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Sponsoring under family class

Sponsoring under family class

Sponsoring under family class allows Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada to sponsor members of family class provided they will and are able to provide care and support to sponsored person.

Who can be a member of family class

Members of family class include a sponsors spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner; a dependent child of the sponsor; the sponsor’s mother or father; a person the sponsor intends to adopt; and other relatives of the sponsor as defined by regulation.

Who can sponsor

You can sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada under the Family Class if you’re at least 18 years old and a:

  • Canadian citizen or
  • person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or
  • permanent resident of Canada
  • able to support them (in some cases meet the LICO criterion)
  • are not restricted from sponsoring

What does it mean to be sponsored

Sponsoring means that the sponsor signs an unconditional contract for a period of time agreeing to provide, for a specific number of years, financial support and basic requirements such as:

  • food
  • clothing
  • shelter

How much income I need to show to Sponsor Someone

To sponsor someone, your annual household income as demonstrated by your tax returns, should be greater than the LICO (low income cut off) Chart. LICO chart gives the income threshold based on members living in family unit (including those you are sponsoring, because once sponsored they will be part of your household).

However, you are not required to meet the LICO threshold if you are sponsoring any of these

  • your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner who has no family members, or
  • your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner who has dependent children who have no dependent children of their own, or
  • your child who has no children of his or her own,

You must prove that you have an annual income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income to support the group of persons consisting of:

  • yourself and your family members, whether they are living with you or not;
  • the person you are sponsoring and his or her family members;
  • every other person you have sponsored in the past and their family members, where an undertaking is still in effect or is not yet in effect;
  • every other person for whom you have co-signed an undertaking that is still in effect or is not yet in effect; and
  • every person not included above for whom your spouse or common-law partner has given or co-signed an undertaking that is still in effect or is not yet in effect, if your spouse or common-law partner is co-signing your current sponsorship undertaking.

Low Income Cut Off Chart (LICO)

Minimum necessary income, you need to demonstrate the following family income in order to sponsor. The table applies to all provinces except Quebec.

Table 1 - Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

Size of Family Unit
Minimum necessary income
1 person (the sponsor)
$24,949
2 persons
$31,061
3 persons
$38,185
4 persons
$46,362
5 persons
$52,583
6 persons
$59,304
7 persons
$66,027
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add
$6,723