Sponsor your Spouse or Partner to Canada
In Canada, keeping families together and reuniting partners is a top concern. You can apply for a permanent resident visa on behalf of your spouse or common-law partner using the Spouse or Common-Law Partner Sponsorship Class.
Sponsor your family to Canada
Sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child
Whether the application is made locally or at a Canadian embassy or consulate overseas, the legal process that must be followed by a foreign individual seeking spousal sponsorship to Canada is quite complex. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident must sponsor the spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner who wishes to immigrate to Canada by submitting a sponsorship application on their behalf.
Here is all the information you require regarding bringing your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner to Canada through sponsorship.
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These figures were last updated on MONDAY, 7th NOVEMBER 2022, at 3:45 PM GMT +4
Spousal Sponsorship Visa Overview
If any of the following apply to you, you should submit an inland application:
- You reside in Canada with the sponsor.
- You are legally admitted to Canada as an immigrant.
- To work in Canada while your application is being processed, you would like to apply for an open work permit.
Your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible to apply through this stream even if they do not have legal status in Canada since they will be protected by a public policy that permits them to remain there while their application is being processed. The drawback of this particular stream is that the applicant must postpone any international trip while the application is being processed.
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and satisfy the requirements listed below, you may be qualified to sponsor your spouse, conjugal partner, or common-law partner.
- At least 18 years of age
- Live in Canada or intend to do so when your spouse or partner is admitted as a permanent resident
- Are able and willing to meet your spouse's or partner's necessities for three years.
Applications for sponsorship go through the entire processing cycle in around a year. Normally, they don't take much longer than a year to process, but it depends on the specifics of your case.
The processing of your application will be delayed and take longer if it is problematic or the visa office needs further evidence of your relationship.
Making sure that your sponsorship application is completed accurately the first time is the best approach to guarantee that it is processed as promptly as possible. Thousands of spousal sponsorship applications have been assisted by the attorneys and immigration professionals at Royal Migration. Take our free online assessment to learn how we can assist you in bringing your loved ones to Canada.
The Canadian government permits eligible people over the age of 18 to sponsor their dependent spouses, children, parents, partners, and grandparents to live with them in Canada to encourage families to live together. Royal Migration offers specialised Canada-dependent visa services that can benefit you in reuniting with your family.
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Who you can sponsor
Your dependent children, common-law partner, conjugal partner or spouse can be sponsored.
Regardless of sex, your partner must be:
- Someone legally married to you and
- at least 18 years old
Your common-law partner:
- Is NOT legally married to you
- Can be either sex
- Should be at least 18 years old
- You’ve been living together continuously for a year as a couple, without taking any long period apart.
- Any time spent away from each other should have been
- short
- temporary
- Any time spent away from each other should have been
Canada considers the partnership to have ended if you or your common-law partner decide to end it.
You’ll have to provide documentation of your common-law relationship.
- Is not legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you
- Can be either sex
- Should be at least 18 years old
- Has a minimum of one year of relationship with you
- Stays outside Canada
- Can’t marry you or live with you in their home country due to significant legal AND immigration issues like
- their marital status (for example, they’re still married to someone else in a country where divorce isn’t possible)
- their sexual orientation (for example, you are in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships are not accepted, or same-sex marriage is illegal where they live),
- persecution (for example, your relationship is between different religious groups which is not accepted, and they may be punished legally or socially)
You’ll need to provide evidence (such as refusal of long-term stays in each other’s countries) that you couldn’t live together or get married in the country of your conjugal partner.
Children who satisfy both of the following conditions are considered as dependents:
- They should be under 22 years old
- They don’t have a spouse or common-law partner
Children of 22 years or more should meet both of these conditions to be considered dependents:
- They have a mental or physical condition that prevents them from being able to sustain themselves financially.
- Since they were younger than 22 years old, they have relied on their parents for financial support.
Your dependent child must continue to meet these requirements, except for age, until your application has been fully processed.
Spousal Sponsorship eligibility requirements
For eligibility under the spouse sponsorship program, your spouse, conjugal partner, or common-law partner is not required to have a job offer in Canada.
English or French proficiency level is not required by your spouse or common law partner at the start.
When applying for Canadian citizenship in the future, your spouse, conjugal partner, or common-law partner will likely be required to pass a language competency exam.
Your spouse shouldn’t have any problems with their sponsorship application as long as their health is not a threat to the general welfare.
Three categories of medical inadmissibility exist: danger to the public’s health, danger to the public’s safety, and excessive demand on social or health services. Sponsored spouses and common-law partners are not subject to medical inadmissibility for excessive demand.
Applying to sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner
You can apply for spousal sponsorship by mail or through the IRCC’s permanent residence application portal. Contact us for a professional guidance.
