Sponsoring your dependent Child to Canada
If you are a Canadian Permanent Resident or a Canadian Citizen, you may sponsor your dependent biological or adopted child to Canada. Once your sponsorship application is approved, your child will become a Permanent Resident and may attend school, receive health care, work if they are of working age, and even apply for citizenship after living in Canada for 3 years.
In some circumstances, if you have an adopted child, you may want to consider applying directly for a grant of Canadian citizenship for your adopted child. International adoptions are extremely complex and we recommend that you speak with us if you are considering a direct grant of citizenship for an internationally adopted child.
Who can be sponsored as a dependent child?
Who can be sponsored as a dependent child?
To be eligible for sponsorship you must make sure that your child meets the definition of a dependent child. A complete legal definition of a dependent child is given in s. 2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
If your child is under 22 years of age
can be biological or adopted child
must not be married or must not have a common-law partner
If your child is 22 years of age or older
can be sponsored only if he/she suffers from a physical or mental condition that prevents your child from being able to support him/herself;
you child must have depended on you (the parents) for financial support since before 22 years of age
Are you eligible to sponsor your dependent child?
To be eligible to sponsor your dependent child to Canada you must meet all of the following requirements:
you must be 18 years of age or older
you must be a Canadian citizen, a Canadian PR , or a person registered 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.
If you are a Canadian Permanent Resident you must be living in Canada.
you must be able to show that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
you must be able to provide for the basic needs of your dependent child
You can’t sponsor your dependent child to Canada if
you’re less than 18 years old
you won’t live in Canada when you apply to sponsor your dependent child and when your dependent child becomes a permanent resident
you’re not a Canadian citizen, a PR inCanada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit
your PR application is still in process
your proof of income shows you don’t have enough money to support your dependent child
You may not be eligible to sponsor your dependent child if:
you are in jail, prison or penitentiary
you did not pay back an immigration loan, a performance bond, or court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support
you did not give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past
you declared bankruptcy and are not discharged
you receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
you were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
you can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order
Do you need help identifying if you or your child are eligible to sponsorship - book a consultation with one of our Canadian Immigration lawyers.
To sponsor your dependent child to Canada you must not only meet the minimum eligibility requirements, but you also must give a promise to financially take care of the your dependent child for a specific period of time. This financial undertaking requires you to provide financial support to your sponsored dependent child when he/she becomes a permanent resident in Canada. You also will be under an obligation to repay any provincial social assistance your sponsored child receives.
The “length of undertaking” depends on the age of your dependent child and on where you live (There are slightly different rules for residents of Quebec).
Financial undertaking for your dependent child
| Dependent child (biological or adopted) or child to be adopted in Canada under 22 years of age | 10 years, or until age 25, whichever comes first |
|---|---|
| Dependent child 22 years of age or older | 3 years |