Canada's family class immigration offers you the opportunity to reunite with your family by sponsoring your dependent children for permanent residency. This sponsorship applies to both natural-born and adopted children.

However, the government body of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) must approve both you and your sponsored dependents to be eligible.

What are the Requirements for Sponsoring Dependent Children?

If you are sponsoring your dependent children, then you must be:

• A Canadian citizen or a permanent resident
• 18 years or older
• Not in prison, not criminally convicted, or bankrupt

You will be required to provide proof of relationship. A birth certificate or adoption papers will serve as proof of a relationship with your dependent children.

What Financial Responsibilities Are Required for Sponsoring Dependent Children?

Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) is required to sponsor the dependent children to Canada. If the dependent child has a child of their own, you need to show proof of income to support the entire family.

A child is considered dependent if they are under the age of 22 and unmarried.

A child over the age of 22 will be considered dependent if they are disabled or have a mental condition that makes them dependent on their parents.

If the dependent is under 16, then you must commit to providing financial support for 10 years or until they are 18, whichever is longer.

If the dependent is 16 or older, then you must provide financial support for 3 years or until they are 25, whichever is longer.

If you reside in the province of Quebec, then you must commit to a financial undertaking to support your dependent children.

Dependent Child Sponsorship Processing Time

The processing times for a Dependent Child Sponsorship depends on the country of residence for the child, however, most Dependent Child Sponsorships are processed within 12 months.

Dependent Child Sponsorship Refusal

These are some of the top reasons why a Dependent Child Sponsorship may be refused:

• The dependent child was previously an undeclared family member (exemptions could apply)
• Incorrect or outdated application forms
• The sponsor is a permanent resident and resides outside of Canada
• The sponsor has not made court-ordered family support payments

What Other Relatives Can Be Sponsored Under Family Sponsorship?

You can sponsor family members who are not immediate relatives under very specific circumstances. Based on your situation, you can sponsor 2 types of relatives:

• Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild
• Other relative related by blood or adoption

To sponsor your orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild, they must meet the following conditions:

• Be related to you by blood or adoption
• Both their parents have passed away
• Be under the age of 18
• Single - unmarried and not in a common-law or conjugal relationship

You can not sponsor your orphaned relatives if one of their parents is still alive or the whereabouts of their parents are unknown.

They will be ineligible to be sponsored if their parents have abandoned them or are in jail and someone else is responsible for taking care of them while one or both parents are alive.

The second type of relative that you can sponsor must be related to you by blood or adoption. You can only sponsor one relative under this category, and you must meet the following conditions:

Have no other living person you could sponsor instead like a:

• Spouse
• Common-law partner
• Conjugal partner
• Son or daughter
• Parent
• Grandparent
• Orphaned brother or sister
• Orphaned nephew or niece
• Orphaned grandchild

The sponsor must not have any other relatives who are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a registered Indian under the Indian Act.

If your relatives have any accompanying family members like a spouse or dependent children, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Sponsoring Dependent Children

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