Build Your Life Together in Canada
Your partner deserves to be by your side. Whether you met abroad, fell in love while they were visiting, or built your relationship across borders, Canada wants to keep couples together. Spousal sponsorship is the pathway that makes this happen.
Once approved, your spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident with full rights to live and work anywhere in Canada. They can access healthcare, pursue education, and eventually apply for citizenship. Your future together starts here.
Who Qualifies as Your Spouse or Partner
Canada recognizes three types of relationships for sponsorship purposes. Understanding which category fits your situation is the first step.
Married spouses are legally married partners. The marriage must be valid under the laws where it took place and recognized under Canadian law. Both partners must be at least 18 years old. Same-sex marriages are fully recognized.
Common-law partners have lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. You do not need to be married. Short separations for work or travel do not break this period, but you need evidence that you maintained the relationship throughout.
Conjugal partners are in an exclusive, mutually dependent relationship for at least one year but cannot live together or marry due to barriers beyond their control. These barriers might be legal restrictions in their country, religious prohibitions, or other serious obstacles. Conjugal partners must live outside Canada.
All relationships must be genuine. Immigration officers specifically look for evidence that the relationship was not entered into primarily for immigration purposes.
Your Eligibility as a Sponsor
To sponsor your spouse or partner, you must meet specific requirements.
Basic requirements:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act
- Live in Canada, or if you are a citizen abroad, show intent to return when your spouse is approved
- Sign an undertaking to financially support your partner
Income requirements generally do not apply for spousal sponsorship. This is different from parent and grandparent sponsorship. However, if you are sponsoring a spouse whose dependent child has their own children, you will need to show financial capacity using the Financial Evaluation Form (IMM 1283).
When Sponsorship Is Not Possible
Certain circumstances disqualify you from sponsoring.
You cannot sponsor if you:
- Were sponsored as a spouse yourself and have been a permanent resident for less than 5 years
- Signed an undertaking for a previous spouse or partner you sponsored, and it has not been 3 years since they became a permanent resident
- Are incarcerated or have a removal order against you
- Are in default on immigration loans, performance bonds, or court-ordered family support
- Receive social assistance for reasons other than disability
- Have undischarged bankruptcy
- Have convictions for violent crimes, offences against relatives, or sexual offences
These restrictions protect vulnerable people and ensure sponsors can meet their commitments.
Work While Waiting for Approval
One major benefit of inland spousal sponsorship is the open work permit. If your spouse or partner is already in Canada and you apply for sponsorship here, they can apply to work while waiting for permanent residence.
To qualify for this work permit:
- The permanent residence application must be received and acknowledged by IRCC
- Your partner must be living with you in Canada
- Your partner must have valid temporary status in Canada
- Your relationship must be genuine
The work permit application requires an Acknowledgement of Receipt letter from IRCC, proof of valid status, family information forms, and relationship documentation like your marriage certificate or common-law declaration.
Work permits can be extended for an additional 2 years if the permanent residence application is still processing.
The Application Process
Spousal sponsorship involves submitting applications for both the sponsor and the person being sponsored. Both applications are reviewed together.
Immigration officers examine your relationship closely. They look at:
- How you met and your relationship history
- Communication records between you
- Photos together over time
- Evidence of shared finances or property
- Letters from family and friends who know you as a couple
- Travel records showing visits to each other
Officers receive training specifically to identify relationships that exist only on paper. Weak evidence or inconsistencies between your stories raise concerns.
Quebec Sponsors Face Extra Steps
If you live in Quebec, you must satisfy provincial eligibility requirements and obtain a Quebec undertaking before permanent residence can be approved.
Wait for IRCC. Quebec's requirements include its income requirements, if they apply to you, and you must sign an undertaking with the Government of Quebec. Do not submit your undertaking application to Quebec until IRCC tells you to. If you do not wait for IRCC's confirmation, Quebec will not process it.
Get Your Application Right the First Time
Spousal sponsorship refusals happen. When they do, they create delays that extend your separation and force difficult decisions about what to do next.
We work with couples at every stage of their relationship to build sponsorship applications that present their genuine love story in terms immigration officers understand. From organizing your evidence to explaining complicated relationship timelines, we know what creates strong applications.
Ready to start your spousal sponsorship? Book a consultation today.
