Through family class sponsorship, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor their dependent child living outside of Canada to move and settle in Canada with them and become a permanent resident. The motive of sponsoring a dependent child is to motivate family members who live in different countries to reunite in the country.

To qualify for family sponsorship, a child is required to be dependent and must be:

• A child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or their spouse
• Not be married or in a common-law relationship
• Under the age of 22

If a child is over the age of 22, they may stand eligible as dependent as long as they:

• Have a physical or mental condition that prevents them from being able to support themselves
• Have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22

Sponsor Eligibility Requirements

To sponsor your child to come to Canada, one must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident living in Canada or intending to return to Canada, or a person registered under the Indian Act of Canada
• Be able to provide for your basic needs and those of your dependent child, as well as your spouse (if applicable)
• Be able to prove the relationship to your child
• Not have a criminal record
• Not be in prison, charged with a serious offense, or be bankrupt
• Not be in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking
• Not be under immigration investigation
• Not be receiving income assistance, except for reasons of disability

The tenure of the undertaking for a dependent child in Canada who is under the age of 22 is 10 years or till they reach 25 years of age. If the dependent child is above the age of 22, the tenure of the undertaking is 3 years.

How to Sponsor a dependent child in Quebec?

If you are looking to sponsor your dependent child to move to Quebec, the province has its own immigration process that you will have to follow. You will be required to apply at the provincial level with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation, and de l’Intégration (MIFI) on top of the usual application submission at the federal level with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

Moreover, a candidate who lives in Quebec will require to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (QSC) and fulfill an ‘undertaking’ with the Canadian province. The undertaking needs you, as a sponsor to offer the basic needs of the dependent child and compensate the government for the assistance provided to the Sponsored during the sponsorship tenure, if applicable.

The tenure of undertaking for a dependent child in Quebec differs from rest of the Canada according to their age. In case, the dependent child is under the age of 16 years, the undertaking is for a minimum period of 10 years, or until the age of 18, whichever is longer. If the dependent child is 16 years or older, the undertaking is a minimum of three years, or until the age of 25, whichever is longer.