Family sponsorship is more than proving that two people are related. The sponsor must qualify, the person being sponsored must belong to an eligible family class, the relationship evidence must tell a credible and consistent story, and every form, document and prior immigration record must align. Hesam Kazemi Immigration Inc. provides structured support for spouse, partner and dependent-child sponsorship applications and guidance on other family reunification pathways.
Family sponsorship allows an eligible Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Canadian Indian Act to sponsor certain relatives for permanent residence. The most common applications involve a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child. Parents, grandparents and a narrow group of other relatives follow different rules and may be subject to intake limits.
A family sponsorship file contains two connected assessments. IRCC first examines whether the sponsor is eligible and willing to sign the required undertaking. It also assesses whether the person being sponsored qualifies as a member of the applicable family class, is admissible to Canada and has provided complete and truthful information.
For couples, a marriage certificate or common-law declaration does not finish the analysis. IRCC must be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and was not entered into primarily to obtain immigration status. The evidence should therefore explain how the relationship developed, how the couple organizes life together and how any unusual facts fit the overall history.
For children and other relatives, identity, parentage, custody, consent, dependency and family composition can become central. All required family members must be declared, including non-accompanying family members, and medical or background requirements may still apply.
A person may be a close relative in everyday life but still fall outside the relatives who can normally be sponsored. The correct relationship category, application class and supporting evidence should be identified before forms are prepared.
The relationship to the sponsor determines the available program, evidence, financial requirements and timing. These categories should not be treated as interchangeable.
An eligible sponsor may sponsor a legally married spouse, a common-law partner after at least 12 consecutive months of qualifying cohabitation, or a conjugal partner who meets the narrower requirements.
The relationship must be genuine and not primarily for immigration status.
A biological or adopted child normally qualifies if under 22 and without a spouse or common-law partner. A child 22 or older may qualify only under the continuing dependency and medical-condition rules.
Custody, consent and citizenship must be checked before applying.
The Parents and Grandparents Program is invitation-based and currently paused for new interest forms and invitations. Existing applications continue to be processed.
The Super Visa may provide a temporary long-stay option when its separate requirements are met.
Program status reviewed Nov. 2, 2026Only narrowly defined cases qualify, including some orphaned relatives under 18 and, in exceptional circumstances, one other relative when the sponsor has no closer sponsorable relative and no specified relative in Canada.
A general promise of support cannot create eligibility.
| Category | Core relationship requirement | Typical evidence focus | Financial point to review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse | A legally valid marriage and a genuine relationship. | Marriage record, relationship history, shared life, communication, visits and social recognition. | No general minimum income requirement in most spouse-only cases, but the undertaking still applies. |
| Common-law partner | At least 12 consecutive months of qualifying cohabitation in a conjugal relationship. | Shared address, lease or housing records, bills, finances, insurance, official correspondence and timeline. | The same three-year undertaking applies after permanent residence. |
| Conjugal partner | A genuine, interdependent relationship of at least one year where serious barriers prevent marriage or cohabitation; the applicant is outside Canada. | Evidence of commitment plus clear proof of the barriers that prevented living together or marrying. | Not a substitute for choosing not to marry or not to complete common-law cohabitation. |
| Dependent child | Dependency under the age and marital-status rules, or qualifying ongoing dependency after age 22. | Birth or adoption records, custody, consent, dependency and citizenship analysis. | Undertaking length depends on the child’s age when permanent residence begins. |
| Parent or grandparent | Invitation to apply under the PGP and all program-specific requirements. | Family relationship, invitation, family size and income history. | Minimum necessary income rules and a 20-year undertaking outside Quebec generally apply. |
A sponsor must generally be at least 18 and be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered in Canada under the Canadian Indian Act. A permanent resident living outside Canada cannot sponsor. A Canadian citizen abroad may sponsor a spouse, partner or dependent child in an eligible case if they prove a real plan to live in Canada when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.
The sponsor signs an undertaking and sponsorship agreement. This creates an enforceable responsibility to provide basic needs and to repay certain social assistance received during the undertaking period. Separation, divorce, citizenship or moving away does not automatically end that responsibility.
Confirm the sponsor’s Canadian status, actual residence and, when relevant, evidence of a concrete plan to return to Canada.
Review any active undertaking, the five-year bar that may affect a person previously sponsored as a spouse or partner, and prior sponsorship defaults.
Check social assistance, undischarged bankruptcy, support-payment arrears, immigration loans, removal orders and relevant criminal history.
Even where no minimum income threshold applies, the application should explain how the sponsor will meet the family’s basic needs.
Every category has a legal test. The application should be organized around that test rather than around the label a couple or family uses informally.
