Dependent Visa Canada
You may be able to bring your eligible family members to Canada as your dependents provided you fulfil the sponsorship requirements. You must be capable of supporting them financially without any social assistance from the Canadian government.
If you are looking for more information and guidance about how you can sponsor your family members to become permanent residents in Canada, or wish to receive immigration assistance with your sponsor application, call us today at +1 844 290 6312 or contact us online.
What Is a Dependent Visa in Canada?
Based on the family reunification principles, the Government of Canada allows Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and Registered Indians to sponsor their eligible non-Canadian family members to come and live in Canada with themselves.
This pathway to permanent residency in Canada is often referred to as a dependent visa in common parlance. However, technically speaking, there is no visa called a dependent visa in Canada.
Instead, the eligible sponsors will need to apply under the Family Class or the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada (SCLPC) Class to bring their dependent family to Canada.
To be eligible to sponsor your family, you must meet the relevant sponsorship conditions as specified by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), while your dependent family members will need to fulfil the Canadian immigration requirements.
Page Contents
- What Is a Dependent Visa in Canada?
- Who Is Eligible to Sponsor Their Dependents in Canada?
- Family Members You May Sponsor in Canada
- Sponsoring Your Spouse, Partner, or Child in Canada: Additional Requirements
- Sponsoring Your Adopted Child in Canada: Additional Requirements
- Sponsoring Your Parents and Grandparents in Canada: Additional Requirements
- Sponsoring Your Orphaned Sibling, Nephew, Niece or Grandchild: Additional Requirements
- Income Requirements for Sponsoring Dependent Family in Canada
- How to Apply for a Canada Dependent Visa?
- Canada Dependent Visa Documents Checklist
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Eligible to Sponsor Their Dependents in Canada?
To sponsor your dependent family members, you must be:
- At least 18
- A Canadian citizen, a permanent resident in Canada, or registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- Living in Canada. Canadian citizens living outside Canada at the time of their sponsor application must be able to prove that they intend to live in Canada when their dependents will become permanent residents in Canada. Permanent residents living outside Canada cannot sponsor their dependents
- Not receiving any governmental assistance other than for disability reasons
- Having sufficient funds to provide for the dependents you wish to sponsor without relying on any social assistance (you will have to provide a legally binding undertaking to that effect)
In addition to the above, if you live in Quebec, you will have to meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements
Temporary residents in Canada, such as those studying or working in the country on a visa or a permit, cannot sponsor their dependents.
Those whose permanent residence application is still in process also cannot sponsor their dependents. Furthermore, you may not be able to sponsor your dependents if you:
- Were sponsored by a spouse/partner and became a permanent resident in Canada less than five years ago
- Are still financially responsible as a sponsor for a previous spouse/partner
- Have already applied to sponsor your dependents and awaiting a decision thereof
- Are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
- Did not pay back an immigration loan, a performance bond, or any court-ordered family support payments (not applicable for people living in Quebec)
- Did not provide the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement in the past (not applicable for people living in Quebec)
- Have declared bankruptcy and are not yet discharged (not applicable for people living in Quebec)
- Have been convicted of attempting, threatening to commit, or committing a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative, or any sexual offence within or outside Canada
- Are not legally allowed to stay in Canada
Family Members You May Sponsor in Canada
You may be able to sponsor the following family members provided all the sponsorship and immigration conditions are met:
- Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner
- You or your partner’s dependent children
- Your children’s dependent children
- Adopted children
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Your orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild
- Any other relative if you are related to them biologically or by adoption, and you do not have a living relative mentioned above whom you could sponsor instead
It is crucial to understand that among the above, you can only bring your spouse/partner, your or your partner’s dependent children, and the dependent children of a dependent child along with you to Canada, if they were processed for permanent residence as your dependents. For the rest, you may be able to sponsor them only after you immigrate to Canada.
Please also note that apart from the aforementioned eligibility conditions, you will need to meet additional requirements to sponsor your dependents. These requirements slightly vary depending on your relation with your dependents.
Sponsoring Your Spouse, Partner, or Child in Canada: Additional Requirements
You can sponsor your spouse of either sex if they are at least 18, and you are:
- Legally married, or
- Living together for at least 12 consecutive months in a conjugal relationship without any long periods apart (for common-law partners), or
- Conjugal partners who are in a relationship for at least one year but cannot marry or live together in their country of residence because of significant legal and immigration reasons
Likewise, you may be able to sponsor your (or your partner’s) dependent children if they:
- Are less than 22 years old
- Do not have a spouse or common law partner
- Above 22 but cannot support themselves financially due to a mental or physical condition, and have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22
If your dependent child has a child of their own (i.e., your grandchild), you may include them as a dependent in the application as well.
Sponsoring Your Adopted Child in Canada: Additional Requirements
To sponsor an adopted child, you must fulfil the eligibility criteria as discussed earlier in this article. Apart from that, you must fulfil the requirements of the adoption process and the immigration process.
