Sponsor

  • at least 18 years old
  • are a Canadian citizen/permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
  • are able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
  • can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor
  • No income requirement

Principal Applicant (spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent children)

Your spouse

Your spouse can be either sex and must be:

  • legally married to you
  • at least 18 years old

Your common-law partner:

  • isn’t legally married to you, can be either sex
  • is at least 18 years old
  • has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship

Your conjugal partner:

  • isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you
  • can be either sex
  • at least 18 years old
  • has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year
  • lives outside Canada
  • can’t live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons such as
    • their marital status
    • their sexual orientation
    • persecution

Dependent children

Children qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:

  • under 22 years old
  • don’t have a spouse or common law partner

Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:

  • are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
  • depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22

Undertaking Length:

  1. Spouse/Common-Law/ Conjugal Partner: 3 years
  2. Dependent Child: 10 years or the day the child becomes 25, whichever first