If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you are eligible to sponsor your dependent children. Please note that permanent residents must reside in Canada to be eligible to sponsor your children.

Who is a dependent child?

In order to be considered a dependent and eligible for sponsorship, your children must meet the following criteria:

A. is under the age of 22 and not married or in a common-law
relationship; or

B. married or entered into a common-law relationship before the age 22 and, since becoming a spouse or a common-law partner, has

• been continuously enrolled and in attendance as a full-time student in a post secondary institution accredited by the relevant government authority and
• depended substantially on the financial support of a parent; or

is 22 years of age or older and, since before the age of 22, has

• been continuously enrolled and in attendance as a full-time student in a post secondary institution accredited by the relevant government authority and
• depended substantially on the financial support of a parent; or

C. is 22 years of age or older, has depended substantially on the
financial support of a parent since before the age of 22 and is unable to provide for himself or herself due to a medical condition.

Points B and C require substantial proof to be submitted to CIC. Contact Join Canada to assist you in properly preparing your application to sponsor your children.

Adopted Child(ren)

As adoption is a provincial responsibility, people who wish to adopt a child from outside of Canada must first contact provincial or territorial adoption authorities. Once you have initiated the adoption application through the provincial or territorial authorities and have obtained the appropriate approval, you may begin the sponsorship process for a child described below:

Adoptions completed abroad

The requirements that must be met for sponsorships of children adopted abroad are as follows:

• the child was under the age of 18 when the adoption took place;
• the adoption was in the best interests of the child, that is
• a competent authority had conducted or approved a home study of the adoptive parents;
• before the adoption, the child’s parents gave their free and informed consent to the child’s adoption;
• the adoption created a genuine parent-child relationship;
• the adoption was in accordance with the laws of the place where the adoption took place;
• the adoption was in accordance with the laws of the sponsor’s country of residence;

If the sponsor lived in Canada at the time the adoption took place, the competent authority of the child’s province of intended destination must have stated in writing that it does not object to the adoption.

• if the adoption was subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption, the competent authority of the country where the adoption took place and the province of destination have stated in writing that they approve the adoption as conforming to the Convention;
• if the adoption was not subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption, there is no evidence that the adoption is for the purpose of child trafficking or undue gain within the meaning of the Convention.

Adoptions completed in Canada

The requirements that must be met for sponsorships of children adopted in Canada are as follows:

• the child is under the age of 18;
• there is no evidence that the adoption is for the purpose of acquiring any privileges or status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
• if the adoption was subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption, the competent authority of the country in which the child lives and the province of destination of that child have stated in writing that they approve the adoption as conforming to the Convention;
• if the adoption was not subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption,
• the child has been placed for adoption in the country in which he or she lives or is legally available in that country for adoption and there is no evidence that the adoption is for the purpose of child trafficking or undue gain within the meaning of the Convention and
• the competent authority of the child’s province of intended destination must have stated in writing that it does not object to the adoption.

Sponsorships for children who are not yet identified are accepted; once the child is identified, it is the sponsor’s responsibility to notify the appropriate visa office and provincial authority. For Quebec residents, contact the office of the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles for sponsorship requirements in Quebec.

For all adoption cases, there is an immigration requirement prior to visa issuance

• to obtain a letter from the provincial or territorial authorities stating that they have no objection to the adoption. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will make this request directly to the appropriate provincial or territorial authorities at the time of the sponsorship approval;
• to provide a written statement confirming that the sponsor of a child
  has obtained information about the medical condition of the child whom the sponsor has adopted or is in the process of adopting outside Canada, or intends to adopt in Canada. If you are sponsoring a child adopted abroad or whom you intend to adopt in Canada, make sure you obtain the medical information.

The Hague Convention on Adoption

Many intercountry adoptions are now subject to the requirements of the Hague Convention on Adoption. These adoptions must be initiated through provincial or territorial adoption authorities and receive the appropriate approvals. Contact your provincial or territorial authorities (see below) for information on how the Convention may affect your adoption.

Provincial and Territorial contacts

Alberta
Alberta Children’s Services
Tel.: (780) 422-5641
Fax: (780) 427-2048

British Columbia
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Tel.: (250) 387-3660
Fax: (250) 356-1864

Prince Edward Island
Department of Health and Social Services
Tel.: (902) 368-6514
Fax: (902) 368-6136

Manitoba
Family Services and Housing
Tel.: (204) 945-6964
Fax: (204) 945-6717

New Brunswick
Department of Family and Community Services
Tel.: (506) 444-5970
Fax: (506) 453-2082

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Department of Community Services
Tel.: (902) 424-5367
Fax: (902) 424-0708

Nunavut
Department of Health and Social Services
Tel.: (867) 975-5750
Fax: (867) 975-5705

Ontario
Ministry of Children’s Services
Tel.: (416) 327-4742
Fax: (416) 212-6799

Quebec
Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
Tel.: (514) 873-4747
Fax: (514) 873-1709

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Social Services
Tel.: (306) 787-0008
Fax: (306) 787-0925

Newfoundland and Labrador
Health and Community Services
Tel.: (709) 729-5134
Fax: (709) 729-6382

Northwest Territories
Health and Social Services
Tel.: (867) 873-7943
Fax: (867) 873-7706

Yukon
Family and Children’s Services
Tel.: (867) 667-3473
Fax: (867) 393-6204