Any person living in Canada who is a Permanent Resident or Citizen of Canada and has their family anywhere else in the world, can reunite with them through a family sponsorship program in Canada.
Family Sponsorship
To be eligible to sponsor a family member to Canada, a person must be:
- 18 years of age or older.
- The sponsor and the relative must sign an agreement that if the person coming to Canada is unable to support himself financially, then the sponsor will provide financial support.
In addition to this, if you are sponsoring a dependent child then you will have to support the child financially for 10 years or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first.
Who can be sponsored?
The person seeking sponsorship is eligible if he/she has the following relation with you:
- Spouse - to sponsor your spouse, he/she should be your common-law partner and a conjugal partner. Same sex marriages are also considered under this category.
- Parent or Grandparent - For sponsoring your parents or grandparents, the citizens must meet the Minimum Necessary Income for the size of their family unit which shows that they can financially support their family.
- Dependent child - the Canadian Government allows the permanent residents or citizens of Canada to sponsor their biological or adopted child, if he/she is below the age of 22 years and is unmarried.
- Sibling, nephew, niece or grandchild can be sponsored only if the child is less than 18 years of age and the parents are deceased.