Sponsorship Undertaking in Canada: How Long It Lasts

A sponsorship undertaking is your signed promise to repay any social assistance your sponsored relative receives. Outside Quebec, it lasts 3 years for a spouse or partner, 10 years or until age 25 for a dependent child under 22, 20 years for a parent or grandparent, and 10 for most other relatives. It starts the day they become a permanent resident.

Read IRPR s.132, which sets each undertaking period

Last verified: November 2026

3 years
The undertaking for a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner
20 years
The undertaking for a parent or grandparent outside Quebec
10 years
The Quebec undertaking for parents and grandparents
IMM 1344
The Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking

What is an undertaking, and what are you promising?

An undertaking is the legally binding promise you sign when you sponsor a family member to come to Canada. When you apply to sponsor a relative under the family class, you sign it with the Government of Canada. If you live in Quebec, you give the undertaking to Quebec instead, after IRCC approves your sponsorship application (IRPR s.137).

By signing it you promise to support the person you sponsor and their accompanying family members financially, to make sure they do not need to apply for social assistance, and to repay any social assistance a government pays to them during the undertaking period. The undertaking is set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). It is a binding obligation to the government, not just a private arrangement between you and your relative.

The sponsored person also signs a written sponsorship agreement setting out each side’s commitments if they are 22 or older, or are your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner at any age (IRPR s.132(4)). This federal agreement does not apply in Quebec (s.137(c)).

The undertaking is separate from the income requirement you may need to meet to qualify as a sponsor, and separate from the application fees. Meeting the income test lets you sponsor. The undertaking governs what you owe afterward and for how long.

How long does the undertaking last outside Quebec?

Outside Quebec, the length of the undertaking depends on the relationship and starts the day the person you sponsor becomes a permanent resident.

Undertaking periods outside Quebec, from the day of permanent residence
Person sponsored	Undertaking
Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner	3 years
Dependent child under 22	10 years or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first
Dependent child 22 or older (a child who cannot support themselves due to a physical or mental condition)	3 years
Parent or grandparent	20 years
Most other eligible relatives, such as an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild in limited circumstances	10 years

These periods cannot be cancelled or shortened once the person becomes a permanent resident. The undertaking stays in force for the full length even if the person you sponsored becomes a Canadian citizen or moves to another province or country. It does not end if you divorce, the relationship breaks down, or you run into financial trouble.

How is Quebec different?

If you live in Quebec, you give your undertaking to the province (Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration, MII) instead of to the federal government, after IRCC approves your sponsorship application (IRPR s.131 and s.137). The lengths can differ from the rest of Canada.

The Quebec undertaking:

For a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner, it is also 3 years.
For parents and grandparents, it is 10 years rather than the 20 years that applies elsewhere.
For a dependent child under 16, it is a minimum of 10 years or until age 18, and the longer of the two periods applies.
For a dependent child 16 or older, it is a minimum of 3 years or until age 25, and the longer of the two periods applies.
Other relatives also have their own periods, so the Quebec table is not identical to the federal one.

Quebec also applies its own eligibility checks. Quebec may find you ineligible to sponsor if you previously defaulted on an undertaking because someone you sponsored received last-resort financial assistance (social assistance) and you have not repaid the Quebec government.

The rule

If the person you sponsor receives social assistance during the undertaking, you are considered in default: you must repay that money, and you cannot sponsor anyone else until the debt is repaid.

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What does default mean, and what happens?

You are considered in default of your undertaking if the person you sponsored, or one of their family members, receives social assistance (welfare) from a government at any time while the undertaking is in effect.

Being in default has two main consequences:

You must repay the full amount of social assistance that was paid out, because that is exactly what you promised to cover when you signed the undertaking.
You cannot be approved to sponsor anyone else until the debt is repaid, or repaid to the satisfaction of the government that issued the benefit.

Default is one of the reasons a person can be found ineligible to sponsor, so an unpaid debt from a past undertaking can block a new sponsorship application. The undertaking debt does not simply expire when the relationship ends. Even if you and the person you sponsored separate or divorce, you remain responsible for repaying social assistance they received during the undertaking period.

Financial hardship on your side does not release you from the undertaking.

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What does sponsorship undertaking mean?

A sponsorship undertaking is a binding promise you make to the Government of Canada when you sponsor a family member. You agree to provide for their basic needs and to repay any social assistance they or their family members receive from a government during a set period. It is an obligation to the government, not a private deal with your relative. IRPR s.132 sets how long it lasts for each relationship.

What is the sponsorship undertaking form in Canada?

The undertaking is part of form IMM 1344, the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking. The sponsor completes it to commit to financial support, and both the sponsor and the sponsored person must sign the correct sections, because missing signatures get the application returned. Sponsors who live in Quebec give their undertaking to Quebec instead, after IRCC approves the sponsorship application. Our IMM 1344 form page explains each section and the forms that go with it.

How long is the sponsorship undertaking period?

Outside Quebec, the undertaking lasts 3 years for a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner; 10 years or until age 25, whichever comes first, for a dependent child under 22; 3 years for a dependent child 22 or older; 20 years for a parent or grandparent, and 10 years for most other relatives. It starts the day the person becomes a permanent resident. Our Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship guide covers the 20-year commitment.

Does the undertaking end if I divorce or the relationship breaks down?

No, the undertaking runs its full length even if your circumstances change. It continues if you separate or divorce, if the person you sponsored becomes a Canadian citizen, if they move away, or if you face financial hardship. Once they become a permanent resident, it cannot be cancelled or shortened. Our guide on sponsorship breakdown explains what happens to the undertaking, and to the sponsored person, when a relationship ends.

What does it mean to be in default of an undertaking?

You are in default if the person you sponsored, or one of their family members, receives social assistance (welfare) from a government while the undertaking is in effect. In default, you must repay the full amount of that social assistance. You also cannot be approved to sponsor anyone else until the debt is repaid. Our sponsorship income requirements guide explains the separate income test you meet before you sponsor.

Can I sponsor someone else if I still owe a sponsorship debt?

Generally no, an unpaid sponsorship debt can make you ineligible to sponsor again. If someone you sponsored received social assistance that you have not repaid, you stay ineligible until you repay the amount in full, or to the satisfaction of the government that paid the benefit. In Quebec, an unpaid debt for last-resort financial assistance can also block you. Our Who Can Sponsor a Spouse guide lists the other sponsor eligibility rules.

Are the undertaking lengths different in Quebec?

Yes, some Quebec lengths differ. In Quebec you give your undertaking to the province instead of the federal government. A spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner is still 3 years, but parents and grandparents are 10 years in Quebec instead of 20. For a dependent child, Quebec applies the longer of two periods: a minimum of 10 years or until age 18 for a child under 16, and a minimum of 3 years or until age 25 for a child 16 or older. Other relatives have their own Quebec periods, so check the Quebec immigration ministry's rules. Our Quebec Immigration guide explains how Quebec's separate system works.

Part of:Sponsoring family

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.