Sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or dependent childre

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• at least 18 years old
• a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
  • If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
  • You can’t sponsor someone if you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada.
• able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
• can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor

Your spouse can be either sex and must be:

• legally married to you
• at least 18 years old

Your common-law partner:

• isn’t legally married to you
• can be either sex
• is at least 18 years old
• has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, meaning you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without any long periods apart
  • Any time spent away from each other should have been
    • short
    • temporary

Dependent children:

Children qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:

• they’re under 22 years old
• they don’t have a spouse or common law partner

Children 22 years old or older qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements:

• they are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
• they have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22