Your relatives can live, study and work in Canada if they become permanent residents of Canada. You can sponsor certain relatives to come to Canada if you’re at least 18 years old and a:
Canadian citizen or
person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
permanent resident of Canada
Who is eligible to sponsor their spouse, partner or child
You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if:
You’re at least 18 years old
You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
You can’t sponsor someone if you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada.
You’re able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
You can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor
If you live outside Quebec
To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially take care of the persons you are sponsoring for a period of time. We call this promise an undertaking.
The undertaking commits you to:
providing financial support for your sponsored family members, starting when they become permanent residents
repaying any provincial social assistance your sponsored family members get during that time
Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.
The sponsorship agreement means that:
you’ll provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members
the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members
When you apply, you’ll have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.
Income requirement
In most cases, there isn’t an income requirement to sponsor your spouse or partner or dependent child. You only need to show that you have enough money to meet the income requirements if:
you’re sponsoring a dependent child that has 1 or more dependent children of their own, or
you’re sponsoring a spouse or partner that has a dependent child, and their dependent child has 1 or more children of their own.