Family & Spouse Visas in Canada
Sponsoring a partner, children, or parents
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent child, and the sponsored person usually receives permanent residence directly rather than a temporary visa. Parents and grandparents are a separate, lottery-based queue.
| Spousal sponsorship processing | Commonly around 12 months |
| Sponsor income requirement | None for spouse and children; required for parents |
| Parent route | Parents and Grandparents Program, intake by invitation source |
| Government fees | Roughly CAD 1,205 for a spouse |
Who can be sponsored
- A spouse, a common-law partner (12 continuous months of cohabitation), or a conjugal partner where cohabitation was impossible.
- Dependent children under 22 who are not married.
- Parents and grandparents, but only through the periodic intake, which is heavily oversubscribed.
- In narrow circumstances, an orphaned sibling, nephew, niece, or grandchild.
The undertaking
Sponsorship is a binding financial undertaking. For a spouse it runs three years; for a parent, twenty. If the sponsored person claims social assistance during that period, the sponsor repays it. Divorce does not end the undertaking.
For spouses and children there is no minimum income requirement — a common misconception. Income thresholds apply to the parent and grandparent stream, where three years of tax returns above a published minimum are required.
Inland versus outland
An inland application is made while the couple lives together in Canada and can come with an open work permit while it processes, but leaving the country during processing is risky.
An outland application is processed by a visa office abroad, allows free travel, and is often faster. Most couples choose outland unless the applicant needs to work in Canada immediately.
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Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.