Federal family sponsorship

IRCC processes family sponsorship for sponsors who live anywhere in Canada except Quebec. Quebec residents go through MIFI first to file an undertaking and meet Quebec's financial criteria, then IRCC for the federal PR step. Pick the link that matches your situation below.

Frequently asked questions

Does my province of residence matter when I sponsor?

It is the first decision. A sponsor living outside Quebec applies directly to IRCC under the federal sponsorship classes. A sponsor living in Quebec files the undertaking and financial assessment with MIFI first, and IRCC processes the federal permanent residence application only after Quebec selection. The two routes run different undertakings, different financial criteria, and different processing.

Who can I sponsor through federal family sponsorship?

A defined set of relationships: a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner; parents and grandparents; and dependent children, orphaned siblings, and a few narrow categories beyond those. Relationships outside the list cannot be sponsored regardless of the sponsor's income or status.

How does spousal sponsorship differ from parents and grandparents?

Spousal and partner sponsorship accepts applications year-round, filed either inland or outland. Parents and grandparents sponsorship runs an annual interest-to-sponsor intake instead, so timing is set by IRCC's intake window rather than by when your application is ready, and it applies an income test spousal sponsorship does not.

Is there an income test to sponsor parents or grandparents?

Yes. The parents and grandparents stream applies a minimum necessary income test across the three taxation years preceding the application, so a single strong year does not carry a file on its own. The sponsorship calculators on this site compute the threshold for your family size against the published table.

Can I sponsor a dependent child or an orphaned sibling?

Yes, both fall within federal family sponsorship, alongside a small number of other narrow categories. They are assessed on the relationship and the sponsor's undertaking rather than on the applicant's skills or score, which is what separates the sponsorship family of programs from the economic ones.