Your spouse can be either sex and must be:

• legally married to you

• at least 18 years old

Your common-law partner:

• isn’t legally married to you

• can be either sex

• is at least 18 years old

• has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship without any long periods apart

• Any time spent away from each other should have been short and temporary.

If you or your common-law partner choose to end the relationship, we consider the relationship to be over.

You’ll need to give proof of your common-law relationship.

Your conjugal partner:

• isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you

• can be either sex

• is at least 18 years old

• has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year

• lives outside Canada

• can't live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible), their sexual orientation (for example, you are in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships are not accepted, or same-sex marriage is illegal where they live), persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups, which is not accepted and they may be punished legally or socially)

You’ll need to give proof that you could not live together or get married in your conjugal partner’s country (for example, proof of refused long-term stays in each other’s country).

• Children qualify as dependents 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 dependents 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

With the exception of age, your dependent child must continue to meet these requirements until we finish processing your application.

If they qualify as a dependent child, you can sponsor

• your own child

  • If you’re a Canadian citizen, your child may also be a Canadian citizen, even if they weren’t born in Canada. You can’t sponsor your child for permanent residence if they’re Canadian citizens already. Check if your child is already a Canadian citizen.

  • If you’re sponsoring just your child, without sponsoring your spouse or partner, you’ll name your child as the principal applicant in the application. You’ll have to show that the other parent or legal guardian agrees to your child immigrating to Canada. See your checklist for what you’ll need to provide.

  • If the child you want to sponsor has a child of their own (your grandchild), you’ll include your grandchild as a dependant in the application.

  • If you want to sponsor your adopted child or an orphaned family member, follow the instructions to sponsor your adopted child or orphaned family member instead.

• your spouse or partner and their child

  • If you’re sponsoring your spouse or partner and a child (either their own child or a child you’ve had together), you’ll name your spouse or partner as the principal applicant and the child as the dependant in the application.

  • If the child you want to sponsor has a child of their own, you’ll include the grandchild as a dependant in the application.

Each year, Canada allows a limited number of applicants to sponsor their parents & grandparents. This program is highly sought after and is only open for a short period of time. Do not start filling out the application unless you are invited to do so.

Being a sponsor means you commit to support the people you’re sponsoring (your parents and grandparents and their accompanying family members, if applicable) for a period of time, even if your situation changes. To become a sponsor, you must sign an undertaking and a sponsorship agreement.

1. You must apply to become a sponsor.

2. Your parents and grandparents must apply for permanent residence.

The principal applicant (the person you’re sponsoring) will submit both the sponsorship application and the permanent residence application online at the same time using the Permanent Residence (PR) Portal. If they’re using a paid representative, the paid representative will use the Representative Permanent Residence (PR) Portal.

If more than 1 parent or grandparent is applying on their own as a principal applicant, they must create their own portal account and submit their own application.

A permanent resident visa cannot be issued to a child as a member of the family class if that child is the adopted child of the sponsor or an orphaned brother, sister, nephew or niece of the sponsor, unless the adoptive parents/the sponsor demonstrate they have obtained information concerning the medical condition of the child. In doing so, the government ensures that the child’s best interests are protected.