Dependent children

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

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

Use this online tool to check if a child qualifies as a dependant.

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.

Sponsoring an adopted child

There are two processes that you must go through when you adopt a child from another country: the adoption process and the immigration process.

The immigration process has two parts:

• the application for sponsorship; and
• the application for permanent residence for the child.

After your child arrives in Canada as a permanent resident, you can apply for citizenship on the child’s behalf. However, the adoption must be finalized before the child can be granted citizenship.

Learn more about applying for a grant of citizenship for your child.

Sponsoring an eligible relative

You can sponsor certain relatives if you’re 18 years of age or older and a:

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

You must live in Canada to sponsor eligible relatives unless you:

• are a Canadian citizen who lives abroad and
• plan to return to Canada when your relatives immigrate and
• are sponsoring your:
• spouse or
• common-law or conjugal partner or
• dependent children who have no dependent children

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor after we approve you as a sponsor. This includes signing an “undertaking” with the province. This is a contract that binds your sponsorship.

Your responsibilities

 When you sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must:

• meet set income guidelines
• agree in writing to give financial support to your relative and any other eligible relatives coming with them:
  • beginning on the date they become a permanent resident
  • for up to 20 years (depending on their age and how you’re related)

The person you sponsor must sign an agreement saying they will make the effort to support themselves. This includes sponsored dependent children 18 or older. Dependent children under 19 don’t have to sign this agreement.

Who isn’t eligible to sponsor a relative

You may not be able to sponsor a relative if you:

• are in prison
• have not paid your alimony or child support payments
• have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet
• got social assistance for reasons other than being disabled
• didn’t pay back an immigration loan, made late payments or missed payments
• sponsored another relative in the past and didn’t meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement were convicted of a violent crime, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence, depending on details of the case, such as:
  • the type of offence
  • how long ago it was
  • whether a record suspension was issued (formerly called “pardons” in Canada)

Other things not on this list may stop you from being able to sponsor a relative.

You can only sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt or uncle in very specific situations. If your family member doesn’t meet the criteria below, you can use our Come to Canada tool to find out which programs they may be eligible to apply for.

Depending on your situation, there are 2 options for who you can sponsor.

Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild

You can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild only if they meet all of these conditions:

• they’re related to you by blood or adoption
• both their mother and father passed away
• they’re under 18 years of age
• they’re single (not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship)

You can’t sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if:

• one of their parents is still alive
• no one knows where their parents are
• their parents abandoned them
• someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive
• their parent is in jail or otherwise detained

Other relative

You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet all of these conditions:

• you (the person who wants to sponsor your relative) don’t have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
  • spouse
  • common-law partner
  • conjugal partner
  • son or daughter
  • parent
  • grandparent
  • orphaned brother or sister
  • orphaned nephew or niece
  • orphaned grandchild
• you (the potential sponsor) don’t have any relatives (aunt or uncle or any of the relatives listed above), who is a:
  • Canadian citizen
  • permanent resident
  • registered Indian under the Indian Act

If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.