Unlike many other countries around the world, Canada boasts one of the most broad and accommodating family unification programs. Much to the joy of many Canadians and their families abroad, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will be accepting 5 000 new parental and grandparental sponsorship applications in 2014.

How do I sponsor my parents for permanent status in Canada?

In order to qualify as a sponsor, you need to be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and be at least 18 years of age. Further, you must be able to take on a financial undertaking, meaning that you must be able to provide financial support for at least twenty years once your parents become permanent residents. Not everyone qualifies to be a sponsor, unfortunately.

Will my parents have to do a medical exam? How do we get the results of a medical exam?

Sponsored people will certainly have to undergo a medical exam. These exams need to be conducted by a designated physician, or panel physician, who is authorized through Citizenship and Immigration Canada to perform such medical exams. Not just any doctor will do. As for the results, only Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the panel physician conducting the medical exam will ever know the results. The panel physician will provide them directly to Citizenship and Immigration Canada on your behalf.

What is the sponsorship agreement?

The sponsorship agreement is an agreement proving the sponsor’s Minimum Necessary Income and must be submitted along with the sponsorship application for permanent residence in order to confirm that sponsors have the financial means to support and properly take care of incoming family members. Sponsors must demonstrate that their total income meets the minimum required to support themselves, their own immediate family members in Canada, as well as the needs of the parents or grandparents being sponsored.

How do I know if I have enough money to sponsor my parents?

The threshold that each sponsor has to meet, depending on his family size, is determined by Canada’s “low income cut off,” which is reviewed annually by Statistics Canada. See below:

Size of Family Unit	Minimum necessary income
1 person (the sponsor)	$23,298
2 persons	$29,004
3 persons	$35,657
4 persons	$43,292
5 persons	$49,102
6 persons	$55,378
7 persons	$61,656
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add	$6,268