Relatives
You may be able to sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada if you are at least 18 years old and a –
- Canadian citizen, or
- person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, or
- permanent resident of Canada
You can only sponsor relatives like a brother, sister, aunt, or uncle in very specific situations. You cannot sponsor someone who is inadmissible to Canada i.e. they are not allowed to come to Canada.
You must be living in Canada to sponsor eligible relatives.
If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must –
- meet set income guidelines
- agree in writing to give financial support to your relative and any other relatives coming with them (beginning on the date they become Permanent Resident and for up to 20 years depending on individual circumstances)
- be able to meet basic needs for yourself and your relative, such as food, shelter & clothing
- make sure your relative doesn’t need social assistance
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 YOUR SITUATION, YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING TWO SPONSORING OPTIONS IN CANADA:
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 are related to you by blood or adoption
- both their mother and father have passed away
- they are under 18 years of age
- they are single
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 do not instead have a living relative you can sponsor, such as a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, son/daughter, parent, grandparent, orphaned brother or sister, orphaned nephew or niece, or orphaned grandchild
- you don’t have any relative who is a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or 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 in the same sponsorship application.
Contact us if you wish to sponsor a relative.
