Bring your Spouse, Partner or Child to Canada from India

Want to bring your Spouse, Partner or Child to Canada from India? 

Well, you’re in luck! 

Canada welcomes over 100,000 new immigrants each year under the Family Sponsorship Program. It is one of the pillars of Canada Immigration that allows candidates to immigrate to Canada and apply for Canada PR from India.

If eligible, you can sponsor your Spouse, Partner or Child for Canadian permanent residence by meeting the following requirements:

• You must be willing to support them financially

• ensure they do not need any social assistance from the government

Who is eligible to sponsor their Spouse, Partner or Child?

You can sponsor your Spouse, Partner or Child under the Family Sponsorship Program if:

• Your age must be at least 18.

• You are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

• You can verify that you are not receiving social assistance.

• You can provide for the basic needs of the persons you want to sponsor. 

Who can you sponsor under the Family Sponsorship Program?

Under the Family Sponsorship Program, you can sponsor you:

• Spouse, Common-law partner, or conjugal partner

• Dependent Children

The person you seek to sponsor must meet the eligibility criteria and submit the requested documents - including medical clearance certificates and biometrics.  

How to apply under Canada’s Family Sponsorship Program?

To sponsor your family members for Canada PR from India, you and the sponsored person must complete two applications. 

Application 1: Apply to Sponsor

To start the process, you need to download and fill out PDF forms in the application package. Both you and the sponsored person must sign these forms electronically. The application package includes a checklist, forms, and a guide to help you and your family members fill out the forms correctly.

Application 2: Apply to be Sponsored (Canada PR)

To submit a Canada PR application, the sponsored person must submit the following forms:

• Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008)

• Schedule A - Background/Declaration (IMM 5669)

• Additional Family Information (IMM 5406)

• Supplementary Information - Your travels (IMM 5562)

Pay your application fees

In most sponsorship cases, the fee includes the processing fee for sponsorship application, right of permanent resident fees, biometric fee, and other third-party fees.

After you apply

Once you submit your application, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will verify it. If it’s incomplete - or inconsistent, IRCC will send back your application. If they start processing your application, they will send you an application number along with the Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR).

IRCC issued AORs, at different times, depending on the application type. For instance, candidates that apply for Canada PR from India under Express Entry, receive their AOR immediately - as it is usually generated automatically within minutes after submitting the PR application. On the other hand, processing time for AOR under a Sponsorship or Citizenship application can take a few months.

It usually takes about 12-14 months to sponsor a family member from Canada to India through the Family Class Sponsorship program, but it can take longer depending on your specific situation. Once confirmed your spouse can live and work in Canada as a permanent resident - and also apply for Canada dependent visa for spouse work permit, among other Canada PR benefits. 

Start your process today!