Who you can sponsor

Your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner and dependent child must meet certain requirements to become permanent residents of Canada.

Sponsor your spouse

Your spouse

is legally married to you
is at least 18 years old
can be any gender
is in a genuine relationship with you, not only for the purpose of getting permanent resident status
must not be inadmissible to Canada

Your common-law partner

is not legally married to you
is at least 18 years old
can be any gender
is in a genuine relationship with you, not only for the purpose of getting permanent resident status
has lived with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning
- you’ve lived together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart
- any time spent away from each other during the 12-month period should have been short and temporary (for example, for family obligations or business travel)
must not be inadmissible to Canada

If either you or your common-law partner chooses to end the relationship, we consider the relationship to be over.

See your document checklist for documents you can submit to prove you’re in a common-law relationship.

Your conjugal partner

isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you
is at least 18 years old
can be any gender
has been in an exclusive and mutually interdependent relationship with you for at least 1 year
- This means that you've shared your lives in different ways, including physically, emotionally, financially and socially.
is in a genuine relationship with you, not only for the purpose of getting permanent resident status
lives outside Canada
may not be able to live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of legal, immigration, social, cultural, religious or other reasons, such as
- their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible)
- their sexual orientation (for example, you’re in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships aren’t accepted, or same-sex marriage is illegal where they live)
- persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups, which isn’t accepted, and they may be punished legally or socially)
must not be inadmissible to Canada

See your document checklist for documents you can submit to prove you’re in a conjugal relationship.

You can sponsor a child if they’re not inadmissible to Canada and qualify as a dependant.

Children qualify as dependants if

they’re your biological or adopted child (or your spouse or partner’s biological or adopted child)
they meet 1 of these requirements:
- they’re under 22 years old and they don’t have a spouse or common-law partner
- they’re 22 years or older and
  - they’re 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, the dependent child must continue to meet these requirements until we finish processing your application.

If you want to sponsor a child through an intercountry adoption, or an orphaned family member

Follow the steps for

If you’re only sponsoring your child

Things to know if you’re only sponsoring your child (without sponsoring your spouse or partner):

If you’re only sponsoring your child, you’ll put 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 document checklist for the documents you’ll need to provide.
If your child has a child of their own (your grandchild), you must declare your grandchild as a dependant in the application, whether they are coming to Canada or not.
If you’re a Canadian citizen, your child may also be a citizen, even if they weren’t born in Canada. You can’t sponsor your child for permanent residence if they’re already a citizen. Check if your child is already a citizen.

If you’re sponsoring your spouse or partner and their child

Things to know if you’re sponsoring your spouse or partner and their child:

If you’re sponsoring your spouse or partner and their child (either their own child or a child you have together), you’ll put your spouse or partner as the principal applicant and the child as the dependant in the application.
If the child has a child of their own, you must declare the grandchild as a dependant in the application, whether they are coming to Canada or not.
If your spouse or partner (or their child) has 1 or more children in the sole custody of their other parent, you must still declare the child in the application, whether they are coming to Canada or not. They must also complete medical exams and pass background and security checks (if this applies).
- This applies even if there’s a written agreement or court order to show that the sponsored person doesn’t have custody or responsibility of the child.
- This gives the sponsored person the possibility of sponsoring their child in the future (for example, if there are changes to the custody or living arrangements).
- If a permanent resident doesn’t declare all their family members on their application, they could risk losing their permanent resident status.

We have a public policy in place that may let you sponsor family members that you didn’t previously declare in your permanent residence application.

Find out who’s eligible for the public policy.