The family class is one of the major streams of Canadian permanent residence immigration, providing a pathway for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor certain family members for permanent residence in Canada. Family class sponsorship is based on the principle of family reunification — Canada's immigration policy recognises that the ability to live with close family members is fundamental to successful integration and settlement. The main categories eligible for family class sponsorship are: spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners; dependent children; parents and grandparents (through the Parent and Grandparent Program); and other eligible relatives in limited circumstances. Every sponsor must sign an undertaking — a legally binding financial support commitment for a fixed period after the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. This page explains who can sponsor, which family members are eligible, the undertaking obligation, the bars on sponsoring, and Quebec's separate process.

For current family sponsorship categories, eligibility, and application guides, refer to the IRCC sponsor your family page.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s 12(1) — family class: a foreign national may be selected as a permanent resident on the basis of their relationship to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is willing to sponsor them
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, Part 7, Division 1 (ss 116–137) — sets out the full framework for family class sponsorship, including who constitutes a member of the family class, sponsor eligibility, the undertaking obligations, and the bars on sponsoring
• IRPR, s 117 — defines the members of the family class eligible for sponsorship: spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child, parent, grandparent, and in limited circumstances a sibling, nephew, niece, or grandchild who is an orphan and under 18, or a lone relative
• IRPR, s 130 — sets out who may be a sponsor and the conditions that bar a person from sponsoring
• IRPR, s 132 — the undertaking requirement: every sponsor must undertake to provide for the basic needs of the sponsored person for the applicable period
• IRCC: Sponsor your family members — canada.ca/family-sponsorship

Who can be a sponsor — eligibility requirements

To be eligible to sponsor a family member, a person must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident residing in Canada, or a person registered in Canada under the Canadian Indian Act
• If a Canadian citizen living outside Canada — demonstrate an intention to reside in Canada when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident; Canadian citizens outside Canada can only sponsor in limited categories
• Not be a permanent resident living outside Canada — a PR must be residing in Canada to sponsor

Who cannot sponsor — bars on eligibility

A person is not eligible to sponsor if they:

• Prior undertaking default: have defaulted on a previous undertaking — that is, the government or a province repaid social assistance (welfare) received by a person they previously sponsored, and the sponsor has not repaid that amount; undertaking default bars the person from sponsoring until the debt is repaid
• Social assistance: are currently receiving social assistance other than for a disability — a sponsor on welfare cannot undertake to support a family member
• Criminality: have been convicted (in Canada or abroad) of a sexual offence, an offence involving violence or weapons, a family violence offence, or certain other prescribed offences — these bars reflect the principle that sponsors should not have a history of violence or abuse toward family members
• Removal order: are subject to an enforceable removal order from Canada
• Previously sponsored partner: was sponsored as a spouse or partner and became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago (the "sponsored person sponsoring others" bar — a new PR who was themselves sponsored cannot immediately become a family class sponsor)

Categories eligible for sponsorship

The family class includes the following categories under IRPR s 117:

• Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner: the sponsor's spouse (legally married), common-law partner (in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months), or conjugal partner (conjugal relationship for at least 12 months, unable to cohabit due to immigration or legal barriers); see the spousal sponsorship page
• Dependent children: biological or adopted children who are either under 22 years of age, or over 22 and have depended substantially on a parent since before age 22 due to physical or mental condition; see the dependent child age page
• Parents and grandparents: a Canadian citizen or PR can sponsor a parent or grandparent through the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) — the PGP operates on an annual intake basis, with IRCC inviting potential sponsors to apply; the intake is capped each year and operates by lottery; see the PGP page
• Other eligible relatives: in limited circumstances, a sponsor may sponsor a sibling, nephew, niece, or grandchild who is an orphan, unmarried, and under 18; or a sole lonely Canadian (a sponsor with no other family members in Canada or abroad who can sponsor them) may sponsor one relative of any age; see the other relatives page

The undertaking obligation

Every family class sponsor must sign a legally binding undertaking at the time of the sponsorship application. The undertaking commits the sponsor to:

• Provide for the basic needs of the sponsored person — food, clothing, shelter, fuel, utilities, household supplies, personal care items, dental care, and optical care
• Repay any social assistance received by the sponsored person from the federal or provincial government during the undertaking period

The length of the undertaking varies by relationship:

• Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner: 3 years from the date the sponsored person becomes a PR
• Dependent child aged under 22 at PR: 10 years from the date of becoming a PR, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first
• Dependent child aged 22 or over at PR: 3 years from the date of becoming a PR
• Parent or grandparent: 20 years from the date of becoming a PR

Quebec — separate undertaking process

Quebec has its own undertaking process administered by the provincial Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) under the Canada-Quebec Accord. Quebec residents who wish to sponsor a family member must:

• Submit a Quebec undertaking application to MIFI in addition to the federal sponsorship application to IRCC
• Have the MIFI undertaking accepted before the PR application can be approved

MIFI may cap the number of undertaking applications it accepts in any given year — this can delay Quebec-based sponsorships even when the federal side is open. Sponsors in Quebec should check the current MIFI processing status before applying.

The two-application process

Family class sponsorship involves two parallel applications that are submitted together:

1. Sponsorship application: submitted by the sponsor to IRCC confirming the sponsor's eligibility to sponsor and the undertaking commitment
2. Permanent residence application: submitted by the person being sponsored for their PR status

Both applications are generally submitted together through the IRCC PR Portal (or by paper for some categories). IRCC assesses both applications — the sponsor's eligibility and the sponsored person's admissibility — before granting permanent residence.

Family class sponsorship is a major driver of Canadian permanent residence — it consistently accounts for a large share of the annual immigration targets set in IRCC's multi-year immigration levels plan. The undertaking system creates a real financial obligation: sponsors who fail to understand the undertaking (particularly the 20-year undertaking for parents and grandparents) can face significant financial and legal consequences if the sponsored person later requires social assistance. The bars on sponsoring (particularly the undertaking default bar) can create multi-generational effects if a family has a history of sponsorship default — the bar lasts until the debt is repaid in full. For current family class categories, application forms, the current PGP intake status, and Quebec MIFI undertaking information, refer to the IRCC sponsor your family page.