadian law, paid representation before IRCC is restricted to Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs), lawyers, and Quebec notaries. RCICs are licensed and regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), with mandatory continuing education and a binding code of ethics.
Megrez Immigration Consultants is a CICC licensed firm and has operated in Vancouver since 1996.
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Family Class sponsorship requires precise eligibility analysis and complete documentation.
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