Which Family Members Can Be Sponsored for Immigration to Canada?

In Canada, there are quite a few different ways to immigrate. One of the more popular options is to be sponsored by a family member who has already been established in Canada as either a Permanent Resident or citizen.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to eventually get Permanent Residency. This status allows a person who is not from Canada to live and work within the country for as long as they desire.

The benefits of this status don’t stop there though. Permanent Residents are also quite free to study at any educational institution that will accept them in Canada, travel throughout the country without needing any visa and they can even travel outside of Canada for periods of time.

Family Members Who Can Immigrate at the Same Time

When an immigrant begins to file for entry into Canada they are given the option to bring some of their family members to the country with them in the same general process.

These persons are allowed to come with a principal applicant to Canada during immigration:

• A spouse or common-law partner. Canada also recognizes same-sex marriages. However, all of these arrangements must have been legal in their jurisdiction when they were conducted to be recognized by the Canadian government.
• Dependent children of the principal applicant’s spouse or common-law partner are also allowed to immigrate at the same time. Dependent children are generally minors, though not always.
• The dependent children of dependent children of the principal applicant can also immigrate this way.

Sponsoring Family Members

If the principal applicant has already entered Canada, they can send for the above family members on a separate application.

This process involves sponsoring those family members through Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Sponsors are generally required to show that they have the financial stability to support these sponsored family members.