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Pathway

Canada Permanent Residence for Children

Canada Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Canadian dependent child sponsorship is for a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian sponsoring a dependent child for permanent residence.

Type
Family sponsorship
Sponsor
Canadian parent or qualifying sponsor
Core requirements
Dependent-child status, sponsor eligibility, and admissibility
What to know
The child may already be Canadian if born abroad to a Canadian parent
Duration
Permanent residence from approval.
Renewal / path
Can support Canadian citizenship after physical-presence rules are met.

Summary

Dependent-child sponsorship lets an eligible Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act sponsor a qualifying child for Canadian permanent residence.

Before using this route, check whether the child is already a Canadian citizen. A child born outside Canada to a Canadian parent may already be Canadian under the citizenship-by-descent rules, including the rules that took effect on December 15, 2025. In that case, the family normally applies for proof of citizenship rather than permanent residence.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

A dependent child is generally a biological or adopted child of the sponsor or the sponsor's spouse or partner who:

The age used for the dependency test is normally locked in when IRCC receives a complete application, but the child must continue to meet any marital-status and dependency requirements while the case is processed.

The sponsor must be at least 18 and have qualifying Canadian status. A permanent resident must live in Canada. A Canadian citizen living abroad may sponsor if they show an intention to live in Canada when the child becomes a permanent resident. Sponsor bars can apply, including for social assistance other than disability, default on an earlier undertaking or support payments, certain convictions, or unresolved immigration circumstances.

The child must be declared and examined as required and must pass applicable medical, criminality, security, and other admissibility checks. Custody documents and the other parent's consent may be needed. Quebec residents complete an additional provincial undertaking after the federal sponsorship stage.

What This Route Allows

Approval gives the child Canadian permanent residence. For sponsors outside Quebec, the undertaking normally lasts 10 years or until a child who became a permanent resident before age 22 turns 25, whichever comes first. A child who becomes a permanent resident at 22 or older is normally covered for three years. Quebec has its own undertaking periods.

Permanent residence lets the child live, study, and, when age-appropriate, work in Canada. The child may later qualify for citizenship under the ordinary rules or may already have a separate citizenship claim that should be assessed first.

What This Route Is Not

This is not the right application for a child who is already Canadian. It also does not turn guardianship, foster care, or an informal care arrangement into an adoption.

An adopted child may use family sponsorship or the direct citizenship-for-adopted-person process depending on the facts. International adoption also has provincial or territorial and foreign-country requirements; an immigration application alone does not complete an adoption.

Next Steps

  1. Check the child's possible Canadian citizenship before preparing a sponsorship application.
  2. Confirm the child's age, marital status, biological or legal adoption relationship, and any disability-related dependency.
  3. Confirm the sponsor's status, place of residence, and absence of sponsorship bars.
  4. Gather birth or adoption records, custody orders, consent documents, identity documents, proof of the sponsor's status, and certified translations where required.
  5. Review whether the child was declared and examined in any earlier Canadian immigration application; get legal advice if the child may previously have been excluded from the family class.
  6. File the federal sponsorship and permanent-residence applications together and complete Quebec's separate undertaking process if applicable.
Compare your options

Other routes in Canada.

Sources