Can I Sponsor My Brother to Canada?

Paragraph 117(1)(f) covers “a person whose parents are deceased, who is under 18 years of age, who is not a spouse or common-law partner”. That person must be a child of your mother or father, which means your brother or sister. The same paragraph covers a child of your brother or sister and a child of your own child, so it also reaches orphaned nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

IRCC lists four conditions. All of them must be met.

• They are related to you by blood or adoption
• They are under 18 years old
• Both of their parents have died
• They are single, meaning not married and not in a common-law relationship

IRCC also lists cases that do not count. You can’t sponsor the child if one or both parents are still alive, if no one knows where the parents are, or if the parents abandoned the child. The same applies when someone other than the parents cares for the child while a parent is alive, or when the parents are in jail or detained.

IRCC lists four basic requirements for a person who sponsors a relative.

• You are at least 18 years old
• You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada under the Indian Act
• You live in Canada
• You meet set income guidelines

When you sponsor a relative, you promise to support them and the family members who come with them. This promise is called an undertaking. Under IRPR s.132(1)(b)(v), the undertaking for an orphaned sibling or a relative under the one-relative rule ends 10 years after they become a permanent resident. Quebec requires its own undertaking, and IRCC says not to send your undertaking application to Quebec until IRCC tells you to.

IRCC also lists reasons a person may not be able to sponsor: being in prison, an undischarged bankruptcy, or social assistance received for reasons other than disability. Being behind on an immigration loan, a performance bond or court-ordered support also counts, as does a past sponsorship whose terms you did not meet. So do certain convictions, including a violent crime, an offence against a relative or a sexual offence. The complete family sponsorship guide covers these rules in more depth.

A brother or sister who falls outside s.117 can still apply to come to Canada in their own name. Each route is a separate application with its own rules, and an officer decides it. Common routes include work with a job offer, study at a designated learning institution, and economic programs such as Express Entry. See how to get a Canadian job offer from abroad.

Your parents have their own route. The Parents and Grandparents Program is for mothers, fathers and grandparents. A brother or sister fits it only as a dependent child of the parent being sponsored, on the same application. To visit you, a brother or sister applies for a visitor visa or an eTA, depending on their passport.