Eligibility

 

Who can become a sponsor:

 

You can become a sponsor if you are:

• at least 18 years old

• a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or a permanent resident living in Canada:

  • if you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when your sponsored relative becomes a permanent resident

  • you can’t sponsor someone if you are a permanent resident living outside Canada

• able to prove that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability

• have enough income to provide for basic needs of any grandchildren (dependent children of a dependent child) of the principal applicant

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor.

 

Who can’t become a sponsor:

 

You can’t be a sponsor if you:

• have failed to pay:

  • an immigration loan

  • a performance bond

  • family support payments

• have failed to provide for the basic needs of a previously-sponsored relative who received social assistance

• are under a removal order

• are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison

• receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability

• are still going through the process of bankruptcy (undischarged bankruptcy)

• were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than five years ago

• sponsored a previous spouse or partner and three years have not passed since this person became a permanent resident have already applied to sponsor your current spouse, partner or child and a decision on your application hasn’t been made yet were convicted of a violent or sexual offence, or an offence that caused bodily harm to a relative—or you attempted or threatened to commit any of these offences

 

Who can you Sponsor?

 

You can sponsor a:

• spouse

• common-law partner

• conjugal partner

• dependent child

 

To be eligible for permanent residence, the principal applicant and any dependents must not be inadmissible to Canada.

 

Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner

 

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner if:

 

• he or she is at least 18 years old

• your relationship is genuine (real) and wasn’t entered into just to get permanent resident status in Canada

 

If your spouse or common-law partner is applying in the Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada class, he or she must cohabit (live) with you in Canada.

 

Dependent children

 

If you’re sponsoring more than one dependent child, you must submit a complete set of application forms and documents for each.