While awaiting a decision on their In Canada Sponsorship application, the individual being sponsored may depart from Canada for short periods. However, since a residence in Canada is a requirement for the In Canada Sponsorship Class, leaving the country runs the danger of you not being allowed to return. Since the COVID-19 epidemic, this has grown to be a problem due to the frequent application of travel restrictions.
The sponsored spouse’s application for an open work permit and ongoing maintained status in Canada are additional factors to take into account. If this is the case, they must wait until their work visa application is accepted before returning to Canada because they will lose their maintained status once they do.
If you are a permanent resident, you are required to remain in the country while your application for common-law sponsorship is being processed.
The sponsored spouse’s application for an open work permit and ongoing maintained status in Canada are additional factors to take into account. If this is the case, they must wait until their work visa application is accepted before returning to Canada because they will lose their maintained status once they do.
If you are a permanent resident, you are required to remain in the country while your application for common-law sponsorship is being processed.
You should have the following documents when applying to sponsor a spouse:
- Completed application forms;
- Proof of status in Canada;
- Identity documents;
- Marriage certificate;
- Police Certificate and Clearances from all countries your spouse has lived in for six months or longer past the age of 18;
- Medical certificate for your spouse;
- Proof of payment for applicable government fees;
- Digital photo;
- Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation questionnaire;
- Marriage certificate (see common-law if you are not married);
- Wedding invitations and photos;
- Birth certificates or adoption records for any children you and your spouse have together;
- Proof of registration of marriage with a government authority
To demonstrate your relationship, you should provide at least two of the following documents:
- Proof that you and your spouse own property together
- Shared bank accounts,
- Utility bills with both of your names,
- Copies of government-issued IDs,
- Car insurance,
- Pay stubs or tax forms that show that you live at the same address
If you are in a common-law relationship and looking into sponsoring your partner, immigration officers will expect to see the following evidence:
- Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation questionnaire
- Birth certificates or adoption records for any children you and your common-law partner have together
- Photos of you and your common-law partner that demonstrate that you are in a conjugal relationship
- Proof that you have lived together for at least one year
And at least two of the following documents:
- Documents that indicate that you are recognized as each other’s common-law partner, such as employment or insurance benefits
- Evidence of financial support or shared expenses between you and your partner
- Proof that your relationship is recognized by family and friends (letters, emails, social media)
Get inventive if you are unable to produce all the aforementioned documents. Look for methods to show them your connection and give it to them. Offer sworn statements from family members or acquaintances who can attest to your position as a common-law partner. The immigration officer’s final decision regarding your common-law documents will be final, but your chances of acceptance are higher the more documentation you can present.
Immigration inspectors will look for the following proof if you are considering sponsoring your partner and are in a conjugal relationship:
- Shared residence
- Economic support, including joint financial arrangements, shared bank accounts, etc.
- Evidence that your friends and family recognize that the two of you are in a relationship
There is no formal legal agreement or moment in time that establishes your commitment to one another in a common-law or conjugal relationship. Instead, immigration inspectors will look for signs of strong interpersonal and emotional relationships that show you are engaged in a serious relationship and intend to stay that way for long.
Yes, any accompanying dependent children may be included on your spouse’s, conjugal partner’s, or common-law partner’s application for permanent residence.
Questions? You’re covered
No, getting married to a Canadian does not provide the spouse automatic permanent residence in Canada. You can apply for a spousal sponsorship once you are married or in a common-law union. The married spouse won't become a permanent resident of Canada until the spousal sponsorship application is granted.
It is essential to show the authenticity of your partnership. This is the main aspect that CIC will take into account when considering your application. It is crucial that you adhere to the document checklist's standards and that, if you don't, you give a thorough justification.
Yes, you must first get married and present your official marriage certificate as proof of your union. Marriage licences or records of solemnization are not accepted.
Due to the difficulty in obtaining these documents and the length of time required for police clearance. Police clearance and a medical test are not necessary up front and are asked one to two months after the application is submitted.
Eligibility checkup
Can you sponsor your spouse, conjugal partner, common-law partne or child for Canada PR?
To show they meet the eligibility requirements, your spouse, partner, dependent child and their dependent children (if applicable) must provide all required forms and documents with their application. Contact us to discuss your case.
Canada Spousal Sponsorship Application Process - Apply with us
1 1
STEP 1
Gather the Documents
Provision of the document checklist for you and the persons you want to sponsor required forms and proper filing. We will make sure you do not miss anything.
2 2
STEP 2
Application Fees Payment
In most cases, your fees will include: processing fees for you, the persons you’re sponsoring and their dependents, the right of permanent residence fee and the biometrics fee
3 3
STEP 3
Application Submission
We will assist you in reviewing the assembled documents, submitting them in the proper way and keep you informed on the processing.