At least 18 years old
Sponsors must be legal adults at the time the application is submitted.
Family Class · 2026 Guide
Family Sponsorship: bring your loved ones home to Canada
Under the Family Class, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor a spouse, partner, dependent child, parent or grandparent for permanent residence. Here is exactly how the program works right now — who qualifies, what it costs, and what changed in 2026.
- Fees reflect the April 30, 2026 IRCC increase
- Includes the July 2026 Parents & Grandparents Program pause
01 · Sponsor eligibility
Who can sponsor a family member
To bring a loved one to Canada, you generally need to satisfy four conditions — and stay clear of a short list of disqualifications.
Citizen, PR, or registered
A Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act.
Living in Canada
Citizens abroad may sponsor a spouse, partner or child if they prove they intend to return to Canada.
Sign the undertaking
A binding promise to financially support the people you sponsor, so they do not need social assistance.
Who cannot sponsor
A short list of disqualifications
You are barred if you are in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking, behind on court-ordered support payments, or subject to certain other restrictions under Regulation 133 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations — including an undischarged bankruptcy or being detained in a penitentiary.
Quebec is different
An extra provincial step
Residents of Quebec must also satisfy the province’s own sponsorship rules through the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI), in addition to the federal requirements.
02 · Eligible relatives
The family members you can sponsor
The Family Class covers several categories of relatives — each with its own eligibility rules, and sometimes its own intake process.
Most common stream · No income test
Spouses & partners
Your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner. No Minimum Necessary Income test applies — the 3-year undertaking does.
No income test
Dependent children
Your dependent children under 22 and unmarried — or 22 and older if unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition, including those you plan to adopt.
Invitation-based intake · Currently paused
Parents & grandparents
Including their accompanying dependants. Processed through an annual invitation process, not year-round applications — see the 2026 status below.
Children adopted abroad
Intercountry adoptions have their own dedicated stream with additional documentation and provincial coordination.
Other relatives — limited cases
An orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild under 18 related to you by blood or adoption — or, in rare cases, one relative of any age if you have no other family member you could otherwise sponsor.
Your spouse’s or partner’s parent
If a parent or grandparent has since divorced or separated, their former spouse can sometimes still be sponsored under the same PGP rules.
03 · The money question
Income rules: spouses differ from grandparents
A common misconception is that every sponsor must pass a minimum income test. In reality, it depends on who you are sponsoring.
No minimum income
Spouses, partners & dependent children
- No Minimum Necessary Income test applies to these categories.
- You must still show you can meet your undertaking obligations.
- You cannot be receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability.
Income test required
Parents & grandparents — the MNI
- You (and a co-signer, if any) must meet the Minimum Necessary Income.
- MNI = Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off, plus 30 percent, for your family size.
- Assessed over the three consecutive tax years immediately before your application.
- LICO tables update annually — we confirm the current figure before filing.
Related program
The Super Visa uses its own, more flexible income test
As of March 31, 2026, IRCC added flexibility to the Super Visa income test: a host can now use either of their last two tax years to meet the threshold, and a visiting parent’s or grandparent’s own income can count toward it once the host independently meets a minimum share (IRCC guidance on the exact share was still being finalized as this page was last reviewed). These changes do not apply to the MNI test used for permanent PGP sponsorship — the two programs remain separate.
04 · Program status
The Parents & Grandparents Program in 2026
Intake paused
Status update · July 15, 2026
The PGP is not accepting new applications — and there is no word yet on when it will reopen.
IRCC has paused intake of new Parents and Grandparents Program applications. It is not receiving new Interest to Sponsor forms and is not issuing new invitations until further notice, while it finishes processing applications from sponsors invited during the 2025 intake round.
Paused
No new interest-to-sponsor forms or invitations
Confirmed by IRCC on July 15, 2026.
15,000
PGP admissions targeted for 2026
From sponsors invited in the 2025 round, consistent with the Levels Plan.
2025
Last completed invitation round
There is currently no way to enter a new intake round.
15,000
PGP target again for 2027 & 2028
Per the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
The practical alternative
Ask About the Super Visa
The Parent & Grandparent Super Visa
A long-validity, multiple-entry visitor visa that lets parents and grandparents stay in Canada for up to five years at a time without becoming permanent residents. It uses its own, more flexible income test (see above) rather than the PGP’s Minimum Necessary Income.
05 · By the numbers
Family Class under the 2026–2028 Levels Plan
Overall permanent resident admissions hold steady at 380,000 a year, with the economic class rising toward 64 percent. The Family Class remains a firm pillar within it.
84k
2026
81k
2027
81k
2028
380,000
Total permanent resident admissions targeted per year, held steady across all three years of the plan.
~22%
The Family Class share of total admissions, even as economic immigration grows toward roughly 64 percent of the plan.
Spouses, partners & childrenParents & grandparents
06 · What it costs
Sponsorship fees, 2026 schedule
IRCC increased most permanent residence fees on April 30, 2026. Here is the current Family Class fee schedule, in Canadian dollars.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Sponsor a spouse or partnerSponsorship fee + processing fee + Right of Permanent Residence Fee | $1,260$660 if the RPRF does not apply |
| Include a dependent childAdded to a spousal or parent/grandparent application | $180per child included |
| Sponsor a parent or grandparentSponsorship fee + processing fee + Right of Permanent Residence Fee | $1,260$660 if the RPRF does not apply |
| Right of Permanent Residence FeePaid once the application is approved, where it applies | $600per adult applicant · increased from $575 |
| BiometricsFingerprints and photo, where required | $85max $170 per family |
Figures reflect the fee increases that took effect April 30, 2026, verified against IRCC’s official fee notice and current sponsored family class fee schedule. Fees change periodically — we confirm the exact amount due with every client before filing.
