Who is eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent?
Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents can sponsor their parents and grandparents for Canadian permanent residence if they can meet specific requirements to qualify as a sponsor. To qualify as a sponsor, the Canadian citizen or permanent resident would need to meet the following requirements:
- be at least 18 years old
- live in Canada
- be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- have enough money to support the persons being sponsored
How do you apply to be a sponsor?
If you would like to sponsor your parents or grandparents for Canadian permanent residence, the first step is to complete and submit an interest to sponsor form on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will be accepting interest to sponsor forms between noon EDT on October 13, 2020 until noon EST on November 3, 2020.
Once you submit your interest to sponsor form you will receive a confirmation number which you will need to keep a copy of. the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will then select 10,000 sponsors who will be able to submit a full application for 2020. 30,000 other sponsors will be chosen in 2021. Sponsors will be chosen at random, like a lottery. No preference will be given to those who submit their interest to sponsor form on the first day.
If you are selected to be a sponsor, you will be given 60 days to submit your full application. This may be extended to 90 days due to COVID-19.
Who can you sponsor?
Once you know that you meet the minimum requirements to qualify as a sponsor, you need to decide who you are going to sponsor. You can sponsor the following individuals under this program:
- parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption
- your parents’ and your grandparents’ spouses, or conjugal or common-law partners
- your brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters can be included in the application if they qualify as the dependent children of your parents or grandparents
- Dependent children must be under the age of 22 and not have a spouse or partner at the time the application is submitted
You may sponsor more than one person or couple if you meet the income requirements for all the people you want to sponsor. This means you could sponsor two sets of parents and two sets of grandparents if you were able to show that you earned enough money in each of the three tax years preceding the date of application.
How much money do you need?
If you are selected to be a sponsor, you will be required to show that you have earned enough income in the three tax years preceding the date of your application up until the day your parents / grandparents become permanent residents of Canada. This income will be verified and will be based on your income, and your spouse or common-law partner’s, if they want to be a co-signer on the sponsorship application. As part of the sponsorship application you will be required to confirm your income in one of the following ways:
- Give Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) permission to obtain your tax information directly from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
- Send in paper copies of your Notice of Assessments with your application
Below is an example of the income required for a sponsor applying in 2019. For “total number of persons you would be responsible for” this needs to include:
- yourself
- your spouse or common-law partner, if applicable
- your dependent children
- your spouse’s or common-law partner’s dependent children
- any other person you and your co-signer may have sponsored in the past for whom you are still financially responsible for
- the number of parents and grandparents you want to sponsor
- the spouse or common-law partner of the of parents and grandparents you want to sponsor, if applicable
- the dependent children of the parents and grandparents you want to sponsor, if applicable
Minimum income required for the 3 taxation years right before the date of your application
2 people
2 people
2 people
3 people
3 people
3 people
4 people
4 persons
4 people
5 people
5 people
5 people
6 people
6 people
6 people
7 people
7 people
7 people
for each additional person, add
for each additional person, add
for each additional person, add
What if I am not selected as a sponsor?
If you are not chosen to be a sponsor in the year that you apply, you may be eligible to sponsor your parents or grandparents for a Super Visa. A Super Visa is a form of temporary residence that allows your parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to two years at a time without having to leave Canada. This can also be extended for up to one additional year while they are in Canada.
As a Super Visa is for temporary residence, your parents and grandparents would not have any benefits in Canada such as government medical.
To be eligible for a Super Visa, applicants need to:
- have a child or grandchild living in Canada who is a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
- have their child or grandchild agree in writing to support them financially while in Canada and they must be able to show the minimum income required to do so
- have medical insurance for at least one year which is valid in Canada
- undergo an immigration medical examination
- submit police clearances with their application
