Can I Sponsor My Siblings to Immigrate to Canada?

In most circumstances, Canadian citizens and permanent residents are not able to sponsor their siblings (i.e. brothers and sisters). However, the following exceptions apply:

Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild

You can sponsor an orphaned brother or sister only if they meet all of the following conditions:

• they’re related to you by blood or adoption
• both their mother and father passed away
• they’re under 18 years of age
• they’re single (not married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship)

You can’t sponsor your brother or sister if:

• one of their parents is still alive
• no one knows where their parents are
• their parents abandoned them
• someone else other than their parents is taking care of them while one or both their parents are alive
• their parent is in jail or otherwise detained

Other relative

You may sponsor one relative, related by blood or adoption, of any age, if you meet all of these conditions:

• you (the person who wants to sponsor your relative) don’t have a living relative you could sponsor instead, such as a:
  • spouse
  • common-law partner
  • conjugal partner
  • son or daughter
  • parent
  • grandparent
  • orphaned brother or sister
  • orphaned nephew or niece
  • orphaned grandchild
• you (the potential sponsor) don’t have any relatives (aunt or uncle or any of the relatives listed above), who is a:
  • Canadian citizen
  • permanent resident
  • registered Indian under the Indian Act

If the relative you want to sponsor has a spouse, partner, or dependent children who will come with them to Canada, you must include them on the same sponsorship application.

Additional Sponsor Requirements

• The sponsor must be at least 18 years of age;
• The sponsor must be a Canadian permanent resident living in Canada or a Canadian citizen;
• The sponsor has not failed to pay an immigration loan, a performance bond and/or family support payments;
• The sponsor has not failed to support a previously-sponsored relative;
• The sponsor is not under a removal order;
• The sponsor is not in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison;
• The sponsor is not in receipt of social assistance for reasons other than a disability;
• The sponsor has received an ‘order of discharge’ by the court for a personal bankruptcy;
• The sponsor does not already have an application to sponsor the applicable family member in process’
• The sponsor has not been convicted of a violent or sexual offence or an offence that caused, attempted to cause or threatened to cause bodily harm to a relative.