Who can be a sponsor in a family class application — are there restrictions on who qualifies?

To be a sponsor in a federal family class application, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is at least 18 years old. Permanent residents must be residing in Canada at the time of the application; Canadian citizens living abroad can sponsor in certain circumstances.

Several circumstances disqualify an otherwise eligible person from sponsoring. You cannot sponsor if you are in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking, if you owe money to the federal or provincial government in connection with immigration (such as assistance payments made on behalf of a prior sponsored family member), or if you are under a removal order. Certain criminal convictions — particularly those involving violence or sexual offences — can also bar sponsorship.

There are also bars related to being sponsored yourself: if you were sponsored as a spouse or partner, you generally cannot sponsor a new spouse for five years from the date you became a permanent resident. Additionally, sponsors must not currently be in bankruptcy (undischarged bankruptcy). Before starting a sponsorship application, honestly assess whether any of these bars apply to you — submitting an application while inadvertently barred can delay the process and may raise issues around completeness or accuracy of your application.