Types of RelativesWho May Be Sponsored

SPOUSE

A spouse refers to a person who is legally married to the sponsor. If the marriage of the sponsor and the applicant did not occur in Canada, it will be deemed legal by Canadian immigration authorities provided that the marriage is legal in the country where the marriage occurred.

Common-law Partner

A common-law partner refers to a person whom the sponsor has lived together in a marriage-like relationship for at least 1 year.

Conjugal Partner

A conjugal partner refers to a person with a marriage-like relationship with the sponsor for at least 1 year but has not lived together with the sponsor due to extenuating circumstances.

Children

Typically, only unmarried, dependent children under the age of 22 may be sponsored.

Parents

Currently the Government of Canada is not accepting new applications for sponsoring parents for immigration.

Grandparents

As with parents, the Government of Canada is not accepting new applications for sponsoring grandparents for immigration.

ORPHANS

An orphan is the sponsor’s sibling, niece, nephew or grandchild who is under 18 years old and whose parents are both deceased.

Adopted Child

A person under the age of 18 that the sponsor intends to adopt. The onus is on the sponsor to demonstrate that the adoption is not primarily for immigration purposes.

Other Relatives

Other relatives can occasionally be sponsored in certain circumstances. However, these circumstances are extremely rare.