Few things matter more than being with the people you love. Canada’s Family Class Sponsorship program lets Canadian citizens and permanent residents reunite with close family members by sponsoring them for permanent residence — so you can live, work, and build a future together, in the same place.
It is also a process where small mistakes cost real time. A missing police certificate, a weak proof-of-relationship package, or the wrong stream choice can add months — or trigger a refusal. As a family sponsorship consultant in Oakville and Mississauga, NorthPass has guided couples and families through every type of sponsorship, and we handle the details that decide whether your application moves quickly or stalls.
Through the Family Class program, you can sponsor:
No income threshold required (unless dependent children are involved). Priority processing for genuine relationships.
Your own or your partner’s children under 22 (with limited exceptions). Often processed alongside a spousal application.
Through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) — invitation-based, with a Minimum Necessary Income requirement. See the note below on 2026 intake.
In limited situations only — e.g. an orphaned sibling, niece, nephew, or grandchild under 18, or the “lonely Canadian” exception.
⚠️ Important 2026 update: The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is not accepting new applications in 2026. If you want to bring your parents or grandparents now, the Super Visa is the active route — and we can help you apply. We monitor PGP intake announcements and will let our clients know the moment it reopens.
For most spousal, partner, and dependent-child sponsorships, there is no fixed income threshold — you simply need to show you can support your family member so they do not need social assistance. For parents and grandparents, you must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), which equals LICO + 30%, based on your household size and assessed over the three tax years before you apply.
Sponsored applicants generally need to provide:
For spousal and partner sponsorship, one of the first big decisions is inland versus outland. Inland is for couples already living together in Canada and can give your spouse access to a Spousal Open Work Permit during processing — but it carries travel risk. Outland is processed through visa offices, is often faster, and allows freer travel while you wait. There is no universally “best” choice; there is only the right choice for your situation. As a spousal sponsorship consultant serving Oakville and Mississauga, we walk you through the trade-offs and pick the stream that actually fits your life.
Family sponsorship rewards preparation and honesty. Here is what we do:
we confirm you qualify as a sponsor and choose inland vs outland based on your real circumstances.
we help you build a proof-of-relationship package that holds up to scrutiny.
we prepare and review every form and supporting document before submission.
if IRCC requests an interview, we make sure you are ready.
if you have been refused, we assess whether an appeal or a stronger re-application is the smarter path.
we confirm you qualify as a sponsor and choose inland vs outland based on your real circumstances.
we help you build a proof-of-relationship package that holds up to scrutiny.
we prepare and review every form and supporting document before submission.
Support to avoid delays, refusals, and missing information
Every family’s situation is different, and the right strategy depends on the details. Book a consultation with a licensed family sponsorship consultant in Oakville and Mississauga, and we will review your eligibility, recommend the best sponsorship route, and map out a realistic timeline — so you can plan the reunion with confidence.
To sponsor a relative, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years old, and living in Canada (or planning to return once your sponsored relative becomes a permanent resident). You also need to sign a sponsorship undertaking — a legal promise to financially support the person you sponsor for a set period. For parents and grandparents you must additionally meet a Minimum Necessary Income requirement, while spousal and child sponsorship generally has no fixed income threshold. As a family sponsorship consultant in Oakville, we screen your eligibility carefully before you file, because some disqualifying factors are not obvious until your application is reviewed.
Processing times move month to month, but as a general 2026 guide, outland (overseas) spousal applications have been running in the range of about 15 to 16 months, while inland (in-Canada) applications have been longer, often in the low-to-mid 20-month range. Quebec applications take longer because of the province’s separate approval step. These are averages, not guarantees — a clean, complete application on the first submission is the single biggest thing you can control to avoid delays. We always confirm the current official IRCC figure for your specific stream during your consultation.
Inland sponsorship is for couples already living together in Canada, and it can give the sponsored spouse access to an open work permit while the application is processed. The catch is travel risk — if your spouse leaves Canada and is denied re-entry, an inland application can be affected. Outland sponsorship is processed through visa offices and is often faster, and it lets the sponsored person travel more freely during processing. Choosing the right stream is one of the most important early decisions, and it depends on your living situation, work needs, and travel plans. As a spousal sponsorship consultant serving Oakville and Mississauga, we help you pick the stream that fits your real circumstances.
This is the most common question we get, and the honest answer matters: as of 2026, the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is not accepting new applications. IRCC’s most recent intake invited sponsors from the existing pool, and no new Interest-to-Sponsor submissions are being accepted until IRCC announces a future intake. If your parents or grandparents already have an application in process, it continues to be handled. If you are starting fresh, the Super Visa is currently the strongest route — it lets parents and grandparents stay in Canada for up to five years per entry, with multi-entry validity for up to ten years. We monitor PGP intake announcements and help families use the Super Visa in the meantime.
In many cases, yes. If you apply through the inland stream, your spouse or partner can usually apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit, which lets them work for almost any employer while the permanent residence application is processed — typically available within a few months of acknowledgement. This is one of the biggest practical advantages of the inland route, and it is something we factor into our stream recommendation from day one.
It depends on who you are sponsoring. For a spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child, there is generally no fixed income requirement — you simply have to show you can meet basic needs and that the person will not need social assistance. For parents and grandparents, you must meet the Minimum Necessary Income, which is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30%, assessed over the three tax years before you apply, and based on your household size. We help you calculate exactly where you stand before you commit to an application.
Beyond the sponsor and applicant forms, the sponsored person typically needs a medical exam by an IRCC-approved panel physician, biometrics (fingerprints and photo), and police certificates from every country they have lived in for six months or more since the age of 18. For spousal cases, you will also need strong proof that your relationship is genuine — things like joint accounts, photos over time, communication records, and statements. Missing or weak relationship evidence is one of the most common reasons applications are delayed or refused, which is exactly where having a consultant review your file pays off.
A refusal is not always the end of the road. For spousal and family-class refusals, sponsors generally have the right to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), though appeals can take a year or more. In some cases, reapplying with a stronger, better-documented file is the smarter move than appealing. The worst thing you can do is simply resubmit the same application without fixing what went wrong. As licensed RCIC consultants, we review the refusal reasons, tell you honestly whether an appeal or a fresh application is the better path, and handle it for you.
