On July 18, 2025, the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) has reached the maximum number of undertaking applications it can receive, from June 26, 2024 to June 25, 2026 inclusive, for sponsoring a parent (father, mother), a grandparent or another family member (2,600 applications).
The MIFI is not receiving new applications for these family members until June 25, 2026.
This article will help you navigate through the main requirements to sponsor orphaned siblings, nephews/nieces or grandchildren, and others to become permanent residents of Canada. This includes your obligations as a sponsor, your income requirements, and other the eligibility requirements.
Obligations as a Sponsor
When you sponsor persons who are members of the family class, you must sign an undertaking with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) if you live in Quebec.
The undertaking is a promise to provide financial support and basic requirements for the family members you are sponsoring. Basic requirements are:
- food, clothing, utilities, personal requirements, shelter, fuel, household supplies, and
- healthcare not provided by public health, such as eye and dental care.
The undertaking ensures that these persons and their family members do not have to apply for social assistance. The length of undertaking depends on their age and their relationship with the sponsor.
Your obligations as a sponsor begin as soon as the person(s) you are sponsoring arrive in Canada. Your spouse or common-law partner may help you meet the income requirement by co-signing the sponsorship application.
The undertaking is an unconditional promise of support. For example, the granting of Canadian citizenship, divorce, separation or relationship breakdown or moving to another province does not cancel the undertaking. The undertaking also remains in effect even if your financial situation deteriorates.
The length of the undertaking for residents of provinces and territories outside Quebec is:
- 3 years for a dependent child over 22 years of age,
- 10 years for a dependent child under 22 years of age, or until the child becomes 22 years old, whichever comes first,
- 10 years for any other relative.
The length of the undertaking for residents of Quebec is:
- 3 years minimum for a dependent child over 16 years of age, or until the child becomes 25 years old, whichever is the longest,
- 10 years minimum for a dependent child under 16 years of age, or until the child becomes 18 years old, whichever is the longest,
- 10 years for any other relative.
Eligibility to Sponsor
You can become a sponsor if you are:
- at least 18 years old,
- a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or a permanent resident living in Canada,
- able to prove that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability, and
- have enough income to provide for basic needs of any grandchildren (dependent children of a dependent child) of the principal applicant.
You may not be able to sponsor a relative if you:
- are in prison,
- have not paid your alimony or child support payments,
- have declared bankruptcy and haven’t been released from it yet,
- got social assistance for reasons other than being disabled,
- didn’t pay back an immigration loan, made late payments or missed payments,
- sponsored another relative in the past and didn’t meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement,
- were convicted of a violent crime, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence, depending on details of the case.
If you live in Quebec, you must satisfy the requirements of both governments. Orphaned brothers, sisters, nephew, niece or grandchild must be the subject of a positive psychosocial assessment of the child’s reception conditions. This assessment is carried out by the youth center in your region and subject to a fee of around $1,200. You must also sign a declaration in which you agree to file a motion with the Superior Court within 90 days of the child’s arrival in Quebec in order to appoint a tutor for the child. There are other general criteria for Quebec residents that are similar to those of the federal government.
Who Can You Sponsor?
- orphaned,
- related to you by blood or adoption,
- under 18 years old, and
- not married or in a common-law relationship.
You can’t sponsor your brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if:
- one of their parents is still alive,
- no one knows where their parents are,
- their parents abandoned them,
- someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive, or
- their parent is in jail or otherwise detained.
Option 2. You can sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you satisfy to the two following conditions:
- You don’t have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
- spouse,
- common-law partner,
- conjugal partner,
- son or daughter,
- parent,
- grandparent,
- orphaned brother or sister
- orphaned nephew or niece
- orphaned grandchild
- You don’t have any aunt or uncle or any of the above-named relatives who is:
- a Canadian citizen,
- a permanent resident, or
- a registered Indian under the Indian Act.
Income Requirements
If you wish to sponsor an orphaned sibling, nephew/niece or grandchild (Option 1) OR an eligible relative (Option 2), your income must meet or exceed a set amount of funds (that is updated each year), on the date which the sponsorship application is signed.
The same applies for Quebec resident but the required amounts are different.
Income requirements for residents outside Quebec
Your income must meet or exceed the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), on the date which the sponsorship application is signed.
