Family Sponsorship Immigration to Canada: Overview

On This Page, You Will Find:

• Who can sponsor a family member
• Family members you can sponsor
• Income requirements: why spouses and children differ from parents and grandparents
• The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) in 2026
• Family class admissions under the 2026-2028 Levels Plan
• Sponsorship fees in 2026
• Spousal sponsorship processing times
• The sponsorship undertaking
• The spousal open work permit
• How to apply
• Frequently asked questions

Family reunification remains one of the largest components of Canada’s immigration system, second only to economic immigration. Under the Family Class, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor a spouse, partner, dependent child, parent, grandparent or, in limited cases, another relative to become a permanent resident.

The rules, fees and processing times differ significantly depending on who you are sponsoring. This overview explains the current requirements, the 2026 status of the Parents and Grandparents Program, and what has changed under the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

Who Can Sponsor a Family Member

To sponsor a family member for Canadian permanent residence, you generally must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• live in Canada, or provide proof that you intend to live in Canada once the person you are sponsoring becomes a permanent resident (this option applies to Canadian citizens abroad sponsoring a spouse, partner or dependent child)
• sign an undertaking and a sponsorship agreement committing to financially support the person(s) you sponsor so they do not need to rely on social assistance

You cannot sponsor a family member if you are in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking, in default of court-ordered support payments, or if you are subject to certain other restrictions set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. Residents of Quebec must also meet the province’s own sponsorship requirements through the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI).

Family Members You Can Sponsor

The Family Class covers several categories of relatives, each with its own eligibility rules:

• your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner
• your dependent children, including children you plan to adopt or have already adopted
• your parents and grandparents, and their accompanying dependants
• children adopted abroad
• in limited circumstances, an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild under 18, or one other relative of any age if you have no other family member you could otherwise sponsor

Each category is processed under its own guide and, in some cases, its own intake process. The Parents and Grandparents Program, for example, uses an annual invitation process rather than year-round applications.

Income Requirements: Why Spouses and Children Differ From Parents and Grandparents

A common misconception is that every sponsor must meet a minimum income test. That is not the case.

If you are sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child, there is generally no minimum income requirement. You must still show that you can meet your undertaking obligations and that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability.

Sponsoring a parent or grandparent is different. You (and a co-signer, if you have one) must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), which is calculated using Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30 percent, based on your family size. IRCC assesses this over the three consecutive tax years immediately before your application is received. Because the LICO tables are updated annually and vary by family size, check the current income requirement table published with the Parents and Grandparents Program application guide before you rely on a specific dollar figure.

The separate Super Visa, which lets parents and grandparents visit for extended periods without becoming permanent residents, uses its own LICO-based income test. As of March 31, 2026, IRCC introduced added flexibility to that Super Visa income test, including the ability to assess a host’s income against either of the two most recent tax years and to count some of the visiting parent’s or grandparent’s own income toward the threshold. These Super Visa changes do not apply to the Minimum Necessary Income test used for permanent Parents and Grandparents Program sponsorship.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) in 2026

The Parents and Grandparents Program has been paused for new applicants since the start of 2026. On July 15, 2026, IRCC announced it would pause intake of new PGP applications and stop accepting new interest-to-sponsor forms or issuing new invitations to apply until further notice.

IRCC is continuing to process only PGP applications submitted by sponsors who received an invitation to apply during the 2025 intake, up to a maximum of 10,000 complete applications, drawn from the pool of interest-to-sponsor forms submitted back in 2020. That pool is now exhausted, so there is currently no way to submit a new interest-to-sponsor form or enter a new intake round.

IRCC has said it still intends to admit up to 15,000 people through the PGP in 2026, consistent with the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, by finishing off applications already in the system. Anyone who is not part of the 2025 invited cohort and wants to bring a parent or grandparent to Canada in the meantime should consider the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, a long-validity, multiple-entry visitor visa that allows stays of up to five years at a time.

