Who can apply

To sponsor your adopted child, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada under the Indian Act
• live in Canada, if you’re a permanent resident
• plan to live in Canada when the child becomes a permanent resident, if you’re a Canadian citizen living outside of Canada at the time of the adoption
• be at least 18 years old
• sign an undertaking and sponsorship agreement

If you live in Quebec

You must meet Quebec’s eligibility requirements.

Who can’t sponsor

You may not be eligible to sponsor if you:

• didn’t meet the requirements of a previous sponsorship agreement
• get social assistance for reasons other than a disability
• declared bankruptcy and haven’t been discharged (released from bankruptcy)
• have been convicted of a violent crime, a crime against a relative that caused physical harm, or a sexual crime
• can’t legally stay in Canada because you’ve been ordered to leave by a removal order
• are in jail, prison or a penitentiary
• are in default of (behind on) any these payments:
  an undertaking

  If you previously sponsored a family member and they received social assistance during the undertaking period, you must pay it back before you can sponsor again.

  If you apply to sponsor while you’re still in default, your application will be refused and your sponsorship fees won’t be refunded or used for another application.

  Contact your province for information on how to pay back the money owed.

  an immigration loan

  If you owe money for an immigration loan, such as travel costs, assistance or the Right of Permanent Residence Fee, you must pay it back before you can sponsor. For help, call Collection Services at 1-800-667-7301 (in Canada and the United States only).

  performance bond

  If you agreed to pay money to guarantee an immigrant would meet certain conditions and haven’t paid, you must do so before you can sponsor.

  family support payments

  If you haven’t paid court-ordered support for a spouse or child, you must do so before you can sponsor.

Sponsorship not allowed for certain crimes

The sponsorship bar prevents people who’ve been convicted of certain crimes from sponsoring a family member. Whether you can sponsor depends on what the crime is, when it happened and if you received a pardon.

You can’t sponsor anyone if you’ve been convicted of a crime that caused physical harm to any of these family members.

• Your immediate family:
  • your current or ex-spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner
  • your child
  • the current or ex-spouse, partner or child of the family members listed above
• Your extended family:
  • your parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle or cousin
  • the current or ex-spouse, partner or child of the family members listed above
• Your current or former spouse or partner’s extended family
  • their parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle or cousin
  • the current or ex-spouse, partner or child of the family members listed above
• Other family members and relationships:
  • a foster child who is or was cared for by
    • you
    • your current or ex-spouse or partner
    • your parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin
    • the current or ex-spouse, partner or child of the family members listed above
  • your current or ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, their spouse, partner or child

Family members not listed here may still be affected by the sponsorship bar. If you have questions, contact us.

Overcoming criminal inadmissibility

Find information on overcoming criminal inadmissibility.

Pay back your provincial office, if you’re in default of an undertaking

If a family member you previously sponsored got financial support from the federal, provincial or municipal government during the undertaking period, you’re considered in default.

For information on how to pay back the money owed, contact your provincial office. These offices are open during local business hours only.