IMM 1344 Form: How to Fill Out the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking (2026)

The IMM 1344 form is the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking. It is the form a Canadian citizen or permanent resident completes to sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent child for permanent residence, and to sign the legally binding promise to support them.

Most people treat it as one more form in the package. It is not. By signing the IMM 1344, you take on a financial promise to the government that you cannot cancel once the person lands, and a default on it can block you from sponsoring anyone else later. The Immigration and Refugee Board refused a sponsorship in Bellovoda, 2010 CanLII 94054 because the sponsor was still in default on an earlier undertaking after his mother went on social assistance. Getting this form right is the difference between a promise you understand and one that follows you for years.

What the IMM 1344 form is

The IMM 1344 form does three things at once, laid out in two parts on the form itself:

1. Part 1, the application to sponsor and the undertaking: your details as the sponsor, the person you are sponsoring, your relationship, and your binding promise to financially support the person and repay any social assistance they receive.

2. Part 2, the sponsorship agreement: what you and the sponsored person each agree to do during the support period.

You complete the IMM 1344 form as part of the family sponsorship package for a spouse, partner, or dependent child. IRCC's official IMM 1344 form page hosts the current version, and it feeds directly into whether your sponsorship is approved.

The undertaking: how long you must support the person

The undertaking is the heart of the form. You commit to financially supporting the people you sponsor and to making sure they do not need to ask the government for social assistance. If they receive social assistance during the undertaking period, you have to repay it, and you cannot sponsor anyone else until you do.

The length of the undertaking depends on who you sponsor. For all provinces except Quebec:

• Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner: 3 years.

• Dependent child 22 years of age or older: 3 years.

• Dependent child under 22 years of age: 10 years, or until the child turns 25, whichever comes first.

Source: Sponsor your spouse, partner or child: What it means to be a sponsor, IRCC. Verified July 2026.

The period begins the day the person becomes a permanent resident. Once that happens, there is no way to cancel or shorten it. You stay responsible even if the person becomes a Canadian citizen, your relationship ends, either of you moves to another province or country, or you hit financial trouble like a job loss. You can only withdraw a sponsorship before the person becomes a permanent resident. If you live in Quebec, you sign a separate undertaking with the Government of Quebec, and the rules and periods are different, so confirm the current Quebec requirements before you rely on the numbers above.

What the sponsorship agreement commits you to

In the sponsorship agreement, you agree to provide for the basic needs of the people you sponsor: food, clothing, shelter, and other everyday needs, plus dental care, eye care, and other health needs not covered by public health services. In return, the sponsored person agrees to make every reasonable effort to support themselves. One exception is worth knowing: a dependent child under 22 does not sign the sponsorship agreement.

Signing a three-year commitment, or a ten-year one for a young child, is a serious decision. If one of those support periods gives you pause about your own situation, that is worth talking through before you file. Questions about how the undertaking applies to you? Ask in the comments and keep it general, and for advice on your specific case book a consultation.

Who can be a co-signer on the IMM 1344 form

Here is a point that confuses many sponsors: when you sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or a dependent child, you cannot have a co-signer. A co-signer only comes into play when you use the IMM 1344 to sponsor parents or grandparents, where an income requirement applies. In that case, the co-signer can be your spouse or common-law partner, must meet the same eligibility requirements as the sponsor, agrees to the same support obligations, and is equally liable if those obligations are not met. If the co-signer is your common-law partner, you also submit the statutory declaration of common-law union (IMM 5409). See IRCC's co-signer guidance for the parents and grandparents rule.

The reason there is no co-signer for a spouse, partner, or child is simple: in most of these cases there is no income requirement at all. IRCC only asks you to meet an income requirement in narrow situations, such as sponsoring a dependent child who has dependent children of their own. We cover the numbers in our guide to the income requirement to sponsor a spouse, and you can confirm your situation on IRCC's eligibility page.

If a line in those eligibility rules made you hesitate about your own situation, that hesitation is worth an eligibility check with Ansari Immigration before you file. Book a 30-minute consultation ($80) and get a straight answer from the firm's licensed RCIC.

