Bringing families together is at the heart of what we do. Canada's family class immigration programs are designed to reunite Canadians and permanent residents with their loved ones.
Family immigration is personal. You may be trying to sponsor a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, or another eligible relative while dealing with distance, deadlines, financial questions, and proof requirements.
This service is for families who want help understanding which sponsorship route fits their relationship and how to prepare a complete, well-organized application.
Canada values the importance of family and recognizes the significance of keeping families together. RA Migration helps sponsors and applicants prepare clear, complete family-class applications while avoiding the mistakes that often lead to delays, returned files, or refusals.
Canada offers sponsorship options for spouses, common-law partners, and conjugal partners. Same-sex partners are treated the same as opposite-sex partners, and the sponsored person must be in a genuine relationship with the sponsor, not in a relationship entered into mainly for immigration status.
To be eligible to sponsor, you must:
Spousal sponsorship can be processed in two ways:
If your spouse or partner is already living in Canada, you may apply from inside Canada. Eligible applicants can also apply for an open work permit after their permanent residence file is accepted for processing.
If your spouse or partner is outside Canada, the application is processed while they remain abroad and they become permanent residents once the application is approved and final steps are completed.
Canada recognizes common-law and conjugal partners as well as same-sex partners. If your situation involves cohabitation history, relationship barriers, previous refusals, or complicated proof of relationship, we help you build the evidence package properly before you submit.
The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) allows eligible Canadians and permanent residents to sponsor their biological or adopted parents and grandparents for permanent residence. Because demand is high, the program operates through an invitation-based intake process when IRCC opens a round.
If IRCC opens a new round, you generally need to be invited before you can submit a complete PGP application. The sponsor must show the required income for the relevant tax years and the parents or grandparents being sponsored must still meet medical, criminal, and security requirements.
| Program Step | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Invitation to apply | You must usually be invited by IRCC before submitting a full PGP application. |
| Income review | Your income is assessed against the current sponsor requirements for your family size and the applicable tax years. |
| Undertaking | You commit to financially support your parents or grandparents for 20 years outside Quebec. |
| Admissibility | Your parents or grandparents must pass medical, criminal, and security screening. |
If the PGP intake is closed or you are not invited, the Super Visa is often the best alternative. It currently allows eligible parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to 5 years at a time and can be valid for up to 10 years. Learn more about the Super Visa.
Canada allows sponsorship of other relatives only in very specific situations. This is a limited category, and the sponsor must meet strict eligibility rules before IRCC will accept the case.
You may sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild only if they are related to you by blood or adoption, are under 18, are single, and both parents are deceased.
You may be able to sponsor one relative of any age if you do not have a living close relative you could sponsor instead and you do not have another qualifying relative in Canada who is a citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian.
For this category, sponsors must be at least 18, live in Canada, meet the income rules, and sign an undertaking to support the relative for the required period.
Even if a relative qualifies for sponsorship, they can still be refused if they are inadmissible to Canada for medical, criminal, security, or misrepresentation reasons. If there are any concerns about admissibility, it is important to assess the case before filing.
Family immigration applications involve detailed documentation and strict eligibility requirements. A mistake can result in delays, refusals, or bans on re-applying. Our regulated consultants ensure your application is complete, accurate, and compelling.
We prepare and review every document to ensure nothing is missing or inconsistent, which is a common reason for refusals.
We track current processing times and submission windows to ensure your application is submitted at the right time through the right channel.
We guide you on how to properly document the genuineness of your relationship, a critical factor in spousal sponsorship decisions.
If a previous application was refused, we analyze the refusal reasons and build a stronger case for reapplication or appeal.
Family sponsorship files must explain real relationships through documents that are clear and consistent. RA Migration understands that each family situation is different and that the right evidence depends on the specific sponsorship category.
We help review eligibility, organize forms and supporting documents, identify missing information, and prepare the application so the relationship and sponsor details are easier to follow. We give honest guidance without promising an outcome.
If your goal is to reunite with family in Canada, RA Migration can help you prepare with care, structure, and attention to detail.
Spousal sponsorship typically takes around 10 to 14 months for most cases, though timelines shift with IRCC processing volumes. There are two streams: inland (if your spouse is already in Canada) and outland (processed through a visa office). Each has trade‑offs. Inland lets your spouse apply for an open work permit while waiting; outland is often faster and preserves appeal rights.
What goes wrong? Usually one of three things: not enough evidence that the relationship is genuine, inconsistent statements between the sponsor and applicant, or gaps in the sponsor’s financial or immigration history that raise flags. We build files with officer concerns in mind. The goal is to answer their questions before they’re asked.
Canada’s family class is narrow: spouses, partners, dependent children, parents and grandparents, and a few specific other relatives. Siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and nieces/nephews generally don’t qualify unless a rare exception applies (for example, if you have no other qualifying family and they’re your closest living relative).
There is one remaining avenue: Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) considerations. An H&C application asks the Minister to grant permanent residence despite not meeting normal criteria, based on exceptional circumstances, establishment in Canada, hardship if separated, best interests of children involved, medical needs, or other compelling factors. These applications are discretionary, heavily scrutinized, and rarely approved without a strong, well‑documented case.
The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) gives your parents or grandparents permanent residence in Canada. It’s the long‑term solution, but IRCC limits intake sharply, invitations go out by lottery, and many families wait years for a chance. The income requirement is LICO plus 30% for three consecutive tax years, and sponsors sign a 20‑year financial undertaking.
The Super Visa is faster and more accessible. It’s a multiple‑entry visitor visa valid for up to 10 years, allowing stays of up to 5 years at a time. Your parent or grandparent keeps their status abroad. They just get to visit for long stretches. It’s the most practical path for most families.
Yes, and this is big news. Effective March 31, 2026, IRCC made two changes that help a lot of families who didn’t qualify before.
Two‑year lookback: You can now meet the minimum income requirement using your income from either of the two preceding tax years, not just the most recent one.
Visitor income counts: Your visiting parent or grandparent’s independent income (pensions, rental income, savings) can now partially count toward meeting the threshold.
The base requirement is still LICO (with the 30% uplift that applies to PGP sponsorship), $100,000 minimum medical insurance for the visiting parent, a medical exam, and proof of the relationship. If you were refused under the old rules, it’s worth reapplying. Applications already in processing before March 31, 2026 are being reassessed automatically.
It’s almost never over, but the clock is ticking, and the right move depends entirely on what you were refused for and which program. Your options may include:
Reapplying with a stronger file (often the fastest route if the refusal was about missing evidence or a weak explanation).
An appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), available for certain family sponsorship refusals, removal orders, and residency obligation cases.
Judicial review at the Federal Court, a legal challenge arguing the officer made an unreasonable decision or breached procedural fairness. Strict 15 or 60 day deadline.
A humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application if there are exceptional circumstances.
The first thing to do after a refusal is get the officer’s notes (the GCMS notes). They reveal why the file was actually refused. Don’t reapply blindly.
RA Migration serves clients across Ontario and Quebec, online and in person from our Burlington office, with Arabic-speaking service.
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