The marriage must be legally valid where it took place and recognized in Canada. Both people must be at least 18 for sponsorship, and the relationship must be genuine rather than entered into primarily for immigration status. The file should address previous marriages, divorces, customary ceremonies and any fact that could affect legal validity.
Government marriage record, identity documents, divorce or death records from previous relationships, and country-specific civil documents.
A coherent history supported by contact, visits, shared decisions, finances, family involvement and plans for life in Canada.
Common-law status for immigration normally requires living together continuously in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. Brief and temporary absences may be compatible with the definition, but long separations or weak address evidence can create a serious issue. The evidence should cover the full qualifying period, not only the most recent month.
Lease or property records, joint or individual mail at the same address, utilities, government records and other dated documents.
Shared expenses, joint finances, insurance or beneficiary records, household responsibilities and recognition by family and friends.
A conjugal partner is not simply a fiancé or a partner who has not yet lived with the sponsor. It generally requires a committed and interdependent relationship of at least one year, with the applicant living outside Canada, and compelling legal, immigration, social, cultural, religious or similar barriers that prevented marriage or 12 months of cohabitation. Those barriers must be documented.
Why marriage was not possible, why the couple could not cohabit for 12 months, and what reasonable efforts they made.
Personal preference, work convenience, ordinary travel cost or a voluntary choice to live apart without a compelling barrier.
A child generally qualifies as dependent when under 22 and without a spouse or common-law partner. A child aged 22 or older may qualify only if unable to support themselves because of a physical or mental condition and financially dependent on a parent since before age 22. Dependency must continue, apart from age, until processing is complete.
The other parent or legal guardian’s consent, custody documents and the child’s citizenship status may determine whether sponsorship is appropriate.
Dependent and non-accompanying children must still be declared and may need examination, even where another parent has sole custody.
Location alone does not answer the question. Residence, cohabitation, travel plans, current status, work-permit strategy and review rights should be considered together.
This class is commonly used where the sponsored person lives outside Canada. A spouse or common-law partner living in Canada may also be eligible to apply under the Family Class in an appropriate case.
This class is for an eligible spouse or common-law partner living in Canada with the sponsor. Continuing cohabitation and the applicant’s circumstances in Canada require careful attention.
Under the current policy, a qualifying spouse, partner or accompanying dependent child living in Canada generally needs the permanent residence AOR and must live with the sponsor. Limited exceptions may apply where temporary status expires within two weeks. Confirm the current rule before applying.
Good evidence is relevant, dated and connected to the legal test. A large upload is not necessarily a strong application if the documents do not explain the relationship or contradict the forms.
Passports, birth records, marriage records, divorce judgments, death certificates, name-change documents and any country-specific civil document.
A clear account of how the couple met, how contact developed, important visits or ceremonies, periods apart and plans to live together in Canada.
Leases, property documents, utilities, government mail, insurance and other records covering the address and period the couple claims.
Shared expenses, transfers, joint accounts, beneficiary designations, insurance, support during separation and an explanation where joint products are unavailable.
Representative communication records, travel history, tickets, entry stamps, photographs and evidence that connects dates to the written timeline.
Evidence of involvement with relatives and friends, events, correspondence, declarations and other proof that the relationship is known and ongoing.
Different families organize housing, money, ceremonies and communication differently. If expected evidence does not exist, provide the best available alternatives and a factual explanation. A tailored explanation is stronger than irrelevant volume.
The sponsorship and permanent residence applications are connected and submitted together online by the principal applicant. The documents should be complete before submission, not assembled reactively after a request.
Confirm sponsor eligibility, relationship class, applicant eligibility, family composition, residence, immigration status and possible inadmissibility.
Create the chronology, collect civil and relationship documents, obtain translations and resolve inconsistencies before completing the final forms.
The principal applicant submits the sponsor’s application and the permanent residence application together through the PR Portal and pays the applicable fees.
IRCC may request biometrics, medicals, police certificates, updated forms, more relationship evidence or an interview. Deadlines and consistency remain important.
Approved applicants complete permanent residence confirmation inside Canada or use their COPR and, where required, permanent resident visa before expiry.
The undertaking begins when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. It cannot normally be cancelled or shortened after that point, even if the relationship or living arrangements later change.
The sponsor agrees to provide basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and health needs not covered by public health services, and to prevent the sponsored person from needing social assistance. If qualifying social assistance is paid during the undertaking, the sponsor may be required to repay it and may be unable to sponsor again until the debt is resolved.
Quebec has a separate undertaking process and different periods in some categories. Sponsors residing in Quebec should follow IRCC’s sequence and wait for instructions before submitting the provincial undertaking.
