Family reunification programs in Canada
If you were not able to immigrate to Canada as a family, you can bring your relatives to the country through family reunification programs.
Family reunification programs, or family sponsorship, allow Canadian permanent residents and citizens to help their family members and relatives immigrate.
Under these programs, a Canadian permanent resident or citizen acts as a sponsor and signs an agreement that commits them to financially support the sponsored relative for a period of 3 to 20 years. The sponsorship covers basic needs and begins the day the relative becomes a permanent resident of Canada.
The sponsor must be a permanent resident or a citizen of Canada, 18 years of age or older, and live in Canada.
Canada offers several family reunification programs:
- spouse or common-law partner program — for inviting spouses or partners who live in Canada or outside of Canada to come to Canada;
- child reunification program — for inviting children under the age of 22 to Canada who do not have a spouse or partner, and for children over the age of 22 who cannot support themselves due to mental or physical condition;
- parents and grandparents program — for inviting parents, grandparents, and their dependent children, spouses, or partners to Canada.
