Sponsoring Your Relatives to Canada

Four Ways to Immigrate to Canada

1. Immigrating as a Foreign-Trained Professional
   
2. As a Foreign Student Graduating from a Canadian Program with Canadian Work Experience
   
3. Being Sponsored as a Family Member
   
4. The Quebec Option
   

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Helping a Family Member to Immigrate to Canada

Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada, 18 years of age or older, may sponsor family members who want to become permanent residents of Canada.

When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must promise to support that person and their dependants financially. Therefore, you have to meet certain income requirements.

If you have previously sponsored relatives who later had to turn to the Canadian government for financial assistance, while you were responsible for them, then you may not be allowed to support another relative.

Sponsorship is a big commitment, so you must be in a position to support that person financially, if they cannot support themselves, for a period up to 10 years, after they become permanent residents.

After that they are considered to be on their own.

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Question: Can I Sponsor my Friend to Immigrate to Canada?

Individuals living in Canada cannot, on their own, sponsor those they are not related to, for immigration to Canada. Sponsorship by individuals can only be done by relatives who are Canadian Citizens living and working in Canada.

To Be a Sponsor

• You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative if necessary.
• This agreement also states that the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support themselves.
• Dependent children under age 22 do not have to sign this agreement.

For more information on sponsoring spouses and dependent children see:
Sponsoring Your Family

Who Can You Sponsor?

• Spouse or common-law partner
• Your parents and grandparents
• Your brothers, sisters, nephews or nieces,
• Granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship
• Another relative of any age or relationship but only under specific conditions (see Note below)
• Accompanying relatives of the above (for example, spouse, partner and dependent children).

Note: You can sponsor one relative regardless of age or relationship, only if you do not have a living spouse or common-law partner, conjugal partner, a son or daughter, parent, grandparent, sibling, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece who could be sponsored as a member of the family class, and you do not have any relative who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident or registered as an Indian under the Indian Act.

For more detail see the government website: Eligible Relatives - Who Can Apply?

Key Websites

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Sponsoring Your Family Members
www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/immigrate/sponsor/index.asp

Sponsoring Your Family
www.cic.gc.ca/english//immigrate/sponsor/relatives-apply-who.asp

THE QUEBEC OPTION

There is another route to enter Canada, which French speakers and others may want to look into.
It is through the French-speaking province of Quebec which has its own rules and regulations.

For information on the Quebec Option:

1. Why Choose Quebec?
   
2. Notice About Using Intermediaries
   
3. Immigrating to Quebec
   

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Be Careful of Immigration Fraud

You don't need to pay anyone to get you into Canada. Things don't work that way in Canada. It's all done by the legal route. Always be honest and straight with the government of Canada. Go by the regulations. Watch this video of what happened to this family.

Becoming Canadian: Combatting Immigration Fraud
More Information on Scams