Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada, 18 years of age or older, may sponsor close family members who wish to immigrate to Canada. Sponsors must agree to support the family member and accompanying dependents to help them settle in Canada.

Family Class provides for equal treatment under the law for common-law couples of the same or opposite sex by expanding the family class to include the term "common-law partner".

Under the Family Class Sponsorship, the definition of Common-law partner is a person who is living in a conjugal relationship with another person for a period of at least one year. A Conjugal partner is a person residing outside Canada who have maintained with another person a conjugal relationship for at least one year, but have not cohabited with each other.

An individual in a conjugal relationship for at least one year of a person, but who is unable to cohabit with the person, due to persecution or any form of penal control, may be considered as a common-law partner of that person.

You can sponsor relatives or family members from abroad if they are:

* spouses, common-law or conjugal partners 16 years of age or older;
* parents and grandparents;
* dependent children, including adopted children;
* children under 18 years of age whom you intend to adopt;
* brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces or grandchildren who are orphans; under the age of 18 and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
* you may also sponsor one relative of any age if you do not have an aunt, uncle or family member from the list above who you could sponsor or who is already a Canadian citizen, Indian or permanent resident.

A son or daughter is dependent when the child:
o is under the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner;
o is a full time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22); or
o is financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.