Which family members can come to Canada once an applicant receives permanent residence? Well, foreign nationals who obtain permanent residence in Canada can bring qualifying dependent family members with them to Canada.
It is vital to distinguish that this is different from the family members that a Canadian permanent resident is eligible to sponsor after they immigrate to Canada.
For a Canadian permanent resident to bring their family members with them to Canada, IRCC clarifies that the family members must have been processed for permanent residence as dependents of the principal applicants.
Note: In all of the situations that we will discuss, IRCC clarifies that the dependents of a Canadian permanent resident cannot arrive in Canada before the principal applicant. Instead, the dependents must arrive with or after the principal applicant.
The list of eligible family members that qualify as dependents includes:
- Spouse or common-law partner
- The dependent child of a dependent child
- A dependent child
- The dependent child of a spouse/ common-law partner
In all of the above contexts, a dependent child is someone who is under 22 years of age & doesn’t have a spouse or partner. However, according to IRCC, children aged 22 or older also qualify as dependents if they have depended on their parents for financial support since before they were 22 & can’t financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition.
Who Cannot Come To Canada Upon Obtaining PR?
Apart from answering the question, i.e., which family members can come to Canada, one must also know who cannot come to Canada.
IRCC lists out the following family members as those who are eligible to come to Canada alongside someone who just obtained PR:
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Uncle/ Aunt
- Siblings
- Niece/ Nephew
- Other Relatives
Sponsoring Your Family As A Canadian Permanent Resident
After arriving here, permanent residents might be able to sponsor different members of their families to join them in Canada. Again, the distinction between this & the above is that sponsorship takes place after the principal applicant arrives in Canada.
In addition, this process varies depending on whether the applicant is sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner, a dependent child, or a parent/ grandparent.
In fact, depending on who is being sponsored, the Canadian permanent resident might have numerous alternatives for sponsoring a loved one to come to Canada.