You can sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt, or uncle in specific situations only.
There are two stages in the process for your eligible relatives to become permanent residents.
You apply to sponsor your relatives.
Your family members must apply for permanent residence.
You must send both your sponsorship application and the permanent residence application for your
relatives at the same time.
WHO CAN YOU SPONSOR?
Depending on your situation, there are two options for who you can sponsor.
Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild
You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild only if they meet all of
these conditions:
They are related to you by blood or adoption
Both their mother and father passed away
They are under 18 years of age
They are single (not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship)
You cannot sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild if:
one of their parents is still alive
no one knows where their parents are
their parents abandoned them
someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive
their parent is in jail or otherwise, detained
Other relatives
You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet both these
conditions:
you don't have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a: spouse, common-law partner, conjugal
partner, son or daughter, parent, grandparent, orphaned brother or sister, orphaned nephew or niece, or
orphaned grandchild
you don’t have any relatives (aunt or uncle or any of the relatives listed above), who is a Canadian
citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian
If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with
them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.
You can’t sponsor someone inadmissible to Canada. It means they’re not allowed to come to
Canada.
SPONSORING AN ELIGIBLE RELATIVE
You can sponsor if you’re 18 years of age or older and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of
Canada or registered Indian. You must live in Canada to sponsor eligible relatives. If you live in Quebec, you
must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor after IRCC approves you as a sponsor. It includes signing an
“undertaking” with the province. It is a contract that binds your sponsorship.
Your responsibilities
When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must:
Have a total income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income (MNI). MNI is the same as Low
Income Cut-off (LICO) in this case. You can have your spouse or common-law partner as the co-signer to meet
the required MNI.
Agree in writing to give financial support to your relative and any other eligible relatives coming with
them for 10 years
The person you sponsor must sign an agreement saying they will make an effort to support
themselves.
Who isn’t eligible to sponsor a relative?
You may not be able to sponsor a relative if you:
are in prison
have not paid your alimony or child support payments
have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet
got social assistance for reasons other than being disabled
didn’t pay back an immigration loan, made late payments, or missed payments
sponsored another relative in the past and didn’t meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement
were convicted of a violent crime, any offense against a relative, or any sexual offense - depending on
details of the case, how long ago it happened, and if you received a pardon
Other things not on this list may stop you from being able to sponsor a relative.
NEED HELP?
Get in Touch for more information about sponsoring your relatives or for assistance in applying.
You can sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt, or uncle in specific situations only.
There are two stages in the process for your eligible relatives to become permanent residents.
You must send both your sponsorship application and the permanent residence application for your relatives at the same time.
WHO CAN YOU SPONSOR?
Depending on your situation, there are two options for who you can sponsor.
Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild
You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild only if they meet all of these conditions:
You cannot sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild if:
Other relatives
You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet both these conditions:
If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.
You can’t sponsor someone inadmissible to Canada. It means they’re not allowed to come to Canada.
SPONSORING AN ELIGIBLE RELATIVE
You can sponsor if you’re 18 years of age or older and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada or registered Indian. You must live in Canada to sponsor eligible relatives. If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor after IRCC approves you as a sponsor. It includes signing an “undertaking” with the province. It is a contract that binds your sponsorship.
Your responsibilities
When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must:
The person you sponsor must sign an agreement saying they will make an effort to support themselves.
Who isn’t eligible to sponsor a relative?
You may not be able to sponsor a relative if you:
Other things not on this list may stop you from being able to sponsor a relative.
NEED HELP?
Get in Touch for more information about sponsoring your relatives or for assistance in applying.