You need to calculate the number of people in your family, including:
- Yourself and your family members, even if they do not live with you,
- The person you are sponsoring and his/her family members who will be living with you,
- Anyone you have sponsored in the past and their family members,
- Anyone you have co-signed a sponsorship financial obligation in the past and is still in effect, and
- Any person that you are sponsoring who has sponsored or has co-signed a sponsorship financial obligation for in the past and is still in effect.
Below is the table with required funds, last updated by IRCC on July 29, 2025.
| Family Size | Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) - 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2 | $38,002 CAD |
| 3 | $46,720 CAD |
| 4 | $56,724 CAD |
| 5 | $64,336 CAD |
| 6 | $72,560 CAD |
| 7 | $80,784 CAD |
| For each additional person | $8,224 CAD |
Income requirements for Quebec residents
If you live in Quebec, the Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income based on their own minimum income requirements, which differ from the tables above. For example, for Quebec residents, there is no special distinction in required income for parents and grandparents.
However, the same exceptions to minimum income requirements apply for Quebec residents (for spouse, partner, children, …)
The amounts below are in effect from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
Basic income required of the sponsor to meet his or her own family unit’s basic needs (Income A):
- For 1 member: $29,642
- For 2 member: $40,015
- For 3 members: $49,401
- For 4 members: $56,819
- For 5 members: $63,237
- For each additional member: $6,418
Additional income required of the sponsor to meet the needs of the sponsored persons (Income B):
- For 0 sponsored person aged 18 or older AND:
- For 1 sponsored person under 18: $10,261
- For 2 sponsored persons under 18: $16,262
- For each additional sponsored person under 18: $5,422
- For 1 sponsored person aged 18 or older AND:
- For 0 sponsored person under 18: $21,682
- For 1 sponsored person under 18: $29,131
- For 2 sponsored persons under 18: $32,895
- For each additional sponsored person under 18: $3,760
- For 2 sponsored persons aged 18 or older AND:
- For 0 sponsored person under 18: $31,796
- For 1 sponsored person under 18: $35,617
- For 2 sponsored persons under 18: $38,450
- For each additional sponsored person under 18: $2,823
- For each additional sponsored person aged 18 or older: $10,107
The demonstration of your financial capacity must be based on:
- Income from Canadian sources for the income required to support your family (Income A);
- Canadian-source income or assets held in Canada for the amount required to meet the basic needs of the sponsored persons (Income B).
You must have had income during the 12 months (1 year) prior to your application and demonstrate that you will continue to have this income for the duration of your undertaking.
Application Process
There are two stages in the process for your eligible relatives to become permanent residents:
- You must apply to sponsor your relatives.
- Your family members must apply for permanent residence (if the person being sponsored is under 18, you or their guardian can fill out the forms and sign them on their behalf).
You must apply for both applications for your relatives online at the same time.
If you live in Quebec, you must:
- First submit your federal sponsorship application to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
- If you meet the federal requirements to apply for sponsorship, IRCC will send you an email or letter with instructions to download Quebec’s sponsorship kit.
- Ask the person you are sponsoring to complete certain procedures, namely, applying for a “Certificat de Selection du Québec” (CSQ) and permanent residence.
Medical Exam & Biometrics Requirements
The sponsored person and their dependents will need to pass a Medical Exam with an Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) approved doctor. Find out more in our medical exams article.
It may be required to provide biometrics (fingerprints scanning and photograph). You can find more information on Biometrics in this page.
Application Fees
Relative (over 22 years old): $1,205
- $85 Sponsorship fee,
- $545 Processing fee, and
- $575 Right of Permanent Residence fee.
Spouse or partner of your relative: $1,210
- $635 Processing fee, and
- $575 Right of Permanent Residence fee.
Relative (under 22 years old): $745
- $85 Sponsorship fee,
- $85 Processing fee, and
- $575 Right of Permanent Residence fee.
Processing Times
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does not have a target service standard of processing for Other relatives sponsorship applications.
Processing times for an Other relatives sponsorship application depend on the country from where your sponsored family member is living.You can find out your country’s current average processing times here. You need to select “Sponsor a family member”, then “Adopted child and other relative”, then choose the country they are living in.
