ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Family Sponsorships

Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada, 18 years of age or older, may sponsor their close relatives and/or family members who intend to become permanent residents of Canada. Sponsors must make a promise to support their relative or family member and their accompanying family members for a period of three to 10 years to help them settle in Canada.

Under the Canada–Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec plays an important role in determining sponsorship eligibility for Quebec residents. However, the Quebec portion of the process is begun only after Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has finished its assessment of your ability to meet Canada’s sponsorship requirements.

You can sponsor relatives or family members from abroad if they are:

spouses, common-law or conjugal partners 16 years of age or older;
parents and grandparents;
dependent children, including adopted children;
children under 18 years of age whom you intend to adopt;
children under guardianship;
brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces or grandchildren who are orphans; under the age of 18 and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
you may also sponsor one relative of any age if you do not have an aunt, uncle or family member from the list above who you could sponsor or who is already a Canadian citizen, Indian or permanent resident.

A son or daughter is dependent when the child:

is under the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner;
is a full time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22); or
is financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.

If you live in any province in Canada except Quebec and wish to sponsor a relative or family member, you must sign an Undertaking with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. You must also sign a Sponsorship Agreement with your relative or family member that outlines your mutual commitments to each other. For Quebec residents, an undertaking will be signed with the province of Quebec. With the exception of spouses, and dependent children, Citizenship and Immigration Canada requires a financial assessment, in order to determine whether or not sponsors are financially capable of sponsoring a relative from the family class. The Low Income Cut Off is the mandatory minimum amount of annual income that sponsors are required to have. If you have previously sponsored relatives or family members who have received social assistance, you may not be allowed to sponsor another person. Sponsorship is a considerable commitment so you should take this obligation seriously.

LOW INCOME CUT-OFF TABLE

Effective until February 1, 2007

Size of Family Unit	Minimum necessary income
1 person (the sponsor)	$20,337
2 persons	$25,319
3 persons	$31,126
4 persons	$37,791
5 persons	$42,862
6 persons	$48,341
7 persons	$53,821
For each additional person	$5,480

Co-Signers

If the sponsor’s income is not enough and under the Low Income Cut-Off point, the sponsor’s spouse or common-law spouse, is allowed to co-sign the financial undertaking, in order to have their income added to the sponsor’s. Co-signers are equally responsible for supporting the sponsored immigrant, and are jointly liable if there is a default in the agreement.

Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class

You may also sponsor a spouse or common-law partner from within Canada if you have been living together in Canada. Most spouses and common-law partners can stay in Canada after applying for permanent residence even if they do not have legal status at the time of the application. When sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner, the applicant may also include their dependent children whether inside or outside of Canada.