Sponsoring Relatives – Who can you Sponsor in Canada?

Only relatives such as your brother, sister, uncle, or aunt can be sponsored by you under specific situations. There are certain criteria mentioned below which must be met by the family member you wish to sponsor. Based on the situation, you have 2 options for the people who can be sponsored by you.

1. Discussions in 30 Seconds hide

   1 Orphaned sister, brother, niece, nephew, or grandchild

   2 2. Your brother, nephew, sister, niece or grandchild cannot be sponsored by you, if:

   3 3. Other relatives

   4 Examples of who can be sponsored by you

   5 Example 1: You are eligible to sponsor your aunt

   6 Example 2: You are eligible to sponsor your cousin

   7 Example 3: You cannot sponsor: Aunt by marriage

   8 Who can’t you sponsor?

   8.1 About Post Author

   8.1.1 Diksha Garg

   Orphaned sister, brother, niece, nephew, or grandchild

An orphaned sister, brother, niece, nephew or grandchild can be sponsored by you if they meet all the conditions mentioned below:

• They are related to the sponsor by either blood or by adoption
• Their biological parents have passed away
• They are below 18 years 
• They are single (they should not be married or be in a conjugal/common-law relationship)

2. Your brother, nephew, sister, niece or grandchild cannot be sponsored by you, if:

• anyone of their parents is alive
• Nobody is aware fo the whereabouts of their parents
• They have been abandoned by their parents
• They are being taken care of by someone else rather than their parents, even while any one or both of their parents are still alive
• Their parent is detained or in jail
  

  3. Other relatives

You could sponsor just one relative, of any age, who is related to you by either blood or adoption if all of the conditions mentioned below are met by you:

• You (the sponsor) do not have any living relative who could be sponsored by you instead:
  • spouse
  • common-law/ conjugal partner
  • son/daughter
  • parent
  • grandparent
  • An orphaned brother/sister
  • An orphaned nephew/niece
  • An orphaned grandchild
• You (potential sponsor) do not have relatives (either aunt or uncle or even any of those listed above) who is:
  • A Canadian citizen
  • A permanent resident, or 
  • A registered Indian according to the Indian Act

If you wish to sponsor a relative who has a partner, spouse, or any dependent children who would be accompanying them to Canada they have to be included on the same application of sponsorship.

Examples of who can be sponsored by you

Check out the examples mentioned below to understand who could be sponsored by you.

Example 1: You are eligible to sponsor your aunt

Stella does not have either a common-law partner or a spouse and has no children. She is a permanent resident of Canada. Her parents, as well as grandparents, have passed away. She has no relatives who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents or even registered Indians, in Canada. Stella wants to sponsor a very close aunt Veronica. Her aunt Veronica is married, and she also has a daughter.

Stella meets all the requirements  necessary to sponsor the aunt as she does not have:

• Any close relative who is alive and whom she would have sponsored instead (like a spouse, child, partner, parent, orphaned sibling, or a grandparent) and
• Any relative who is either a citizen, a permanent resident, or a registered Indian, living in Canada.

On the application, the principal applicant would be Veronica and her dependant would be her husband. Veronica’s daughter could be included provided she qualifies as the dependent child. In case the daughter is much older than the limit or she fails to meet all the vital requirements, she will not be added to the application of Veronica and would have to immigrate on her own to Canada.

Example 2: You are eligible to sponsor your cousin

Eric is the only child, and both his parents as well as grandparents are no more. He was raised by his cousin in the US.  He immigrated as a permanent resident to Canada and is single. He does not have relatives (Canadian Citizens/registered Indians/permanent residents) living in Canada. He wishes to sponsor his only cousin who is American and who is single.

Eric meets all the necessary requirements in order to sponsor his cousin because he does not have:

• Any close relative who is alive and whom he would have sponsored instead (like a spouse, child, partner, parent, orphaned sibling, or a grandparent) and
• Any relative who is either a citizen, a permanent resident, or a registered Indian, living in Canada.

Example 3: You cannot sponsor: Aunt by marriage

Eva is a citizen of Canada and her only family was her mother who is no more. Eva was close to the only brother of his mother, and his wife. Eva’s uncle passed away recently, and Eva wants to sponsor her uncle’s wife (i.e. aunt by marriage). However, Eva doesn’t meet all the necessary requirements and cannot sponsor her aunt, as they are not blood relations.

Who can’t you sponsor?

You cannot sponsor a person who is inadmissible/ not allowed to enter Canada.

About Post Author

Diksha Garg

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