Spousal/Partner And Dependent Child 

The Family Class Sponsorship Program reunites family members in Canada. If you are Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada, through the Family Class program you may sponsor your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, dependent children, parents and grandparents.  

To sponsor, you must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident. 

• Be at least 18 years old. 

• Live in Canada or provide evidence, if you are Canadian citizen living outside of Canada, that you will live in Canada when your sponsored relative becomes a Permanent Resident. 

• Be able to prove that you have enough income to provide basic needs of the person that you are sponsoring.

Who Can Be Sponsored? 

Only the following members of the family class may be sponsored: 

• Spouse: legally married to you and is at least 18 years old 

• Common-law partner: you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship and is at least 18 years old 

• Conjugal partner: Conjugal relationship for at least 12 months (permanence and commitment) where couple could not live together or get married due to marital status, religious reasons, sexual orientation or immigration barriers. The Conjugal partner is at least 18 years old 

• Dependent children: Dependent children, both biological and adopted, may be sponsored to live with their parent(s) as permanent residents in Canada.

• Children qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:

  • They’re under 22 years old

  • They don’t have a spouse or common law partner 

• Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:

  • They are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition 

  • They have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22