
Sponsor your spouse and children
The Canadian government lets its citizens and permanent residents (PR) sponsor their spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children to be permanent residents of Canada.
Are you eligible to sponsor?
You can become a sponsor if:
- 
you are 18 years old or older 
- 
you are a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, or a PR living in Canada 
- 
you live in Canada or are a Canadian citizen planning to return to Canada 
- 
you can provide for your basic needs, those of your spouse or partner and, if applicable, those of dependent children. 
There are circumstances that may render you ineligible to sponsor your spouse, for details, please check our FAQ below.
Who can be sponsored (who can apply for PR)
You can sponsor:
- 
your spouse 
- 
your common-law partner 
- 
your conjugal partner 
- 
your dependent child under 22 years old, who doesn't have a spouse or common-law partner 
- 
your dependent child who's 22 years old or older if they - 
are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition; and 
- 
they have depended on their parents for financial support since before turning 22. 
 
- 
Sponsorship undertaking
When a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, or a PR residing in Canada, sponsors a family member to become a PR in Canada, he/she must make a formal commitment to be financially responsible for these family members.
This process is called sponsorship undertaking and it is a legally binding contract between the sponsor and the minister of the IRCC.
Find out more in our FAQ about how long the undertaking is effective and how it works.
Frequently asked questions
You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse if:
- You are sponsoring a spouse or partner but you signed an undertaking for a previous spouse or partner and it hasn’t been three years since they became a permanent resident 
- You previously sponsored someone and did not pay back any social assistance that they received while the undertaking was in place. 
- You are in default on an immigration loan or a performance bond 
- You did not pay court-ordered alimony or child support 
- You have declared bankruptcy which has not been discharged 
- You were convicted - of an offence of a sexual nature, 
- a violent crime, 
- an offence against a relative that caused bodily harm or 
- threatened or attempted to commit any of the above offences—depending on the nature of the offence, how long ago it happened and if you received a pardon 
 
- You are sponsoring a spouse or partner and you were previously sponsored as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner and became a permanent resident of Canada less than five years ago 
- You are under a removal order, 
- You are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison 
- You have already applied to sponsor your current spouse or partner and haven’t received a decision. 
A common-law partner is a partner who:
- is not married to you 
- can be either sex 
- is at least 18 years old 
- has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you've been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long period apart. - Any time spent apart between you two should have been short and temporary 
 
A conjugal partner is someone who:
- is not legally married to you 
- can be either sex 
- is at least 18 years old 
- has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year 
- lives outside Canada 
- cannot live with you in the country where you live or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as: - they are still married to someone where divorce is impossible 
- their sexual orientation (e.g. you are in a same-sex relationship and it is either not accepted or legal in the country where you live) 
- persecution (you are members of different religion groups where it may be punishable legally or socially if you live together) 
 
When a Canadian citizen, PR residing in Canada, or registered Indian sponsors a family member to become a PR in Canada, he/she must make a formal commitment to be financially responsible for this family member. This process is called sponsorship undertaking and it is a legally binding contract between the sponsor and the minster of the IRCC.
When the undertaking takes effect, the sponsor will be obliged to give financial support to the sponsored family members for their basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, dental care, and eye care. This undertaking cannot be revoked even if the sponsor's situation changes.
There are different periods of time for sponsorship undertaking, depending on which family member is being sponsored and where you reside. The following guide only applies to residents outside of Quebec. The undertaking starts on the day when the sponsored persons become PR.
- Spouse or common-law partner or conjugal partner: 3 years 
- Children under 13 years old: 10 years 
- Children from 13 to 19 years old: until age 22 
- Children over 19 years old: 3 years 
You (the sponsor) is still financially responsible for the sponsored family members even if:
- Your relationship with the person you sponsored changed (e.g. divorce, separation) 
- The person you sponsored becomes a Canadian citizen 
- Your financial situation gets worse (e.g. job loss, debt) 
- You requested to withdraw the sponsorship application after the sponsored person becomes a PR 
No, your spouse or common-law partner is not required to be living outside of Canada. If he/she is living inside Canada, he/she can also apply for PR under family class sponsorship. He/she can also submit an open work permit (i.e. work permit that is not job- or location- specific).
If your spouse already has a work permit when the PR application is submitted, he/she is reminded to maintain their status while waiting for the decision of the PR application.
Contact
Hoga Immigration Consulting Inc.
Toronto Office
2209-155 Beecroft Road,
Toronto, ON M2N 7C6
Email: info@hogavisa.com
Tel: +1 (437) 985-1903
Hoga Consulting (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Unit B, 10/F, Dragon Industrial Bldg,
93 King Lam Street, Lai Chi Kok
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Email: info@hogavisa.com
Tel: +852 6513 3680