Family Class Admissions Under the 2026-2028 Levels Plan

Canada’s 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan keeps overall permanent resident admissions stable at 380,000 per year for 2026, 2027 and 2028, with the economic class rising to roughly 63 to 64 percent of total admissions.

Within that plan, the Family Class targets are:

• Spouses, partners and children: 69,000 admissions targeted for 2026, falling to 66,000 in 2027 and 2028
• Parents and grandparents: 15,000 admissions targeted each year from 2026 through 2028 (within a range of 13,000 to 19,000)
• Total Family Class: 84,000 admissions targeted for 2026, falling to 81,000 in 2027 and 2028

Family Class admissions are planned to remain at roughly 21 to 22 percent of total permanent resident admissions across the plan, even as the government prioritizes economic immigration.

Sponsorship Fees in 2026

IRCC increased most permanent residence fees on April 30, 2026. Under the current fee schedule, family sponsorship costs are:

• Sponsor a spouse or partner (inside or outside Canada): $1,260 total, which includes the sponsorship fee, the processing fee and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF); $660 if the RPRF is paid separately or does not apply
• Include a dependent child on a spousal or parent/grandparent sponsorship application: $180 per child
• Sponsor a parent or grandparent: $1,260 total including the RPRF, or $660 without it
• Include the spouse or partner of a sponsored parent or grandparent: $1,260 including the RPRF, or $660 without it
• Right of Permanent Residence Fee (paid on approval, where it applies): $600

Biometrics, where required, cost $85 per person or a maximum of $170 per family. Always confirm the current amounts on IRCC’s official fee list before submitting payment, since fees are adjusted periodically under the Service Fees Act.

Spousal Sponsorship Processing Times

Processing times for spousal and partner sponsorship applications change from month to month and depend on whether the application is filed from inside or outside Canada, and whether it is a Quebec case. As of mid-2026, published processing times for applications filed from outside Canada have generally been running faster than those filed from inside Canada, with Quebec cases taking the longest because of the added provincial evaluation step.

Because these figures are updated monthly, use IRCC’s official processing times tool to confirm the current estimate before you apply or before you follow up on an existing application.

The Sponsorship Undertaking

Every sponsor signs an undertaking, a legal commitment to financially support the person(s) they sponsor for a set period, called the undertaking period. The length depends on who is being sponsored:

• Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner: 3 years from the date the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident
• Parents and grandparents: 20 years (10 years for sponsors living in Quebec)
• Dependent children: the undertaking period varies with the child’s age at the time of the application

The undertaking cannot be cancelled or shortened once the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident, even if the relationship ends, the sponsor’s finances change, or either party moves away. If a sponsored person receives social assistance during the undertaking period, the sponsor is responsible for repaying it and will not be able to sponsor anyone else until the debt is repaid.

The Spousal Open Work Permit

Sponsored spouses and partners who are physically present in Canada while their sponsorship application is being processed can generally apply for an open work permit under a long-standing public policy, which lets them work for almost any employer in Canada while they wait for a decision on their permanent residence application. This measure, most recently confirmed as remaining in effect through the end of 2026, is separate from the more restrictive Spousal Open Work Permit rules introduced in 2025 for the spouses of foreign workers and international students, which do not apply to Family Class sponsorship applicants.

Confirm current eligibility for the open work permit measure on IRCC’s website before applying, since public policies of this kind are reviewed and can be extended, narrowed or allowed to expire.

How to Apply

The application process varies by relationship category, but generally involves:

• confirming you meet the sponsor eligibility requirements for the relationship category
• gathering proof of the relationship (marriage or birth certificates, relationship evidence, adoption records, and so on)
• completing the correct application package and paying the applicable fees
• submitting the application through the Permanent Residence Portal, where available, or by paper for categories that still require it
• responding promptly to any requests for additional documents, medical exams or biometrics

For a full walk-through of the overall Canadian immigration system, see our Canada immigration overview.

Frequently Asked Questions