Under Canada’s Family Sponsorship program, permanent residents or citizens can sponsor their foreign-born dependent child or children to immigrate to Canada. However, you must be eligible to sponsor and meet all of the other requirements in the application process.
Requirements to Sponsor Dependant Child
In order to be eligible to sponsor, you must be living in Canada. However, if you are a Canadian citizen living outside of the country, you must show that you plan to live in Canada with the person or persons you are sponsoring. You also have to be able to prove that you are capable of financially providing for the person or persons you are sponsoring, that includes not receiving social assistance for any reason other than disability.
When you agree to sponsor your dependent child or children, you will sign an undertaking where you promise to give financial support for their basic needs (i.e. food, clothing, shelter…etc.). This undertaking is a binding promise of support for the length of the undertaking period. The undertaking period differs depending on the age of the child. If the dependent child you are sponsoring is over the age of 22 then the length of the undertaking is 3 years from the day that they become a permanent resident.
However, if the dependent child you are sponsoring is under the age of 22 then the length of the undertaking is 10 years from the day that they become a permanent resident or until the child becomes 25 years old, whichever comes first.
There is no income requirement for sponsoring your dependent child unless the dependent child you are sponsoring has one or more dependent children of their own. In those cases, you must meet the minimum low-income-cut-off (LICO) score, which is determined by the Canadian government each year.
The table below illustrates the minimum necessary income you must have to sponsor your relatives:
In addition, there is a sponsorship bar for permanent residents or Canadian citizens convicted of certain violent crimes that resulted in bodily harm to close family relatives.
Bring Your Family to Canada
Fill out our FREE Family Sponsorship Assessment form to see if we can help you bring your family to Canada.
What is Considered a Dependent Child in Canada
You can sponsor your foreign-born dependent child or children for permanent residence if they meet the following definition:
- They are under 22 years old;
- They do not have a spouse or common-law partner.
These children are considered Type A Dependents.
Children 22 years old or older can qualify as dependants if they meet both of these requirements and are considered Type C Dependents:
- They have always depended on their parents for financial support;
- They are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition
If they qualify as a dependent child then you can sponsor your own child or children. Depending on your circumstances, you will have to show that the other parent or legal guardian has allowed the child to immigrate to Canada. You can also sponsor the dependent children of your dependent child (i.e. your grandchildren) if they meet the definition above. Additionally, you can sponsor the children of your spouse or partner. However, if you wish to sponsor an adopted child or an orphaned family member then the process for sponsorship will be different.
The child or children you are sponsoring must also be admissible to Canada. They might be criminally or medically inadmissible if they have been convicted of certain offences outside Canada or have a medical condition that poses a risk to public health and safety.
How Long Does it Take to Sponsor a Dependant Child to Canada
Processing times for child sponsorship applications can vary depending on where the child was born. Here is a list of processing times for applicants from the top four source countries in 2022 for permanent residence:
- India – 19 months
- China (People’s Republic of) – 31 months
- Philippines – 13 months
- Nigeria – 16 months
How Can We Help?
The Immigration Law Firm of Matthew Jeffery specializes in family sponsorship with over 20 years of experience helping clients bring their family to Canada. Fill out our FREE Family Sponsorship Assessment form to see if we can help you with your immigration matters.