You may adopt children under 18, with the adoption process completed within or outside Canada. For adopting children 18 or older, the adoption process must be completed outside Canada. All intercountry adoptions must:
- Be legal in the child’s home country and in the Canadian province or territory where you live
- Terminate the legal relationship between your adopted child and their biological parents
- Meet the specific requirements of the Canadian province or territory where you live
- Create a genuine parent-child relationship between you and the adopted child
- Be in the best interests of the adopted child
- Not be primarily for the child to gain permanent resident status in Canada
Sponsoring Your Parents and Grandparents in Canada: Additional Requirements
If you meet the eligibility conditions, you may be invited to sponsor your parents and grandparents, biological or adoptive, and their dependent children (i.e. your siblings, half-siblings, or step-siblings).
If your parents/grandparents are divorced, you may also be able to sponsor their current spouses or partners.
However, you are not allowed to sponsor your in-laws, meaning your spouse or partner’s parents and grandparents.
Sponsoring Your Orphaned Sibling, Nephew, Niece or Grandchild: Additional Requirements
You may also sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if the following requirements are met:
- You are related to them biologically or by adoption
- The dependent person is under 18
- Both their parents have passed away
- They are not married or in a common-law relationship
However, if at least one of their parents is alive, you will not be eligible to sponsor them.
Income Requirements for Sponsoring Dependent Family in Canada
To sponsor your spouse/partner or dependent children, an income requirement is usually not specified, although you must declare that you have sufficient funds to cover the basic needs of your dependents in Canada.
However, you may need to submit income proofs in case your dependent child has dependent children, or your dependent spouse/partner has a dependent child, who in turn has dependent children of their own.
For sponsoring your parents, grandparents or other eligible relatives, you must prove that you meet the specified income requirements for each of the past three tax years preceding your application date.
The income requirements you need to meet will vary depending on your family size.
You may also have your spouse or common-law partner co-sign your application to combine your incomes in case you do not meet the income requirements by yourself.
How to Apply for a Canada Dependent Visa?
Application to sponsor your dependent family member in Canada is an online process. The process consists of two applications: you apply to become a sponsor and your dependent family member applies to become a permanent resident in Canada. People who cannot apply online must get in touch with IRCC to apply in another format.
The application process starts with downloading your relevant application package from the Government of Canada website. You will then need to gather the required supporting documents as per the checklist included in your application package.
Next, you will need to fill in the required forms online within the portal for yourself, and any family members 18 or older. Once the forms are completed, you must digitally sign them along with the principal applicant. You will also need to submit one photo per person included in your application.
To complete the application process, you will then need to pay the required fees and submit your biometric details. Please book your biometrics collection appointment as soon as possible to avoid any delays in processing your application. IRCC will send you an acknowledgement of receipt letter or email with an application number once they start processing your application.
Canada Dependent Visa Documents Checklist
The supporting documents, online forms, and instructions for a Canada dependent visa vary depending on:
- The relationship of the person being sponsored with you
- The country where the person to be sponsored is currently a resident
- The country which issued the supporting documents to be submitted with your application
You must visit the official website of the Government of Canada to get the application package, document checklist, forms, and instructions as applicable in your case. Since your application will not be processed if you do not submit the documents and forms relevant in your case, it is crucial to ensure you have downloaded the right application package.
The following supporting documents are usually required for sponsoring your dependents:
- The dependent’s passport or equivalent travel document
- Their national identity document
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate, where applicable
- Genuineness proofs of your relationship with the dependent
- A relationship history letter of explanation
- Joint bank account details, if any
- A third person witness statement proving the genuineness of your relationship
- Police certificate(s) from all countries in which the dependent lived in for at least one year since they turned 16 (if applicable)
- Medical certificate
- Your income proofs as the sponsor, where applicable
In case you cannot submit an item on the document checklist, you will need to provide a detailed explanation of the reason(s) thereof (to avoid a scenario where your application will be returned to you as incomplete).
How Can Total Law Help?
Applying to sponsor your qualifying family members in Canada comes with two-fold challenges: on one hand, you must be able to meet the sponsor criteria including any applicable income requirements. On the other hand, the family members you wish to sponsor must be able to meet the immigration conditions for Canada. In other words, they must be admissible to Canada per IRCC guidelines.
Our Total Law team of expert immigration lawyers have helped several applicants with their Canada dependent visa as well as other Canada visas. We have the required knowledge, experience, and empathy to assist you, regardless of your immigration circumstances or the complications involved in your case.
If you are seeking overall advice with your dependent visa Canada application, or would like our immigration experts to complete your application on your behalf, we are happy to help. We provide application services where our immigration specialists can guide you through each application stage.
To discuss the bespoke legal and immigration services we provide and how we can help you, please call us on +1 844 290 6312 today to speak with one of our team members, or fill out an online contact form.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
IRCC may take nine months to 28 months or more for processing a family sponsorship application. The processing time varies depending on factors like your relationship with the dependent family member you wish to sponsor, their current country of residence, whether you live in Quebec in Canada or outside, etc.
The application fees vary depending on who you wish to sponsor. For example, you will need to pay a fee of $CAN 1,205 for sponsoring your spouse or partner. To include your dependent child in your application, you must pay a fee of $CAN 175.
In most scenarios, fees for family sponsorship in Canada will include processing fees for you and the dependent family member(s) you wish to sponsor as well as their dependents (if any), the right of permanent residence fee, and the biometrics fee. The Government of Canada website has a fee calculator for your reference.
The dependent person being sponsored can create an online account on the Government of Canada website to receive regular alerts and messages from IRCC about their application. IRCC may also use this account to ask you for other documents or information required to process your application, if any.
