Canada’s spousal sponsorship process
First, be sure that you and your partner meet the standards in order to qualify. It is a requirement for permanent residency in Canada that you can provide evidence of not being in a relationship for convenience. It is imperative that you provide evidence of your actual relationship, both past and present.
Canadian citizens may still sponsor spouses or common-law partners who are not residents of Canada. An individual who is a citizen of Canada may seek to sponsor a foreign national if they can demonstrate to the IRCC that they will live in Canada once their application is approved. It is only allowed for permanent residents to sponsor their spouses while they are still in Canada, even if their spouse lives abroad.
Qualifications for your Canadian spouse
Canadian citizens and permanent residents may be eligible to sponsor if they:
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Are 18 years of age or older;
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are either a permanent resident or a citizen of Canada, or they are an Indigenous person listed under the Canadian Indian Act;
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prove they do not qualify for social assistance unless they are disabled; and can meet the sponsored person's basic necessities financially.
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Should a person get married, their union ought to be recognized both in Canada and the nation in which it took place.
Qualifications that apply to you as the one being sponsored
If your relationship with your Canadian partner falls into one of these three categories, it must be:
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Wives: You were lawfully wed in a civil ceremony in person to your spouse, a permanent resident or citizen of Canada.
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Common-law partners: You have to have lived together for a minimum of 12 months in order to qualify as common-law partners if you and your Canadian partner are not legally married.
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Conjugal partner: If you are living outside of Canada and are unable to marry your Canadian partner because of circumstances beyond your control, but you have been in a marriage-like relationship with them for at least a year, the IRCC may recognize your relationship as a conjugal partnership even though you are not legally married to them. Legal, cultural, or religious considerations could be some of the obstacles to marriage.
Any of these sponsorship categories require you to be at least eighteen years old.
Inadmissibility: To make sure you are not ineligible to enter Canada, you must also clear security, health, and criminal background checks.
How to apply for spousal sponsorship
Once you and your spouse have been verified as eligible for sponsorship, you can download the application packet from the official website. The processing, right of permanent residence, and biometrics payments are then due and can be found on the IRCC website. It's possible that you won't need to do biometrics again if you finished it within the last 10 years. It is necessary to submit the sponsorship application at the same time as the permanent residency application.