A sponsor is someone who meets all the following requirements.

Is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident: Foreign nationals such as international students or foreign workers are not eligible to sponsor their family members to Canada
Is at least 18 years old
Is a resident of Canada (some exceptions apply)
Meets the income requirements (some exceptions apply), for example, there are specific income requirements for sponsoring parents
Meets the good character requirements
Files a sponsorship application
Signs the undertaking agreement: They agree to support their family members for several years after landing in Canada as permanent residents

Of course, the devil is in the details. There are many limitations and exceptions to the conditions above.

As you probably can guess, the applicant is the person who wants to immigrate to Canada. This person could be any of the following in relation to the sponsor.

A Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner who is at least 18 years old at the time of filing the sponsorship application
A father or mother
A grandfather or grandmother
A dependent child (i.e. under 22 years old and not married – some exceptions apply)
A brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild who is under 18 years old and orphaned
An adopted child who is under 18 years old
Some other family members under special circumstances

Keep in mind, the definition of a family member under the immigration law could be different from the definition of a family member under other laws. You also need to remember, some circumstances could affect the eligibility of family members.

When you sponsor your family members they may have dependent family members of their own. For example, you are sponsoring your mother but she is married to your stepfather. In this situation, you may sponsor them both, or rather your mom and her dependent family members who happen to be her spouse. Eligible dependent family members of an applicant could be any of the following.

Their spouse or common-law partner
Their dependent children
Their spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children
Their adopted dependent children

Dependent family members, may or may not accompany the applicant. In other words, they may choose not to immigrate to Canada.

If you wish to visit or move to Canada or if you have encountered any issues with the immigration authorities, you may fill out our free assessment form or book a consultation session to assess your potential opportunities or offer you immigration, visa, or citizenship advice.