Family PR FAQs 2026

Canada Family Sponsorship lets eligible Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and registered Indians sponsor close relatives for PR. IRCC checks sponsor eligibility, the family relationship, and the applicant's admissibility.

Sponsors must be 18 or older and be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian. They must not be barred by bankruptcy, removal orders, social assistance rules, serious convictions, or defaults on past undertakings. Quebec sponsors also complete MIFI requirements.

Spousal, partner, and dependent child sponsorship usually has no minimum income test. PGP sponsors must meet Minimum Necessary Income for the required tax years, based on family size. All sponsors must still show they can support the applicant without social assistance.

Spousal and dependent child cases are often planned around about 12 months, but complex files can take longer. PGP files commonly take around 24 months outside Quebec and longer for Quebec-destined applicants. Always check IRCC's live processing-time tool before planning travel or deadlines.

Inland is for applicants living in Canada and can support a Spousal Open Work Permit. Outland is better when the applicant lives abroad or needs travel flexibility. Outland refusals may also have appeal rights that inland refusals usually do not.

Strong proof includes a marriage certificate, cohabitation records, joint finances, photos, travel records, communication history, affidavits, and a clear relationship timeline. Common-law partners should focus on 12 months of continuous cohabitation evidence.

You can sponsor a legally married spouse, a common-law partner after 12 months of cohabitation, or a conjugal partner in exceptional barrier cases. The relationship must be genuine and not primarily for immigration.

IRCC lists spouse or partner sponsorship from CAD 1,260 when the right of permanent residence fee is included. Biometrics are usually CAD 85 per person, and dependent children are charged separately at CAD 180 each. Verify the current IRCC fee list before paying.

Many inland applicants can apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit after submitting the PR application and meeting IRCC's current instructions. It is open, so it is not tied to one employer.

Yes. Common reasons include weak relationship proof, inconsistent history, missing documents, undeclared family members, inadmissibility, sponsor ineligibility, or marriage-of-convenience concerns.

The undertaking is the sponsor's legal promise to support the relative. It lasts 3 years for spouses/partners, 10 years or until age 25 for most dependent children, and 20 years for parents or grandparents. It remains binding after separation or divorce.

Spouse, partner, dependent child, adopted child, orphaned relative, and limited other-relative sponsorship routes remain available when eligibility is met. The Parents and Grandparents Program is paused for new interest forms and new invitations, but IRCC continues processing existing PGP applications.

PGP lets selected sponsors apply for parent or grandparent PR after IRCC issues an invitation. Sponsors submit interest, IRCC selects from the pool, and invited sponsors file the full application. The Super Visa is the main long-stay alternative if no invitation is received.

No. IRCC paused the Parents and Grandparents Program on July 15, 2026. It is not accepting new interest to sponsor forms or issuing new invitations until further notice, but existing applications continue to be processed.

Yes, if you are invited and meet the income requirement for the full family size. You may sponsor parents or grandparents related by blood or adoption, plus eligible dependants. You cannot transfer your invitation to another sponsor.

Core documents include the invitation, sponsor status proof, CRA Notices of Assessment, financial forms, civil status records, proof of relationship, passports, police certificates, medicals, biometrics, and translated Indian documents where needed.

Submit the full application by the deadline in the invitation package. IRCC reviews sponsor eligibility and income first, then assesses the parents or grandparents for identity, relationship, medical, criminal, and security admissibility.

IRCC lists parent or grandparent sponsorship from CAD 1,260 when the right of permanent residence fee is included. Biometrics are usually separate. Confirm the fee total in the IRCC fee tool before paying.

They solve different problems. PGP gives permanent residence but needs an invitation and income proof. The Super Visa is temporary, can allow long stays, and is often the practical option when PGP is closed or no invitation is received.

A dependent child is usually under 22 and not married or in a common-law relationship. The age is locked when IRCC receives the complete application. Children 22 or older qualify only if they meet the over-age dependent medical/support test.

A person who became PR as a sponsored spouse or partner cannot sponsor a new spouse or partner for 5 years from their own PR landing date. The bar applies only to new spouse or partner sponsorship.