Family Class of Canada
For persons with family in Canada

If family members like your partner, parents or children in Canada have obtained Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status, they could sponsor you for a temporary or permanent visa through the Family Class of Canada. This is the case when your partner, parents or (grand)children are Canadian. The sponsor must be at least 18 years old and be able to financially support you for three to ten years.

Subcategories in the Family Class
Partner, parents or children in Canada

My partner is a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident

Do you dream of a future in Canada together with your partner? If your partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, there are visa options in the Spouse or Common-law partner category. You meet the basic criteria for this visa if you are married, or if you are living together for a minimum of 12 months.

When you are currently living together with your partner but you are not married, proof of your common-law relationship is required. Therefore, it is important that you are registered together at the same address. If you do not live together but you want to enter into marriage, you can still qualify for this visa. However, you must first marry before applying for a visa.

One of the advantages of this application is that you will receive a permanent resident status for Canada immediately.

Dependent children

If your child or is under the age of 22, you can sponsor him/her as a parent, provided you are a Candian citizen or permanent resident. Other elements for eligibility concern the marital status. When your child is 22 years or older, sponsorship is only possible for a limited number of cases.

In addition to the basic requirements, financial requirements are applicable to the Canadian sponsor in most situations. Most importantly, the sponsor must provide the immigrant with basic necessities.

Parents or Grandparents

Your children or grandchildren can also serve as a sponsor to receive a visa in the family class of Canada. Once again in this category, Canadian citizenship or permanent residence of the sponsor is mandatory. The sponsor must be able to meet the minimum income requirements over a certain period.

For parents and grandparents, there is an option for a permanent visa in the family class of Canada. Another possibility is a temporary visa in the Super Visa category. If you and your sponsor meet the criteria for a Super Visa, you can receive a tourist visa for the duration of 10 years.

.

Sponsoring other family members like brothers and sisters or cousins is not possible in most situations. For this, we would like to refer you to the page ‘Live and work in Canada‘.