Spousal Sponsorship

If a Canadian citizen or permanent resident is in a relationship with a foreign national, they may sponsor that person to immigrate to Canada and join them as one of their own. Your spouse, common-law partner, or sexual partner can be your sponsor. Outland and Inland sponsorship are your two main alternatives when it comes to sponsorship.

Eligibility requirements:

You can sponsor someone if

In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old.
If you're a Canadian citizen who either resides in Canada or intends to travel there,
You are not getting social assistance even though you do not have a disability
your basic needs, as well as those of your spouse or partner and, if applicable, any dependent children, can all be addressed.

It is necessary for sponsors to:

Make sure you can provide for your partner financially and that they won't require social assistance from the government.

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What requirements must be satisfied to sponsor in Canada?

You must pledge to support your spouse and any dependent children financially in order to sponsor them for immigration to Canada. You will be required to sign an agreement on behalf of the sponsored person promising to take care of their basic requirements.

These needs include:

housing costs, including utilities; food and personal care items; clothes and other daily necessities; uninsured medical expenses, such as dentistry and vision care.
Your responsibilities as a sponsor begin the moment the initiative is put into action. The endeavour shall be completed within three years after the day your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner becomes a permanent resident.

No matter of how your life or finances have changed, you are unable to back out of an arrangement once the sponsorship application has been approved by IRCC.

Whom can I sponsor?

To be eligible for a visa under this immigration programme, you and your foreign spouse or partner must establish that your relationship meets one of the three criteria below:

A common-law partner is someone you live with or have lived with for at least a year in a marriage-like relationship;
spouse: You two are legally wed;
Relationship partner: You must have been together for at least a year in a committed relationship, but you must have experienced serious issues that prevented you from relocating together (such as cultural, religious or immigration barriers).

The person you are helping must: be at least 18 years old, healthy, and background and security checks

Can my same-sex spouse or partner sponsor me?

If both parties match the requirements, your spouse or partner may be qualified to apply in one of the three aforementioned categories because Canada accepts same-sex marriages and relationships. If you get married and the ceremony takes place outside of Canada, the marriage must be lawful there as well.

How can I demonstrate that my common-law union is real?

You must provide documentation like the following to show the length and type of your relationship:

Relationship Details and Sponsorship Evaluation Survey;
copies of certificates, marriage licences, or adoption records of any children you and your common-law partner have together
pictures of you and your common-law spouse that depict your bond;
documents, such as those demonstrating your status as one another's common-law partners through job or insurance benefits;
evidence of your and your partner's shared costs;
a record of your connection (letters, emails, social media).

The application for sponsorship will not be approved if there is any evidence that your relationship is not sincere.

Where Do I Apply?

Make sure you and your loved one meet the requirements for qualifying before you start the application process.

You must submit the two applications listed below concurrently in order to complete the application process:

Your request to have your spouse or partner sponsored
Application for permanent residency of your husband or partner

Steps to apply for Spousal Sponsorship

The four steps to applying to sponsor a spouse are as follows

Obtain the application package, which is available on the government website. This package includes a handbook, instructions, and forms that will help you finish the procedure correctly.

Complete the online application fee, which entails:

Processing fees for every applicant included; Right of Permanent Residence Fee; Biometrics Fee; Additional third-party fees, if necessary.

Submit your application by doing as instructed in the documentation you downloaded in step three.

When prompted, send the necessary supporting documentation.

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Outland sponsorship

Usually, applications to sponsor a foreign spouse or partner are submitted while the foreign spouse or partner is still living abroad and the Canadian sponsor is in Canada.

They might be allowed to come and leave Canada during the application process if the foreign spouse or partner is from a country that doesn't need a visa or has the appropriate Canadian visa. On the other hand, the Canadian spouse or partner must remain in Canada while the application is being processed.

Applications from outside Canada are dealt with by the visa office that deals with the applicant's place of origin or the country where they have been living lawfully for at least a year.

Inbound sponsorship

The foreign spouse or partner must have temporary status in Canada as a worker, student, or guest in order to submit a sponsorship application under this category.

While the application is being processed, the sponsor and the applicant's spouse must cohabitate in Canada. Applications for this kind of sponsorship are submitted in Canada.

While their inland sponsorship application is being completed, foreign spouses who are currently residing in Canada and have legal temporary status are eligible to apply for an Open Work Permit, which allows them to work for any Canadian business. By taking this action, we hope to lessen any potential financial hardship brought on by potentially protracted application processing timeframes.

Where to submit spousal application for sponsorship?

In general, requests to sponsor a spouse or partner can be made at an immigration office in Canada or at a visa office abroad if you live outside of Canada. Only outside of Canada applicants may submit applications for sponsorship of romantic partners.

The typical processing time for spousal applications is twelve months.

Reasons for application refusal

The following are some of the key causes your application can be rejected:

You did not present sufficient evidence of the relationship to establish its validity;
The Canadian spousal sponsorship forms contained mistakes;
The facts given in your application were inaccurate;
You cannot fulfil the prerequisites for spousal sponsorship on a basic level;
You or your partner cannot enter Canada because of a criminal conviction or because you pose a danger to Canadian society.

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Spousal Sponsorship

Eligibility requirements:

It is necessary for sponsors to:

More on Spousal Sponsorship

These needs include:

Whom can I sponsor?

To be eligible for a visa under this immigration programme, you and your foreign spouse or partner must establish that your relationship meets one of the three criteria below:

Can my same-sex spouse or partner sponsor me?

How can I demonstrate that my common-law union is real?

Where Do I Apply?

Steps to apply for Spousal Sponsorship

More on Spousal Sponsorship

Outland sponsorship

Inbound sponsorship

Where to submit spousal application for sponsorship?

Reasons for application refusal

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