IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2025-05

Family Reunification

Context

The Family Class allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents. This immigration class delivers the family reunification component under sub-section 12(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), “to see that families are reunited in Canada,” along with other programs and components of the immigration system.

Background

• Family reunification is one of three pillars of permanent immigration to Canada (alongside economic immigration and refugee protection). The Family Class contributes to meeting the IRPA objective “to see that families are reunited in Canada.” Family Class criteria are centered on the genuineness of a relationship between an applicant and a sponsor (Canadian or permanent resident relative).
• Relatives who may be sponsored include:
  • Spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners
  • Parents and grandparents
  • Dependent children: defined largely as under age 22 (or 22 or older if not financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition); biological or adopted, including intercountry adoptions
  • Other relatives in special circumstances including certain orphaned relatives under 18 and last remaining relative
• A sponsor must be at least 18 years old as well as a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Status Indian residing in Canada (with certain exceptions^{Footnote 1}). A sponsor must sign an undertaking to support their sponsored relative for a defined period of time—between three years (spouses and partners) and 20 years (parents and grandparents), repaying any provincial social assistance given to the sponsored person during that period.
• Foreign nationals can apply from overseas (i.e., the Family Class) or from within Canada (i.e., the Spouse or Common-Law Partner In Canada Class).
• Under the Canada-Québec Accord, Quebec provides advice on the number of immigrants it wishes to receive. Canada establishes the total number of immigrants for the country as a whole, while taking into consideration Quebec’s advice.
• Since Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) receives more Family Class applications than Quebec has set for admissions, a backlog has formed, causing longer wait times for Quebec-bound family class applicants compared to those destined to the rest of Canada.
• Parents and grandparents may also be eligible to apply for a Super Visa, including those who are unable to access the Family Class. The Super Visa is a special temporary resident visa valid for up to 10 years that allows stays in Canada of five years per entry. Additional requirements apply, such as a medical exam, proof of health insurance, and a declaration of support from the host, including proof of sufficient income to support family members during their stay in Canada.

Impacts

• The Family Class complements other immigration streams. For example, family sponsorship can help attract highly skilled economic immigrants who may want to later sponsor their family members, such as a spouse or parent.
• Family Class applicants provide emotional and social support and enrich the social and cultural fabric of communities across the country.
  • Spouses and partners are not specifically selected for their skills, although data demonstrate that they contribute to Canada’s economy, often in sectors where labour market shortages exist (sales and services occupations, trade, transport and equipment operators and related occupations). Their incidence of employment is similar to the overall average for the Canadian population, with slightly lower annual earnings.
  • Parents and grandparents (given the average age at admission) are not expected to contribute significantly to the labour market. However, they contribute as economic enablers, for example, through the provision of child care, which allows sponsors to work or upgrade their skills.

Current Program

The Family Class accounted for approximately 22% (approx. 106,000 persons admitted) of all permanent immigration to Canada in 2024.

Key Statistics: Two Core Categories

• Spouses and Partners (69% of Family Class admissions in 2024)
  • Service standard of 12 months for overseas spouses, partners and children (80% of the time).
  • No service standard for in-Canada spouses and partners.
  • Since 2019, spouses/partners in Canada who have submitted an application as a sponsored spouse/partner and are experiencing abuse on the part of their sponsor may apply for a temporary resident permit and/or expedited humanitarian and compassionate permanent resident application.
• Parents and Grandparents (26% of Family Class admissions in 2024)
  • No processing service standard.
  • Annual intake limits (“caps”) since 2014 to help manage demand, inventory levels and processing times.
  • Since demand significantly exceeds the number of spaces available in the Immigration Levels Plan, the Department conducts an intake process to select and invite sponsors to apply. Intake of applications is a two-stage process established through Ministerial Instructions:
    • Interested sponsors submit an Interest to Sponsor form; and
    • The Department randomly selects and invites a limited number of interested sponsors to submit applications. This approach helps to ensure the process is fair and transparent, and that all interested sponsors have an equal opportunity to be invited to apply.

Recent Developments

Levels Plan

• While admission targets for family class permanent residency categories will decrease in the coming years, clients can continue to leverage alternative, temporary immigration programs to reunite with family in Canada, including the ability to visit family on a temporary resident visa as well the Super Visa for parents and grandparents.

Spouses and Partners:

• The Department has implemented several measures to improve the processing of spousal sponsorship applications (e.g. file digitization, remote processing, conducting remote interviews, the use of advanced analytics, etc.).
• In May 2024, the Department implemented processing improvements by expanding its use of advanced analytics and other automated technology to overseas spouse and partner permanent resident applications. This builds on existing automated tools used to process in-Canada spouse and common-law partner permanent resident applications.

Temporary Residence for Spouses and Partners:

• In May 2023, new measures were announced to strengthen family reunification for spouses and partners. This included faster temporary resident visa processing times for eligible spousal permanent resident applicants; new and dedicated processing tools for spousal temporary resident visa applicants; an open work permit for both overseas and in-Canada spousal applicants; and open work permit extensions for open work permit holders expiring between August 1 and December 31, 2023.

Parents and Grandparents:

• The last intake of new parents and grandparents applications was conducted in 2024. IRCC invited prospective sponsors from the remaining pool of Interest to Sponsor forms from 2020. Over the course of approximately two weeks, IRCC invited 35,700 prospective sponsors to apply with the goal of receiving 20,500 complete applications.

Super Visa:

• On June 22, 2023, private member’s Bill C-242 received Royal Assent, enshrining enhancements to the Super Visa in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
  • The Super Visa length of stay increased from “up to two years” to “five years,” allowing visiting parents and grandparents to remain in Canada for longer periods of time without leaving the country.
  • IRCC is also working towards an approach to allow for Super Visa applicants who purchase private health insurance from insurance companies outside Canada that are approved by the Minister, in addition to Canadian companies, to satisfy the requirement that Super Visa applicants must have private health insurance when applying for a Super Visa.

Quebec Admissions:

• Since IRCC receives more family class applications than Quebec has set for admissions, a backlog has formed, causing longer wait times for Quebec-bound family class applicants compared to those destined to the rest of Canada.
• Longer wait times for spousal sponsorship cases destined to Quebec has led to recent media interest and calls for IRCC intervention.

Key Service Delivery Statistics

Permanent Resident: Family Reunification – Data up to 2025 (Jan to Feb)

Wait times for new applicants (in months):

Rising since the end of 2024 due to lower Levels space in the 2025-2027 Plan. Application wait times by line of business are reflected on their own scale and are shown by quarter for comparative purposes.

Inventory Compared to Remaining 2025 Admissions

SPC = Spouses, Partners and Children. PGP = Parents and Grandparents.