07 · How long it takes
Spousal sponsorship processing times
Wait times change from month to month, and depend on where the application is filed — and whether Quebec is involved.
Currently faster
Outside Canada
Applications filed from outside Canada have generally been running faster as of mid-2026.
Slower, with work rights
Inside Canada
Inland files have been moving more slowly — but the sponsored spouse or partner may qualify for an open work permit while waiting.
Longest timelines
Quebec cases
Quebec applications take the longest overall because of the added provincial evaluation step through the MIFI.
These figures are updated monthly. Before you apply — or before following up on an existing file — we confirm the current estimate using IRCC’s official processing times tool.
08 · The legal commitment
The sponsorship undertaking
Every sponsor signs an undertaking — a legal commitment to financially support the people they sponsor for a fixed period. Its length depends on the relationship, and it is measured from the day permanent residence begins.
The commitment survives everything: a breakdown of the relationship, a change in your finances, a move to another province. If a sponsored person receives social assistance during the period, you must repay it — and you cannot sponsor anyone else until the debt is cleared.
It cannot be cancelled
Once granted, it is permanent
Once the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident, the undertaking cannot be shortened, paused or voided — under any circumstances.
Undertaking length by relationship
Spouse, common-law or conjugal partner
3 yearsThree years from the day the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.
Dependent child, under 22 at application
Up to 10 yrs10 years, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first. Children 22 or older at the time of application: 3 years.
Parents & grandparents — Quebec
10 yearsQuebec sets its own, shorter undertaking period of ten years.
Parents & grandparents — rest of Canada
20 yearsTwo full decades — the longest commitment in the Family Class.
0 yrs5101520
09 · While you wait
The spousal open work permit
Sponsored spouses and partners who are physically in Canada and have an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) for their sponsorship application can generally apply for an open work permit under a standing public policy, letting them work for almost any employer while the file is processed.
Accompanying dependent children of the principal applicant can be included, and applicants living with their sponsor in a genuine relationship can sometimes apply even before an AOR arrives, if their existing status expires within two weeks and they are applying under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada class.
This measure remains active as a public policy with no fixed expiry currently published. Public policies of this kind can be reviewed, narrowed or allowed to lapse — we confirm current eligibility before you apply.
10 · The process
How to apply, step by step
The exact process varies by relationship category, but every file moves through the same five stages.
-
01
Confirm your eligibility
Check that you meet the sponsor requirements for your relationship category — age, status, residence, and a clean sponsorship record.
-
02
Gather proof of the relationship
Marriage or birth certificates, relationship evidence, adoption records — the documents that prove the bond is genuine.
-
03
Complete the package & pay the fees
Fill out the correct application package for your category and pay the applicable government fees under the current 2026 schedule.
-
04
Submit the application
Apply through the Permanent Residence Portal where available, or by paper for the categories that still require it.
-
05
Respond to requests promptly
Answer any requests for additional documents, medical exams or biometrics quickly to keep the file moving.
11 · FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Sponsors of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child are not subject to a minimum income test. You must still be financially able to meet your undertaking, and you must not be receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability.
No. IRCC paused new Parents and Grandparents Program intake and confirmed on July 15, 2026 that it will not accept new interest-to-sponsor forms or issue new invitations until further notice. Only applications from sponsors invited in the 2025 intake are being processed, with up to 15,000 admissions targeted for 2026.
It is your household income, assessed over the three tax years immediately before your application, measured against Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off plus 30 percent for your family size. The dollar figure changes every year — we always check the current table published with the PGP application guide before advising a client.
Under the April 30, 2026 fee schedule, sponsoring a spouse or partner costs $1,260 in total government fees when the Right of Permanent Residence Fee applies, or $660 without it — plus $180 for each dependent child on the application and any applicable biometrics fees ($85 per person, maximum $170 per family).
For a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, the undertaking lasts 3 years from the date they become a permanent resident. For parents and grandparents it lasts 20 years — 10 years in Quebec. For a dependent child, it is 10 years or until they turn 25 (whichever comes first) if they were under 22 at the time of application, or 3 years if they were 22 or older. Once permanent residence is granted, the undertaking cannot be shortened or cancelled.
If they are physically present in Canada with an Acknowledgement of Receipt for the sponsorship application, sponsored spouses and partners can generally apply for an open work permit under a standing public policy. Always confirm on IRCC’s website, or with our office, that the measure is still active and that you meet its conditions.
If you were invited in the 2025 intake, continue with your existing application. If not, there is currently no way to enter a new PGP round. Many families use the Super Visa in the meantime — a multiple-entry visitor visa allowing stays of up to five years, with its own, more flexible income test. We track the PGP intake status closely and will contact clients as soon as it reopens.
No. This page is an independent summary built from IRCC’s published policies and fee notices, meant to give you a clear, current overview. It is not affiliated with IRCC and does not replace a personalized assessment. Figures, fees and policies change — book a consultation for advice specific to your situation before filing.
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