Sponsor your Spouse, Partner, or Child

Sponsoring your spouse, partner, and dependent children fall under the category of family sponsorship. This program’s objective is for family reunification, one of the three pillars of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship immigration programs in Canada. Under this program, family members living outside of Canada may be sponsored as permanent residents and spouses or common-law partners living in Canada with their sponsor. Family sponsorship immigration involves assessing the sponsor’s eligibility and that of the principal applicant and their dependents. The sponsor must support family members sponsored for three to ten years, depending on the age and relationship. The person sponsored must also meet all the eligibility requirements and be admissible to Canada.

The sponsor must meet certain eligibility requirements to sponsor their spouse, partner, or dependent child to Canada. 

Family sponsorship is a viable immigration route for Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents looking to bring their family members to Canada as a permanent resident. The first chart below shows the numbers of spouses, partners, and children admitted as a permanent resident of Canada between 2016 -2018. The second chart shows the numbers of spouses, partners, and children that the government plans to admit as permanent residents 2020 -2021. 

Data source: 2019 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration

The Government of Canada’s permanent resident immigration levels plan for 2021 – 2023 under the family reunification program.

Data source: 2019 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration

Data source: Notice – Supplementary Information for the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan

The following categories of people can be sponsored:

• Spouse: The spouse can be either sex, at least 18 years old, and legally married to the sponsor.
• Common-law partner: The common-law partner can be either sex, not legally married to the sponsor, at least 18 years old, and must have lived with the sponsor for at least 12 consecutive months or living together continuously for one year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart except for short periods.
• Conjugal partner: The conjugal partner can be either sex, not legally married or be in a common-law relationship with the sponsor, at least 18 years old, has been in a relationship with you for at least one year, lives outside Canada, and can not live with the sponsor in their country of residence or marry the sponsor because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as their marital status, their sexual orientation, and persecution.
• Dependent children: Dependent children under 22 years of age and don’t have a spouse or common-law partner. Dependent children who are older than 22 years will also qualify as dependants if they meet these two requirements; they cannot financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition and have depended on the sponsor for financial support since before the age of 22.

Application for sponsorship is a paper-based application.There are two applications involved in sponsoring your spouse, partner or child: the sponsor’s application and your spouse, partner or child’s application for permanent residence.

There are also two classes of application from which you must choose. These are Family Class and Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class. Under the family class, you can sponsor your conjugal partner or dependent child. Such applications are processed outside Canada. If you are sponsoring your spouse or common-law partner, you may sponsor them under the Family Class or under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class.

Requirements for applying under the Family Class (Outside Canada application):

• the person you want to sponsor lives outside Canada
• the person you want to sponsor currently lives with you in Canada but doesn’t plan to stay in Canada while the application is being processed
• you plan to appeal if the application is refused
• you’re sponsoring your conjugal partner or dependent child

Requirements for applying under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class (In Canada application):

• your spouse or common-law partner lives with you in Canada
• your spouse or common-law partner has valid immigration status in Canada
• your spouse or common-law partner would like to apply for, and qualifies for, an Open Work Permit so that they can work while the application is being processed.

Before submitting your application, check your eligibility. Read the guide carefully, fill out all the necessary forms, validate and sign, gather all your supporting documents, pay your application fees, check your application for completeness, avoid common mistakes, and finally submit your application by mail or courier service. You can find the mailing address in the basic guide. Mailing address.

Estimated cost per Adult $1,050 and per child $150. See the breakdown of fees   below. Fees table

Applicants between the ages of 14 and 79 need to give their biometrics for permanent residence applications.  Fingerprints and photos will be taken. Visit this link to learn more about how to give your Biometrics. Estimated Cost – $85  Individual, $170 Family.

IRCC launched a 2-year pilot project on the 9th of September 2019 to allow some undeclared family members to be sponsored as permanent residents in Canada. Visit this link to learn more about Pilot Project to Sponsor Undeclared Family Members

IRCC launched a 2-year pilot project on the 9th of September 2019 to allow some undeclared family members to be sponsored as permanent residents in Canada. Visit this link to learn more about Pilot Project to Sponsor Undeclared Family Members

The Canadian immigration policy and legislation have a long tradition of supporting family reunification, allowing Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents to reunite with their family members. Family sponsorship emerged as a different immigration program in 1926, and it was incorporated in the legislation Immigration Act of 1976. As articulated in the 1976 Act, the objective of the family class was to facilitate the reunion in Canada of Canadian citizens and permanent residents with their close relatives from outside Canada. Today, reuniting family members continues to be incorporated as one of the fundamental principles and objectives of Canadian immigration policy and legislation. 

Data Source:  Canada- Permanent Resident Immigration Category 2000-2016 IRCC_AdhocSR_PR_0007_E Open Data  

References

• IRCC Website -Sponsor your spouse, partner, and children
• Evaluation of the Family Reunification Program
• 2020–2021 Departmental Plan for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)2020-2021 IRCC Departmental Plan
• Notice – Supplementary Information for the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan
• Canada- Permanent Resident Immigration Category 2000-2016 IRCC_AdhocSR_PR_0007_E Open Data