Family Sponsorship (Spouse, Partner, or Child)

To participate in this pathway, both the person living in Canada (the sponsor) and the person moving to Canada (the applicant) must meet specific legal thresholds.

The Sponsor

You must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.

• Residency: If you are a permanent resident, you must be living in Canada to sponsor. If you are a citizen living abroad, you may sponsor only if you can prove you will live in Canada once your family member arrives.
• Financial Stability: You must sign an undertaking, a legal contract promising to provide for the basic needs (food, shelter, and clothing) of your family member. While there is usually no minimum income requirement to sponsor a spouse or child, you must not be in an undischarged bankruptcy or in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking.
• The Five-Year Bar: If you were previously sponsored to Canada as a spouse or partner yourself, you cannot sponsor a new spouse or partner until five years have passed since you became a permanent resident.

The Sponsored Person (Applicant)

• Spouse: You are legally married in a ceremony recognized by both the law where it took place and Canadian law. Proxy marriages (where one or both parties were not physically present) are not recognized.
• Common-law Partner: You have lived together continuously in a marriage-like relationship for at least 12 consecutive months.
• Conjugal Partner: This is for partners who have been in a committed relationship for at least one year but are prevented from living together or marrying due to legal or immigration barriers (such as same-sex relationship bans in their home country). This category is generally for those living outside Canada.
• Dependent Child: Children must be under 22 years old and not married or in a common-law relationship. Children 22 or older only qualify if they have depended on their parents for financial support since before age 22 and cannot support themselves due to a physical or mental condition.