Family Sponsorship

To move to Canada in order to join a relative, that relative must sponsor you to enter the country.

Sponsorship involves the signing of an undertaking with the minister of Citizenship and Immigration. This assures the Government of Canada that your relative would be able to support you for a period of 3 to 10 years, guaranteeing that you will not apply for social assistance during this time.

A sponsorship agreement must also be signed between you and your relative which outlines your mutual commitments to each other. You, the applicant, swear to make every effort to become self-supporting (unless you are elderly). Close family members can sponsor you, including: spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, niece or nephew – as long as they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Special procedures apply to those whose sponsors live in Quebec.

To discover your options to emigrate to Canada under this or any other visa, fill out our free Canada immigration assessment.