Parent and grandparent sponsorship is not continuously open. Its intake system, invitation process and financial requirements are different from spouse, partner and child sponsorship.
Most problems are easier to address before submission. The goal is not to make every family look the same; it is to present the real facts clearly, consistently and with the right evidence.
Relationship timelines, travel, employment, address history and prior immigration forms contradict each other without explanation.
The evidence does not cover the full 12-month period or relies mostly on recent, undated or easily created records.
A child, partner or other required family member is omitted because they are not accompanying, cannot be contacted or live with another parent.
Prior marriages, divorces, customary unions, custody or separation dates are incomplete or legally unclear.
The chosen route does not fit the couple’s residence, cohabitation, travel, status or need for review rights.
A previous undertaking, sponsorship bar, default, social assistance, support arrears, bankruptcy or conviction affects eligibility.
Civil records, police certificates, signatures, translations or country-specific documents do not meet the current instructions.
Past visa applications, refusals, status issues or earlier statements contain facts that need to be reconciled with the sponsorship file.
The scope can be tailored to the file, from a focused strategy consultation to complete preparation and representation. Advice is based on the facts and the current program rules.
Review sponsor restrictions, relationship category, application class, family composition, residence, status and material risk factors.
Identify the evidence that addresses the legal test, organize the relationship narrative and explain unusual facts or missing records.
Check forms, civil documents, translations, dates, addresses and consistency with prior immigration records before submission.
Prepare the application for the correct portal and respond to appropriate requests, updates or procedural issues during processing.
These answers provide general information. The correct approach depends on the sponsor, applicant, relationship, residence and immigration history.
An eligible sponsor is generally at least 18 and is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Canadian Indian Act. The sponsor must meet residence and undertaking requirements and must not be affected by a disqualifying restriction. The family member must also fall within an eligible sponsorship category.
Most spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner and dependent-child sponsorships do not have a general minimum-income threshold, subject to limited exceptions involving certain dependent children. The sponsor must still sign the undertaking and show how basic needs will be met. Parents, grandparents and some other relatives follow separate income rules.
For Canadian immigration, common-law partners generally must have lived together continuously in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. Brief and temporary absences may be acceptable, but the evidence should cover the full qualifying period.
A Canadian citizen living abroad may be able to sponsor an eligible spouse, partner or dependent child if they prove a genuine plan to live in Canada when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. A permanent resident living outside Canada cannot sponsor from abroad.
In an appropriate case, a spouse or common-law partner living in Canada may apply under the Family Class rather than the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class. The better route depends on residence, cohabitation, travel, status, work-permit strategy and review rights.
A spouse, partner or eligible accompanying dependent child living in Canada may qualify under the current open-work-permit public policy. The principal applicant generally needs an acknowledgement of receipt for the permanent residence application and must live with the sponsor. Limited exceptions may apply where temporary status expires within two weeks.
Travel is not automatically prohibited, but leaving Canada can create practical risk. A temporary resident has no guarantee of re-entry, and the in-Canada class requires the applicant to be living in Canada with the sponsor. Travel plans should be assessed before departure.
IRCC looks at the relationship as a whole, including how it developed, cohabitation, communication, visits, finances, household responsibilities, family and social recognition, future plans and any unusual circumstances. The evidence should be authentic and consistent with the forms and prior immigration records.
Yes. Required family members must be declared even if they are not accompanying, live with another parent, cannot be contacted or are not expected to immigrate. Medical and background requirements may still apply. Failure to declare or examine a family member can have serious future consequences.
Outside Quebec, the undertaking is generally three years for a spouse or partner; ten years or until age 25, whichever comes first, for a dependent child under 22; three years for a dependent child 22 or older; 20 years for a parent or grandparent; and ten years for another eligible relative. Quebec has separate rules.
A sponsor may have a right to appeal an eligible Family Class refusal to the Immigration Appeal Division, subject to legal restrictions. There is no sponsorship appeal to the IAD for a refusal under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class. Other review options may have strict deadlines, so advice should be obtained promptly after a refusal.
As of November 2, 2026, IRCC has paused new intake and is not accepting new interest-to-sponsor forms or issuing new invitations until further notice. Existing applications continue to be processed. The Super Visa remains a separate temporary-residence option for eligible parents and grandparents.
Processing time changes by category, location, application volume, completeness and complexity. Use IRCC’s current processing-time tool for an estimate. An estimate is not a deadline, and requests for documents, interviews, medical issues or inadmissibility concerns can add time.
A consultation can clarify sponsor eligibility, the correct application class, evidence gaps and the next practical steps before forms are submitted.