How to Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents

You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if

• you’re invited to apply
• you’re at least 18 years old
• you live in Canada
• you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• you have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor
  • to show that you have enough, you’ll have to provide your proof of income
  • you may have a spouse or common-law partner co-sign to combine your incomes
• you meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

If you live outside Quebec

To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially support the people you are sponsoring for a period of time. We call this promise an undertaking.

The undertaking commits you to

• providing financial support for your sponsored family members for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents
• repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) your sponsored family members get during that time

Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.

The sponsorship agreement means that

• you’ll provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members, including
  • food
  • clothing
  • utilities
  • personal requirements
  • shelter
  • fuel
  • household supplies
  • health care not covered by public health insurance, such as eye and dental care
• the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members

This agreement is still valid, and you must still cover basic needs for the period it covers, even in the case of

• marriage ending, separation or divorce
• family rifts
• unemployment
• change in finances
• death of the main applicant, if you also sponsor their family members

When you apply, you’ll have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.

If you live in Quebec

You must meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements after we approve you as a sponsor. The Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.

If we approve you as a sponsor, we’ll send you information on what to do next.

You must also sign an undertaking with the province of Quebec. The length of the undertaking is 10 years for Quebec.

Who can’t sponsor a parent or grandparent

You can’t sponsor your parents and grandparents if

• you haven’t been invited to apply
• you’re less than 18 years old
• you won’t live in Canada when you apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents and/or when your parents and grandparents become permanent residents
  • Your primary residential address must be in Canada when you submit your application and until we make a decision on your application.
• you’re not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• you’re a temporary resident, that is you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit
• your permanent residence application is still in process
  • You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
• your proof of income shows you don’t have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor

You may not be eligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents if you

• are in jail, prison or penitentiary
• didn’t pay back
  • an immigration loan
  • a performance bond
  • court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support Footnote*
• didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past Footnote*
• declared bankruptcy and are not discharged Footnote*
• receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
• were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
• can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order

There may be other reasons that make you ineligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents. If we determine you’re not eligible to sponsor, we’ll tell you why.

Footnote *
Not applicable if you live in Quebec. See Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements.

Who you can sponsor

You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.

In case of divorce, you’ll need to submit separate applications if you sponsor divorced parents and grandparents. If your divorced parents or grandparents have a current spouse, common-law partner or a conjugal partner, these people become dependants on the application and can immigrate to Canada with your parents and grandparents, if approved.

In the application, you can include your brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, or step-brothers and step-sisters only if they qualify as dependent children.