Family Sponsorship
Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor close family members for permanent residence. The most common categories are spouses/partners, dependent children, and parents and grandparents. Specific income thresholds and undertaking lengths apply.
What this section covers
- Spousal sponsorship — inland vs outland
- Common-law and conjugal partner sponsorship
- Dependent child sponsorship
- Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) — current status
- Super Visa — 10-year multi-entry alternative to PGP
- Super Visa medical insurance requirements
- LICO and MNI income thresholds
- Undertaking length
- Genuine relationship evidence
- Procedural fairness letters
- 5-year sponsorship bar after self-sponsorship
- Sponsorship refusal and IAD appeals
Latest in Family Sponsorship
10 articles
Common-law partner sponsorship 2026: proof-of-relationship checklist
Common-law partner sponsorship 2026: proof-of-relationship checklist and eligibility requirements
Read article →Spousal sponsorship interview 2026: what questions to expect
What to expect at a 2026 spousal sponsorship interview: question categories, red flags that trigger deeper scrutiny, how IRCC conducts the interview, and how to prepare so your answers align.
Read article →Dependent child sponsorship Canada 2026: age and dependency rules
Dependent child sponsorship Canada 2026: age 22 cutoff, full-time student exception, physical/mental dependency rules, who can sponsor, and how lock-in dates determine eligibility.
Read article →Canada immigration for spouses 2026 — sponsorship, work permits, OWP
Three routes for spousal immigration in 2026: outland sponsorship (faster PR, no work permit), inland with OWP (work in 4-6 months, PR in 15-20), and spousal OWP from outside. Real timelines and 2025-2026 rule changes.
Read article →PGP sponsor income — MNI/LICO requirements for parent and grandparent sponsorship 2026
PGP sponsor income requirements for 2026: three-year MNI thresholds based on LICO plus 30%, what income counts, how to calculate it, and the mistakes that sink applications.
Read article →IMM 5406 additional family information form — line-by-line walkthrough 2026
Line-by-line walkthrough of IMM 5406 Additional Family Information: who fills it out, what to write in each section, signature rules for spouses and children, and the mistakes that cause processing delays.
Read article →Employment Insurance: 2026 guide
Employment Insurance counts toward family sponsorship income in most streams, but PGP excludes all EI. What income qualifies, how IRCC verifies it, and what happens if your income drops post-approval.
Read article →Spousal sponsorship outland vs inland: which is faster in 2026
Outland sponsorship is typically faster in 2026, but inland offers work-permit access. Real trade-offs: processing time, refusal appeals, travel risk, and work authorization.
Read article →Bringing parents to Canada in 2026: PGP vs Super Visa
PGP offers permanent residence but involves a lottery and years of waiting. Super Visa delivers faster reunification with extended stays—no lottery, lower income threshold, but parents remain visitors.
Read article →Canadian Family Sponsorship: Spouse, Children, Parents and Grandparents
Canadian citizens and permanent residents 18+ can sponsor close family members for permanent residence: spouses and common-law partners, dependent children, and parents/grandparents (PGP) under the annual lottery. The Super Visa offers an alternative 10-year multi-entry visa for
Read article →Processing times by country
Live IRCC processing-time tracking for family sponsorship applications.
Frequently asked questions
How long does spousal sponsorship take in Canada?
IRCC publishes a service standard of approximately 12 months for spousal sponsorship applications, but actual processing times vary by visa office and case complexity. Inland and outland applications can have different timelines. Check IRCC's processing times tool for the current figure for your visa office.
Is the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) open?
PGP intake is announced periodically and has been paused or run via lottery in recent years. The Super Visa — a multiple-entry visa valid up to 10 years for parents and grandparents — has remained available regardless of PGP status.
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