Every year, Canada welcomes over 100,000 family class immigrants that arrive through the Spouses, Partners, and children category. Still, a smaller share also immigrates under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).
The rules surrounding sponsoring other family members are less well known. However, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does allow you to sponsor the immigration of other family members but only under very specific situations.
Persons 18 years and older Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and those registered under Canada’s Indian Act can sponsor their family to obtain permanent residence in Canada. Most of these sponsor their spouse, partner, parents, or grandparents.
IRCC also allows you to sponsor someone through these two options.
1. An Orphaned Brother, Sister, Nephew, Niece, or Grandchild.
To qualify for this option, IRCC requires you to meet a few conditions as stated below.
- They are your relatives, either by blood or through adoption.
- Both of their parents passed away.
- They are below 18 years.
- They are not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship.
On the other hand, you cannot sponsor family members under these conditions, as recommended by IRCC.
- They have a parent that is still alive.
- The location of their parents is unknown.
- Their parents abandoned them.
- They are under someone else’s care while one or both of their parents are still alive.
- Their parent is in jail or detained.
