Sponsor your spouse and children

​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

There is no set income threshold or requirement for sponsoring my spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner and dependent children.

The Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) only applies when you are sponsoring family members other than the abovementioned, e.g. your parents and grandparents,

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.

While Canadian citizens can sponsor their spouses or children outside of Canada, they must commit to living in Canada after the sponsored family becomes a permanent resident.

On the other hand, Canadian PRs must be living in Canada if they wish to sponsor their family.