Sponsorship of parents, grandparents, adopted children and other relatives — The sponsor’s guide (IMM 5196)

Appendix A
Sponsoring an adopted child or a child you intend to adopt

This appendix provides only basic information. For more details contact our Call Centre.

As adoption is a provincial responsibility, people who wish to adopt a child from outside of Canada must first contact provincial or territorial adoption authorities (see Provincial and Territorial Contacts). Once you have initiated the adoption application through the provincial or territorial authorities and have obtained the appropriate approval, you may begin the sponsorship process for a child described below:

Adoptions completed abroad

The requirements that must be met for sponsorships of children adopted abroad are as follows:

• the child was under the age of 18 when the adoption took place;
• the adoption was in the best interests of the child, that is
  • a competent authority had conducted or approved a home study of the adoptive parents;
  • before the adoption, the child’s parents gave their free and informed consent to the child’s adoption;
  • the adoption created a genuine parent-child relationship;
  • the adoption was in accordance with the laws of the place where the adoption took place;
  • the adoption was in accordance with the laws of the sponsor’s country of residence;
    If the sponsor lived in Canada at the time the adoption took place, the competent authority of the child’s province of intended destination must have stated in writing that it does not object to the adoption.
  • if the adoption was subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption, the competent authority of the country where the adoption took place and the province of destination have stated in writing that they approve the adoption as conforming to the Convention;
  • if the adoption was not subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption, there is no evidence that the adoption is for the purpose of child trafficking or undue gain within the meaning of the Convention.

Adoptions completed in Canada

The requirements that must be met for sponsorships of children adopted in Canada are as follows:

• the child is under the age of 18;
• there is no evidence that the adoption is for the purpose of acquiring any privileges or status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
• if the adoption was subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption, the competent authority of the country in which the child lives and the province of destination of that child have stated in writing that they approve the adoption as conforming to the Convention;
• if the adoption was not subject to the Hague Convention on Adoption,
  • the child has been placed for adoption in the country in which he or she lives or is legally available in that country for adoption and there is no evidence that the adoption is for the purpose of child trafficking or undue gain within the meaning of the Convention and
  • the competent authority of the child’s province of intended destination must have stated in writing that it does not object to the adoption.

Sponsorships for children who are not yet identified are accepted; once the child is identified, it is the sponsor’s responsibility to notify the appropriate visa office and provincial authority. For Quebec residents, contact the office of the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles for sponsorship requirements in Quebec.

If a sponsorship is approved, an application for permanent residence must be submitted. (Instructions will be given at the time of approval.) Generally, an application for permanent residence will be approved if the child passes an immigration medical examination and if a visa officer is satisfied that the adoption will create a genuine parent-child relationship. It will not be approved if a visa officer concludes that the purpose of the adoption is to gain admission for the child or the child’s relatives.

For all adoption cases, there is an immigration requirement prior to visa issuance

• to obtain a letter from the provincial or territorial authorities stating that they have no objection to the adoption. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will make this request directly to the appropriate provincial or territorial authorities at the time of the sponsorship approval;
• to provide a written statement confirming that the sponsor of a child has obtained information about the medical condition of the child whom the sponsor has adopted or is in the process of adopting outside Canada, or intends to adopt in Canada. Read the Medical Condition Statement included with this appendix. If you are sponsoring a child adopted abroad or whom you intend to adopt in Canada, make sure you obtain the medical information. Then complete and sign the bottom portion of the Medical Condition Statement and return it to the visa office processing the permanent residence application you are submitting on behalf of the child.

The Hague Convention on Adoption

Many intercountry adoptions are now subject to the requirements of the Hague Convention on Adoption. These adoptions must be initiated through provincial or territorial adoption authorities and receive the appropriate approvals. Contact your provincial or territorial authorities (see below) for information on how the Convention may affect your adoption.

Provincial and territorial contacts

Alberta
Alberta Children’s Services
Tel.: (780) 422-5641
Fax: (780) 427-2048

British Columbia
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Tel.: (250) 387-3660
Fax: (250) 356-1864

Prince Edward Island
Department of Health and Social Services
Tel.: (902) 368-6514
Fax: (902) 368-6136

Manitoba
Family Services and Housing
Tel.: (204) 945-6964
Fax: (204) 945-6717

New Brunswick
Department of Family and Community Services
Tel.: (506) 444-5970
Fax: (506) 453-2082

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Department of Community Services
Tel.: (902) 424-5367
Fax: (902) 424-0708

Nunavut
Department of Health and Social Services
Tel.: (867) 975-5750
Fax: (867) 975-5705

Ontario
Ministry of Children’s Services
Tel.: (416) 327-4742
Fax: (416) 212-6799

Quebec
Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
Tel.: (514) 873-4747
Fax: (514) 873-1709

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Social Services
Tel.: (306) 787-0008
Fax: (306) 787-0925

Newfoundland and Labrador
Health and Community Services
Tel.: (709) 729-5134
Fax: (709) 729-6382

Northwest Territories
Health and Social Services
Tel.: (867) 873-7943
Fax: (867) 873-7706

Yukon
Family and Children’s Services
Tel.: (867) 667-3473
Fax: (867) 393-6204

Medical condition statement

The medical condition statement is available in PDF format only.

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