Sponsorship
Sponsoring Family Members
If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and at least 18 of age, you can sponsor the following relatives to Canada under the Family sponsorship class:
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Spouse
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Conjugal or common-law partner
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Dependent child (includes an adopted child)
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Other eligible relatives.
Spousal Sponsorship
You can sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children if you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
To be a sponsor, you must be 18 years of age or older. You can apply as a sponsor if your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or accompanying dependent children live with you in Canada, even if they do not have legal status in Canada. However, all the other requirements must be met. You can also apply as a sponsor if your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner or dependent children live
outside Canada and if they meet all the requirements. When you sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children to become permanent residents of Canada, you must promise to support them financially. Therefore, you have to meet certain income requirements. If you have previously sponsored relatives to come to Canada and they have later turned to the government for financial assistance, you may not be allowed to sponsor another person. Sponsorship is a big commitment, so you must take this obligation seriously.
Dependent Child
You can sponsor a dependent child if you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. To be a sponsor, you must be 18 years of age or older. You can apply as a sponsor if your dependent child lives with you in Canada, even if they do not have legal status in Canada. However, all the other requirements must be met. You can also apply as a sponsor if your dependent child lives outside Canada and if they meet all the requirements.
When you sponsor a dependent child to become a permanent resident of Canada, you must promise to support them financially. Therefore, you have to meet certain income requirements. If you have previously sponsored relatives to come to Canada and they have later turned to the government for financial assistance, you may not be allowed to sponsor another person. Sponsorship is a big commitment, so you must take this obligation seriously.
Adoptive Child
Adoption (also called international adoption) is a process that recognizes an individual or a couple as the legal permanent parent(s) of a child from another country. An inter-country adoption complies with the laws of both the sending and receiving countries.
For all inter-country adoptions, you must complete two separate processes:
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Adoption process
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Immigration or citizenship process
In Canada, adoption comes under provincial or territorial jurisdiction. To be eligible to adopt a child, you must meet the adoption requirements of the province/territory where you live if you are living in Canada, or the country where you live if you are living abroad, the adoption authority of the country where the child lives.