Sponsoring an adopted child, orphaned relative or other relative: what IRCC Guide 5196 asks of the sponsor
Guide 5196 covers three narrow family-class doors: a child you adopt, an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild under 18, and one relative of any age when you have no one else. What each door requires of you as the sponsor, and where files go wrong.
The short answer: IRCC Guide 5196 is the sponsor’s guide for three narrow family-class categories. You can sponsor a child you adopted abroad or will adopt in Canada, an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild under 18, or one relative of any age if you have no closer family you could sponsor and no relative who is already a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian. You must be 18 or older, a citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian living in Canada, meet the income test in most cases, and sign an undertaking that, for most of these relatives, lasts 10 years after they become permanent residents.
This article is about you, the sponsor. If you are adopting a child abroad and still deciding between the citizenship route and sponsorship, read our guide on choosing between the citizenship and immigration processes first. If you are sponsoring a spouse or partner, that is a different program; see our spousal sponsorship page.
Who can be sponsored under Guide 5196
| Category | Who qualifies | Who does not |
|---|---|---|
| Adopted child | A child you adopted outside Canada, or intend to adopt in Canada. The child was under 18 at adoption and the adoption was in the child’s best interests. | An adoption done to get immigration status or privileges, or one that skipped the home study, free and informed consent of the birth parents, or Hague Convention rules where they apply. |
| Orphaned relative | Your brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild, related by blood or adoption, under 18, single, and both parents deceased. | A child with a living parent, whose parents’ whereabouts are unknown, who was abandoned, who is cared for by someone else while a parent lives, or whose parents are in jail or detained. |
| Other relative | One relative of any age, related to you by blood or adoption, when you have no relative you could sponsor instead and no relative who is a citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian. | Anyone, if you have a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, son or daughter, parent, grandparent, or orphaned sibling, nephew, niece or grandchild you could sponsor, or any relative with status in Canada. Relatives by marriage only, such as an uncle’s spouse, do not count. |
For the other relative category, the relative’s spouse, partner and dependent children who will come to Canada must be included on the same application. IRCC’s own example: a sponsor can bring an aunt and the aunt’s spouse, but the aunt’s child can be added only if the child qualifies as a dependent child. A person who is inadmissible to Canada cannot be sponsored under any category.
Who can sponsor
Guide 5196 says the sponsor must:
- be 18 or older;
- be a Canadian citizen, a registered Indian or a permanent resident;
- live in Canada (IRCC’s eligibility page adds that your primary address must be in Canada when you apply and stay there until a decision is made);
- sponsor a person who is a member of the family class;
- sign an undertaking to the government and an agreement with the person you sponsor; and
- meet the income requirement, unless the exemption applies.
You cannot sponsor if you receive social assistance for a reason other than disability; are in default on a past undertaking, an immigration loan, a performance bond or court-ordered family support; are an undischarged bankrupt; are under a removal order; are in jail or prison; or were convicted of certain sexual or violent offences or an offence against a relative, depending on the circumstances.
The income test
Outside Quebec, your income must meet or exceed the minimum necessary income (the low-income cut-off) for your family size on the day you sign the undertaking, shown with documents covering the past 12 months. IRCC can reassess your income at any point while the file is in process. The guide’s 2025 table starts at $30,526 for a family of one and rises to $80,784 for seven, plus $8,224 for each extra person. Family size counts you, your spouse or partner, your dependent children, the person you are sponsoring and their family members, and anyone still covered by another undertaking you signed or co-signed. Check the current table in the guide before you sign; it is updated.
The only exemption in the guide: a child you adopted, or intend to adopt in Canada, who has no children of their own. Orphaned and other relatives need the income. A spouse or common-law partner can co-sign to help, but must meet the same eligibility rules and becomes equally liable. Assets, possible future earnings and help from other relatives are not counted.
How long the undertaking lasts
The undertaking is a promise to cover basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, utilities, fuel, household supplies, personal needs and health care not covered by public health, such as eye and dental care. It starts when the person becomes a permanent resident. Guide 5196 sets it at 10 years for persons other than a dependent child, such as a brother, sister, uncle or aunt, and three years for a dependent child aged 22 or over, including an adopted child. IRCC calls it unconditional. Becoming a citizen, divorce, separation, moving provinces or losing your job does not cancel it. If the person you sponsor receives social assistance during that period, you are in default and cannot sponsor anyone else until it is repaid.
The two-part process
Every Guide 5196 file is two applications sent together: your sponsorship application and the relative’s application for permanent residence. Since September 23, 2022 they are submitted online, unless IRCC grants an alternate format for a disability or similar reason.
- Gather documents using the Document Checklist (IMM 5287). Translations must be certified, and not done by the applicant or a family member. Police certificates are needed for every country where the applicant lived six months or more in a row since turning 18. Upload copies, not originals.
- Complete the forms. You fill out the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking (IMM 1344) and the Financial Evaluation (IMM 1283), plus IMM 5409 if you rely on a common-law partner and IMM 5476 if you use a representative. For an adopted child, a child to be adopted in Canada or an orphaned sibling, nephew or niece, you also complete the Medical Condition Statement (IMM 0133). The principal applicant completes the IMM 0008, Schedule A (IMM 5669) and IMM 5406 online.
- Pay the fees online and upload the receipt. The right of permanent residence fee does not apply to a child you are adopting or to an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild. Fee amounts change; use IRCC’s fee list. An underpaid application is returned.
- Submit. The principal applicant submits. A parent or legal guardian signs for an applicant under 18. Biometrics follow once IRCC sends the instruction letter.
If you live in Quebec
You still apply to IRCC first. If you meet the federal requirements, IRCC writes to tell you how to get Quebec’s undertaking kit, which you send to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) with a copy of IRCC’s letter. Quebec decides whether you can sponsor, applies its own income scale and sets the length of the undertaking, and IRCC cannot decide the file until Quebec does. Quebec’s processing fee is paid to Quebec, not included with the federal fees.
The traps IRCC itself flags
- “Orphan” is strict. A child whose parent is alive but absent, missing, imprisoned or unable to care for them does not qualify, however real the hardship.
- The other relative test covers your whole family. One cousin, aunt or sibling who is a citizen or permanent resident closes the category, as does any closer relative you could sponsor.
- Defaults cost the fees. A sponsor in default is refused, and IRCC says the fees will not be refunded or applied to a later application.
- Relationship and purpose. IRCC can refuse where the person is not a member of the family class, the relationship is not genuine or was entered into mainly for immigration, an adoption was for status, required documents are missing, or there is criminality or serious illness.
- Choose “Proceed” or “Withdraw” carefully. On the IMM 1344 you decide in advance what happens if you are found ineligible. Withdraw refunds the fees except the sponsorship fee, with no appeal; proceed sends the relative’s application on, with an appeal right if it is refused.
- A co-signer who drops out before permanent residence means an amended application, and IRCC reassesses whether you qualify alone.
What to do next
These categories are narrow, and most refusals start with an eligibility question that could have been answered before filing: is the child really an orphan in IRCC’s sense, do you truly have no relative with status, does your income cover the right family size. Our team at the Brampton and London offices can review your family tree, the documents behind it and your income before you sign an undertaking that lasts for years. Book a consultation and we’ll go through your file with you.
General information only, not legal advice. Based on IRCC’s Guide 5196: Sponsorship of adopted children and other relatives (modified September 14, 2026), Sponsor your relatives: Who you can sponsor and Check if you’re eligible, checked October 18, 2026. Income tables and fees change; confirm current requirements on canada.ca. IRCC makes all final decisions.
