If you are a permanent resident and want your spouse, partner, or children to join you in Canada, the first question is whether they can be sponsored as permanent residents and, if so, which application package you need to file. Canada’s family sponsorship system lets eligible permanent residents bring certain family members to live, study, and work in Canada, but the process starts with the sponsor and the family member applying in the right way.
Who a permanent resident can usually sponsor
IRCC says permanent residents may be eligible to sponsor family members for permanent residence. The most common cases are a spouse, common-law partner, or dependent children. IRCC also has separate pathways for adopted children, parents and grandparents, and some other relatives.
For readers who are immigrating as dependants, IRCC’s help centre uses dependent to mean a family member who was processed for permanent residence with the principal applicant. That includes your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent child, your spouse or partner’s dependent child, and a dependent child of a dependent child.
Some relatives cannot come with you as dependants in the original permanent residence application. IRCC lists parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and other relatives in that category. If they are not processed as your dependants, you may be able to sponsor them later after you become a permanent resident.
There is one rule that causes avoidable problems: dependants cannot arrive in Canada before the principal applicant. They must arrive with you or after you.
Related: if you are still deciding how permanent residence works more broadly, see Permanent Residence in Canada: Pathways, Rights, and How to Apply.
The basic sponsorship process
For eligible relatives, IRCC uses a two-stage process. First, you apply to sponsor your family member. Second, your family member applies for permanent residence. Those two applications must be sent together at the same time.
To apply as a sponsor, you must be at least 18 years old and be one of the following:
- a Canadian citizen
- a permanent resident of Canada
- a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
IRCC will review the sponsorship first and then tell you whether it is approved.
Forms and documents you should expect
IRCC’s instruction guide for this process is IMM 5196, which helps you complete the forms correctly. The sponsor also needs the Document Checklist — Sponsor [IMM 5287] to make sure no required item is missed.
In the online process, the sponsor downloads, completes, and digitally signs the relevant forms. The main sponsor forms named by IRCC include:
- IMM 1344 — Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking
- IMM 1283 — Financial Evaluation
- IMM 0133 — Medical Condition Statement
IRCC also notes that the sponsor and the person being sponsored must both digitally sign the sponsorship application. If the sponsored person is under 18, the sponsor may sign on their behalf.
The sponsored family member then signs in to the Permanent residence online application portal and completes the permanent residence forms, including:
- IMM 0008 — Generic Application Form for Canada
- IMM 5669 — Schedule A: Background/Declaration
- IMM 5406 — Additional Family Information
IRCC says the sponsored person also uploads the sponsor’s completed and signed forms.
Watch for visa office instructions and extra documents
IRCC says your visa office may require extra documents. If that applies, you need to choose the visa office that serves your area and upload its instructions with the application. The office list changes by country and region, so the official IRCC page is the right place to confirm which office applies to you.
If you are using a representative, such as an immigration lawyer or consultant, IRCC says that person can help prepare forms and documents and communicate through their own account. But they cannot open your portal account for you, sign electronically for you, or use your username and password to submit the application.
Common family sponsorship mistakes
A simple application can still slow down if family details are not kept current. If a child’s age or family composition changes during processing, those details should be updated in the application record. Forum discussions and settlement experience also show that dependent-child cases can turn on timing, especially when a child is close to the age limit used by IRCC.
Another issue is assuming a family member can join you later without being processed correctly. IRCC’s rule is clear: a dependant must have been processed for permanent residence as your dependant, and they cannot arrive before you.
If you are sponsoring parents or grandparents, treat the application as a separate track from spouse or child sponsorship. Those files are handled under different rules and often need stronger supporting documents about eligibility and family relationship.
For the process of bringing parents or grandparents specifically, we covered the separate Family Class Sponsorship in Canada: Who Qualifies and How the Process Works guide in more detail.
Start with the right file type
Start by checking whether your family member is a spouse, partner, dependent child, or another relative covered by IRCC’s sponsorship rules, then download the current instruction guide and document checklist before you begin. That one step will tell you whether you are filing a sponsorship, a dependent application, or a different family class file altogether.
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
