In the Family Class of Canadian Immigration, citizens and permanent residents of Canada might sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child, or an extra approved family member, to facilitate that person to turn out to be a Canadian permanent resident. Application have to be made to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and different processes relate depending on whether the sponsored person is in the primary group of relatives (spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child), or is a different type of eligible relative for instance a parent or grandparent.

An individual is a common-law partner if he or she has been living with the sponsor in a marital relationship for a year with no interruption (other than short trips away for business or family reasons). Though, sometimes a sponsor and his or her partner might have lived separately, and will not meet the criteria as 'common-law' partners, in which case Citizenship and Immigration Canada will regard as whether there were special reasons, beyond the couple's control, which prohibited them from living together, so they may meet the criteria under the 'conjugal' partner’s category.

Though, a sponsored spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner should be aged 16 or over, and the sponsor should not have sponsored another spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner in the previous 3 years.

A dependent child must be below 22 years old or in full-time study, or disabled to meet the criteria, and will not generally be approved if they have a spouse or common-law partner themselves. Each case will be cautiously considered next to the rules for the pertinent category.

The procedure starts with an application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada by the sponsor, and the sponsored individual must also file his or her own application to turn out to be a permanent resident. The two applications are generally filed at the same time. Applicants for permanent residence are necessary have medical clearance, and any applicant with an illegal conviction (depending on how serious the offending was) may be refused, and denied entry to Canada.

If the application for residency is accepted, a permanent resident visa will be issued, together with a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document. The permanent residence visa must be current at the time when the applicant arrives in Canada. The applicant's sponsor will then be accountable for supporting the relative economically upon arrival in Canada, at least until the new occupant is able to support him or herself.