Sponsorship bars and undertakings

Topic Family immigration 🇨🇦 Verified: 2026-05

Overview

To sponsor a family member to Canada, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident must be an eligible sponsor — meaning they are not subject to any sponsorship bar. Key bars include: being in default of a previous undertaking (the financial support obligation to a sponsored person); being in default on an immigration loan or social assistance; being subject to a removal order; having been convicted of certain offences involving family violence; and being under an order that restricts contact with family members. A sponsor who breaches an undertaking can be barred from sponsoring again until the default is cleared.

When a sponsor signs a sponsorship application, they sign an undertaking — a legally binding promise to financially support the sponsored person and to repay any social assistance they receive from the government during the undertaking period. The undertaking period is 3 years for spouses and common-law partners (from the date the sponsored person becomes a PR), and 10 years for dependent children under 22.

Legal basis

IRPA s 13 — the right to sponsor family members to come to Canada
IRPR s 130 — definition of a member of the family class and sponsor eligibility requirements
IRPR s 132 — the undertaking requirements for family class sponsorship
IRPR s 133 — bars to sponsorship: default on undertaking, social assistance default, immigration loan default, criminal convictions, removal order, bankruptcy, unresolved sponsorship from previous application
IRPR s 133(1)(b) — bar for sponsors who are in receipt of social assistance (other than for disability)
IRPR s 133(1)(k) — bar for sponsors previously sponsored as a spouse/partner within the preceding 5 years

How it works

Who cannot sponsor? — The bars

A person is not eligible to sponsor a family member if any of the following apply:

Undertaking default: They are in default of a previous undertaking — that is, the government paid social assistance to a person they sponsored and the sponsor has not repaid the amount
Immigration loan default: They are in default on a loan made under IRPA (e.g., a transportation loan provided to a government-assisted refugee)
Social assistance: They are currently receiving social assistance other than for disability
Removal order: They are subject to a removal order that is in force
Incarcerated: They are currently imprisoned, on parole, or on probation
Criminal convictions involving family violence: They have been convicted of an offence involving violence, threats, or sexual offences against a family member or person under their authority
Previously sponsored 5-year bar: They were themselves sponsored as a spouse or common-law partner and became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago
Unresolved sponsorship: A previous sponsorship application for a spouse or partner is still being processed

The undertaking obligation

An undertaking is a binding obligation the sponsor signs as part of the sponsorship process. The sponsor promises to:

Provide financial support to the sponsored person for basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, utilities, personal needs)
Repay to the federal and provincial governments any social assistance paid to the sponsored person during the undertaking period

The undertaking period depends on the relationship:

Spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner: 3 years from the date of becoming a permanent resident
Dependent children under 22: 10 years from the date of becoming a permanent resident, or until the child turns 25 — whichever is sooner
Dependent children 22 and over: 3 years
Parents and grandparents: 20 years
Other relatives: 10 years

The 5-year bar for previously sponsored spouses

A person who was themselves sponsored as a spouse or common-law partner cannot sponsor another spouse or common-law partner until 5 years have elapsed from the date they became a permanent resident. This rule prevents "chain sponsorship" — a pattern where a person is sponsored, and then immediately sponsors another person as a partner. The 5-year bar applies regardless of whether the first relationship ended by separation or divorce.

Consequences of undertaking default

If the provincial government pays social assistance to a person who was sponsored, and the sponsor does not repay the amount, the sponsor is in default of their undertaking. A sponsor in default:

Cannot sponsor any other family members until the default is cleared
May be sued by the government for the amount owed

The undertaking obligation runs even if the relationship breaks down. A sponsor cannot escape the undertaking by separating from the sponsored spouse during the undertaking period.