Tips on Sponsoring your Child for Canadian Sponsorship

Through family class sponsorship, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident may sponsor a dependent child living in a different country to come join the parents in Canada and attain permanent residence status. The reason behind sponsoring a dependent child is to permit family members who live in different countries to be reunited in Canada.

Child Qualifying Requirements

To stand eligible for sponsorship, a child must be dependent on parents and they are:

• A child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or their spouse
• Are unmarried or in a common-law relationship
• Are under the age of 22

If a child is above the age of 22, they may be eligible as a dependent if they:

• Have a pertaining physical or mental condition that stops them from being able to support themselves
• Are depended on their parents for financial support before the age of 22

Sponsor Eligibility Requirements

To sponsor your child, a child must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or intending to return to Canada or a person registered under the Indian Act of Canada
• Be able to provide for your basic needs and those of your dependent child, as well as your spouse (if applicable)
• Be able to prove the relationship to your child
• Not have a criminal record
• Not be in prison, charged with a serious offence, or be bankrupt
• Not be in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking
• Not be under immigration investigation

How to sponsor a dependent child in Quebec?

If you want to sponsor your dependent child to move to Quebec, the Canadian province has its own immigration procedures and added steps to take. One is required to fill an application at Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation and de l’Intégration (MIFI) and an application with Immmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Besides, candidates who live in Quebec are required to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (QSC) and file an ‘undertaking’ with the province. The undertaking needs you, as a sponsor, to provide for the basic needs of the dependent child and compensate the government for the assistance offered to the sponsored people during the sponsorship period.

The undertaking for a dependent child in Quebec is different than in the rest of Canada and also differs according to their age. If the dependent child is under the age of 16 years, the undertaking is for a minimum of 10 years, or until the age of 18 years. If the dependent child is 16 years of age and older, the undertaking is for a minimum of three years, or until the age of 25, whichever is longer.