Step by Step Guide for family sponsorship

Ensure you meet eligibility criteria to be a sponsor.

• Ensure that the relatives you intend to sponsor meet eligibility criteria.
• You will need to apply at the federal level to the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and, if you are a Quebec resident, at the provincial level to the Ministry of Immigration, Francization, and Integration (MIFI). You must submit your sponsorship application and the permanent residence (PR) status applications of your family members or relatives together. Once you have been deemed eligible to sponsor, your PR application will be reviewed.
• You will be required to pay the family sponsorship application fee.
• Send your application to the right address. You will find this information in the sponsorship guide that is available for download on the government website.

There are two types of spousal or common-law sponsorship applications:

Inland:

The application can be made from within Canada because the person you wish to sponsor is currently in Canada. This type of sponsorship allows applicants to continue to live in Canada while their application for permanent residence is being processed.

If the application is made from within Canada, the person you are sponsoring may apply for an open work permit that would allow them to work for any employer in Canada while the sponsorship application is being processed.

Outland:

The application is made from abroad through an Embassy or Consulate.

In this case, the person you are sponsoring and who resides abroad will normally wait for permanent residence outside of the country but may visit you in Canada.