From Amir's desk: sponsor for the relationship, not the status

In practice, the single most important thing I tell clients about the IMM 1344 is what you are actually signing. The undertaking is a three-year promise for a spouse, and by signing it you are telling the government that if your sponsored partner ever goes on a social-assistance program, you will repay that money. That is real and enforceable.

The bigger caution is the reason for the sponsorship. Sponsor because the relationship is genuine, never to hand someone permanent resident status. Sponsoring for status is illegal, and it opens the door for both people to harm each other. The sponsored person can go on social assistance knowing you are on the hook to repay it, and the sponsor can demand money or favours in exchange for not reporting that the relationship is not real. I have also seen how a default cascades. In Bellovoda, 2010 CanLII 94054, a sponsor could not sponsor his spouse because he was already in default on a prior undertaking after his mother collected roughly sixty-two thousand dollars in social assistance, and he had repaid none of it. IRCC's own eligibility rules confirm it: a sponsor who defaulted on a past sponsorship, or who is still inside a previous three-year undertaking, may not be able to sponsor a new family member. The form is a commitment, so treat it like one.

At Ansari Immigration, the family sponsorship files we handle across Metro Vancouver, from Burnaby to Surrey to Richmond, almost always go smoother when the sponsor understands the undertaking before they sign, not after.

How to fill out and sign the IMM 1344 form

The mechanics are simple once you know two things. First, the form may not open in a web browser or on a phone or tablet. Download it from the official IMM 1344 page and open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader, then complete every field. Second, complete it truthfully and consistently with the rest of your package, because the details on the IMM 1344 are read against everything else you file. When you have filled it in, follow the signing instructions on the form itself, print and sign where required or use the form's built-in validation and signature steps, and include it with your sponsorship application. If you are unsure whether a field applies to you, follow the fields as written on the current official form rather than an older copy you found elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions about the IMM 1344 form

How do you fill out the IMM 1344 form?

Download the current form from IRCC's official IMM 1344 page, open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, and complete both parts: the application to sponsor and undertaking, then the sponsorship agreement. Answer every field that applies to you, and keep the details consistent with the rest of your sponsorship package.

How do you sign the IMM 1344 online?

Follow the signature instructions on the form itself. Many IRCC PDF forms are completed in Adobe Acrobat Reader and validated before submission, and some are printed and signed by hand. Use the method the current form directs, and do not alter the form after you sign it.

Who is the co-signer in the IMM 1344 form?

A co-signer applies only when you sponsor parents or grandparents, not a spouse, partner, or dependent child. For parents and grandparents, the co-signer is your spouse or common-law partner, who signs to help meet the income requirement, must meet the same eligibility as the sponsor, and is equally liable for the support obligations.

How do you download the IMM 1344 form?

Get it only from IRCC's official IMM 1344 page on canada.ca. Right-click the form link, save the PDF to your device, and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Avoid third-party sites that host old versions, since submitting an outdated form can cause delays.

What version of Adobe do you need for the IMM 1344 form?

Use the current free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer. The form may not open in a browser or on a phone or tablet, so download it first and open it in the Reader before you fill it in.

Why work with Ansari Immigration

Doing it alone: you complete the IMM 1344, sign an undertaking you may not fully understand, and hope the package reads the way an officer expects. With Ansari Immigration (family sponsorship, flat CAD $4,000, quoted upfront): the firm's licensed RCIC completes every form, explains what the undertaking commits you to, and handles all IRCC correspondence, with direct access to your consultant until the decision. No juniors, no call centers.

Have you started your sponsorship package yet, or are you still weighing the undertaking? Tell us where you are in the comments, and when you want a straight answer on your own file, book a 30-minute consultation ($80) with Ansari Immigration.

Related Posts

• Family Sponsorship Canada: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026. The full family sponsorship process from eligibility to landing, with the forms that go in the package.

• Minimum Necessary Income to Sponsor a Spouse in Canada. When an income requirement actually applies to a spousal sponsorship, and when it does not.

• How Long Is Common Law in Canada? The 12-Month Cohabitation Rule. What counts as a common-law partnership when you sponsor, and the evidence officers look for.

This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.