What it means to be a sponsor

You must commit to supporting your adopted child, even if your situation changes.

To become a sponsor, you must complete and sign a form that includes:

• the undertaking
• the sponsorship agreement

The undertaking

In the undertaking, you’ll commit to:

• financially supporting the child for a period of time, called the undertaking period
• making sure the child won’t need to ask the government for social assistance
  • If they receive social assistance during the time you’re responsible for them, you’ll have to repay the amount. You won’t be able to sponsor anyone else until you’ve repaid it.

How long you have to support the child

The undertaking period begins once the child becomes a permanent resident. Its length depends on the child’s age.

Once the child becomes a permanent resident, there is no way to cancel or shorten the undertaking period.

You’re responsible for them for the entire undertaking period, even if:

• the child becomes a Canadian citizen
• your relationship with the child changes
• you or the child move to another province or country
• you have financial problems (for example, job loss or debt)
• you sent us a request to withdraw your sponsorship application and we processed it after the child became a permanent resident

You can only request to withdraw your sponsorship application before the child becomes a permanent resident.

The sponsorship agreement

You and your adopted child (if they’re 22 years or older) must agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.

You’ll agree to provide for the basic needs of the child. This includes:

• food, clothing, shelter and other needs for everyday living
• dental care, eye care and other health needs that aren’t covered by public health services

The adopted child will agree to make every reasonable effort to support themselves and their accompanying family members (if this applies).

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