Family sponsorship: who you can bring to Canada, and how.

Sponsorship lets a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a registered Indian bring certain family members to Canada as permanent residents. The sponsor commits to providing for their essential needs for a period set by law. In Québec, two governments are involved: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) first, then Québec's immigration ministry (MIFI), which receives your undertaking.

Visa Canada Rouge, an immigration consulting firm in Montréal, helps you identify the right category, prepare both applications in the right order and understand the undertaking you sign.

Who can be sponsored

IRCC groups family sponsorship into a few categories. Each has its own conditions, forms and, in Québec, its own undertaking length.

1. A spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner

The most common category. The relationship must be genuine: a legal marriage, at least 12 consecutive months living together for a common-law partner, or an exclusive relationship of at least one year for a conjugal partner who lives abroad and can't marry you or live with you. In Québec, the undertaking lasts 3 years and the number of applications is capped. It's all on our page on sponsoring your spouse in Québec.

2. A dependent child

According to IRCC, a child qualifies as a dependant if they're your biological or adopted child (or your spouse's or partner's) and:

• they're under 22 and don't have a spouse or common-law partner; or
• they're 22 or older, have depended on their parents financially since before age 22, and can't support themselves because of a physical or mental condition.

Apart from age, the child must keep meeting these requirements until processing ends. If you're sponsoring only your child, without your spouse, the child is the principal applicant and you must show that the other parent or legal guardian agrees to the child immigrating.

In Québec, the undertaking for a dependent child lasts:

• under 16: at least 10 years, or until age 18, whichever is longer;
• 16 or older: at least 3 years, or until age 25, whichever is longer.

Undertaking applications for a dependent child, an orphan or a child to be adopted are not capped: Québec accepts them at any time.

3. Your parents and grandparents

For files already in process, the Québec step applies: from July 2, 2026 to June 30, 2028, Québec accepts at most 2,400 undertaking applications for a parent, a grandparent or another eligible relative, following a calendar based on the date of your IRCC letter. The undertaking lasts 10 years. The fee to examine the undertaking application is $335 for the first person and $135 for each additional person, and most applications are processed within three months of a complete file.

Until the program reopens, the super visa lets parents and grandparents stay up to five years at a time: see our page on the visitor visa and super visa and our guide to sponsoring parents and grandparents from Québec.

4. An orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild

IRCC allows this only if the person is related to you by blood or adoption, is under 18, is single, and both of their parents have passed away. A parent who is alive, missing, detained or who abandoned the child rules out this sponsorship.

5. Another relative, in a very specific case

You may sponsor one relative of any age, related by blood or adoption (an aunt, a cousin…), only if you have no close relative you could sponsor instead (spouse, partner, child, parent, grandparent, eligible orphan) and no relative who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian. Eligible cases are rare and should be checked before anything else.

Who can sponsor

• Be at least 18;
• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a registered Indian;
• as a permanent resident, live in Canada; a citizen living abroad can sponsor a spouse or dependent children by showing they'll settle in Canada when the family arrives;
• in Québec: live in Québec and sign the undertaking with the MIFI.

Some situations prevent you from sponsoring: a previous undertaking still in effect, certain convictions, a removal order, or social assistance received for a reason other than disability, among others. Depending on the situation, Québec also requires proof of sufficient financial capacity; for a spouse or partner alone, this assessment isn't required except in specific cases. Our guide to who can sponsor and who can be sponsored goes through the conditions.

The steps in Québec

1. The federal application: you submit the sponsorship application to IRCC, together with the sponsored person's permanent residence application.
2. The Québec undertaking: once IRCC confirms you're eligible as a sponsor, you send your undertaking application to the MIFI, by mail only, one application per envelope, following the rules for receiving applications in your category.
3. The end of federal processing: IRCC completes its review of the sponsored person (health, security, documents) and makes its decision.

An undertaking application received before the date set by the calendar, or after a cap is reached, is returned without processing. Check your period on Québec's rules governing the reception of applications before sending anything.

What you commit to

The undertaking starts when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. For its full length, you commit to meeting their essential needs if they can't, and you'll have to repay any social assistance or special benefits they receive. The undertaking doesn't end with separation, divorce or citizenship. Read our guide to the Québec sponsorship undertaking before you sign.

Federal fees

• Spouse, partner, parent, grandparent or other relative aged 22 or older: $1,260, including the right of permanent residence fee ($660 without it)
• Dependent child: $180 per child
• Adopted child, orphaned relative or child to be adopted: $180 per child

Depending on the case, biometrics and Québec's undertaking fee are added. Check IRCC's fee list when you pay.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Including a child who no longer meets the dependent child definition, or leaving one out: every dependent child must be declared.
• Sending the Québec undertaking too early, before IRCC's letter or before its intake period.
• Assuming the parents program is open: it's paused for new sponsors.
• Underestimating the undertaking: 10 years for a parent, and it survives any change in circumstances.
• Confusing sponsorship with a visit: a super visa or visitor visa is a temporary stay, assessed separately.

What we do for you

• Identify each family member's category and check your eligibility as a sponsor
• Prepare the federal application and the Québec undertaking in the right order, at the right time
• Build the relationship evidence and civil status documents
• Explain the scope and length of the undertaking before you sign it
• Suggest a visit option (super visa) when sponsorship isn't possible right away

To talk it through, book a one-hour online consultation or describe your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sponsor my parents in 2026?

Not as a new sponsor: IRCC isn't accepting interest to sponsor forms or inviting sponsors until further notice. Applications already received continue to be processed. The super visa remains possible for longer stays.

My son is 23. Can I still sponsor him?

Only if he has depended on you financially since before age 22 and can't support himself because of a physical or mental condition. Otherwise, he'll need another immigration pathway.

Does Québec's cap apply to children?

No. Undertaking applications for a dependent child, an orphan or a child to be adopted are exempt from the cap and the calendar, and accepted at any time.

How long is the undertaking for a parent?

In Québec, 10 years from the date they become a permanent resident. You'll have to repay any social assistance the sponsored person receives during that time.

Can I sponsor my nephew?

Only if he's orphaned (both parents have passed away), under 18 and single, or, more rarely, under the "other relative" rule if you have no eligible close relative and no family in Canada.

Do I need a minimum income to sponsor?

It depends on the category. For a spouse or partner alone, Québec doesn't assess financial capacity except in specific cases. For other family members, sufficient financial capacity may be required.

Official sources: IRCC, "Sponsor your family members" (July 15, 2026), "Who you can sponsor", "Sponsor your relatives: who you can sponsor", "Sponsor your parents and grandparents" and "Citizenship and immigration application fees" (September 21, 2026); Government of Québec, "Rules governing the reception of applications" (July 22, 2026), and, in French, undertaking obligations for a dependent child and for a parent or grandparent (June 30, 2026) and "Présenter une demande d'engagement". Accessed October 11, 2026.