Sponsorship Programs

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Canadian sponsorship programs allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their family members to join them in Canada. Whether you're looking to reunite with your spouse, partner, children, or other eligible relatives, these programs provide a pathway to help bring your loved ones closer to you and build a life together in Canada. 

Under current immigration programs, most Canadian citizens or permanent residents are eligible to sponsor their spouses or common-law partners for Canadian immigration. When married, a person can generally sponsor their spouse for Canadian permanent residence as long as the marriage is legally recognized in both Canada and the country of marriage. For common-law partners, a person can sponsor their partner for Canadian permanent residence as long as the couple meets Canada’s definition of legal common-law partnership. There do exist exceptions to these rules. 

The Canadian government recognizes that the separation of families is a challenging process. For this reason, Canada has instituted several immigration programs designed to reunite family members. Under Canada’s immigration goals for family reunification, Canadian citizens and permanent residents may be eligible to sponsor spouses, common-law partners, children, and other dependents, parents, and grandparents.  

It is possible for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents to join them in Canada. In order to be eligible, the sponsor must meet certain financial requirements proving that they could financially support their parents or grandparents, if necessary. This program uses a lottery system to select sponsors, with a target quota of 10,000 new applications annually. 

Canada’s immigration system enables most parents to sponsor their dependent children and other legal dependents for Canadian permanent residence. To do this, the parent must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and the person being sponsored must meet Canada’s definition of being a dependent. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada defines a dependent child as any child under 22 years old who does not have a spouse or common-law partner. As well, it may be possible for a child over the age of 22 to qualify as a dependent child if they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition. 

Canada has an international reputation as a leader in accepting new refugees and other immigrants for humanitarian and compassionate reasons. A significant portion of Canada’s annual immigration target is dedicated to admitting refugees.