What happens if a co-signer on a parent or grandparent sponsorship withdraws partway through?

If a co-signer on a parent or grandparent sponsorship withdraws partway through, it doesn't automatically end the whole application, but it can seriously affect whether the sponsor still qualifies. A co-signer agrees to share the sponsor's financial undertaking, and their income may have been counted toward meeting the income test IRCC requires for this category. If that co-signer steps away, the sponsor's eligibility generally needs to be reassessed based on their own financial situation alone.

This change should be reported to IRCC rather than left unaddressed, since continuing as though nothing changed could create problems later if the sponsor no longer actually meets the required threshold without the co-signer's support. Depending on the sponsor's individual income and circumstances, they may still qualify alone, may need a different co-signer, or may find the application is now at risk.

Because parent and grandparent sponsorship already involves a demanding income test assessed against recent tax filings, losing a co-signer partway through is not something to treat lightly. If this happens, it's worth speaking with an immigration lawyer promptly to understand exactly how the withdrawal affects your specific application and what options, if any, exist to keep it on track.