SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP
The Spousal Sponsorship program is a subsection of Family Class immigration. Under this program, a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident can sponsor a spouse, conjugal or common-law partner for Canadian Permanent residency. The Canadian government allows citizens and permanent residents of Canada to sponsor members of the family class.
To be eligible for permanent residence, the principal applicant must not be admissible to Canada.
You can sponsor a:
Spouse: A partner with whom you are legally married and have legal documents to support your claim
Common-law partner: A person who has been living together with another person in a conjugal relationship for at least one year.
Conjugal partner: A person outside Canada who has had a binding relationship with a sponsor for at least one year, but could not live with their partner.
Eligibility to be a Sponsor:
Note:
You can’t be a sponsor if you:
The spousal sponsorship program allows a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor his or her spouse/common-law partner for permanent resident status, regardless of where the spouse is currently residing.
There are two parts to the spousal sponsorship application:
Outland Sponsorship Program
This is usually the most common route of sponsorship, especially when the sponsored person is living outside Canada. However, if your spouse or common-law partner is already living in Canada it is still possible to use the outland option. The sponsored person may still be able to travel outside Canada but re-entry into Canada is at the discretion of a CBSA officer. An outland application is processed through the visa officer that serves the sponsored persons country of citizenship or the country where the person is legally residing.
Inland Sponsorship Program
An inland sponsorship requires the sponsored person to have entered Canada legally. The application is processed within Canada and during this time the sponsored person may continue to work or study if they have the appropriate permits and they are still valid.
The Spousal Sponsorship program is a subsection of Family Class immigration. Under this program, a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident can sponsor a spouse, conjugal or common-law partner for Canadian Permanent residency. The Canadian government allows citizens and permanent residents of Canada to sponsor members of the family class.
To be eligible for permanent residence, the principal applicant must not be admissible to Canada.
You can sponsor a:
Spouse: A partner with whom you are legally married and have legal documents to support your claim
Common-law partner: A person who has been living together with another person in a conjugal relationship for at least one year.
Conjugal partner: A person outside Canada who has had a binding relationship with a sponsor for at least one year, but could not live with their partner.
Eligibility to be a Sponsor:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada
- Able to prove that you are not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
- Able to provide the basic needs of the person you are sponsoring
Note:
- If you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when your sponsored relative(s) become(s) a permanent resident
- You can’t sponsor someone if you are a permanent resident living outside Canada
You can’t be a sponsor if you:
- Have failed to pay:
- An immigration loan
- Family support payments
- Have failed to provide for the basic needs of a previously-sponsored relative who received social assistance
- Are under a removal order
- Are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison
- Receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
- Are still going through the process of bankruptcy
- Have already applied to sponsor your current spouse, partner or child and a decision on your application hasn’t been made yet
- Were convicted of a violent or sexual offence, or an offence that caused bodily harm to a relative or you attempted or threatened to commit any of these offences
- Were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago
- Sponsored a previous spouse or partner and three years have not passed since this person became a permanent resident
The spousal sponsorship program allows a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor his or her spouse/common-law partner for permanent resident status, regardless of where the spouse is currently residing.
There are two parts to the spousal sponsorship application:
- The Canadian or Permanent resident applies to sponsor his or her spouse or common-law partner; and
- The spouse or common-law partner applies for permanent residence.
Outland Sponsorship Program
This is usually the most common route of sponsorship, especially when the sponsored person is living outside Canada. However, if your spouse or common-law partner is already living in Canada it is still possible to use the outland option. The sponsored person may still be able to travel outside Canada but re-entry into Canada is at the discretion of a CBSA officer. An outland application is processed through the visa officer that serves the sponsored persons country of citizenship or the country where the person is legally residing.
Inland Sponsorship Program
An inland sponsorship requires the sponsored person to have entered Canada legally. The application is processed within Canada and during this time the sponsored person may continue to work or study if they have the appropriate permits and they are still valid.
