Sponsoring a spouse or partner

This page is for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want their husband, wife or partner to live with them in Canada, and for the partner waiting on the other side. Living apart is hard, and Canada does give genuine couples a way to be together, but the choices you make at the start — which class to apply in, what evidence to send — shape the whole file.

Who can sponsor, and who can be sponsored

You can sponsor if you are at least 18, a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or registered under the Indian Act, and you live in Canada. A citizen living abroad may sponsor if they show they will return to Canada when their partner becomes a permanent resident. In most cases there is no minimum income for a spousal sponsorship; the exception is when a dependent child included in the application has a child of their own.

Some people cannot sponsor, including anyone who:

• was themselves sponsored as a spouse or partner and became a permanent resident less than five years ago;
• is still under an undertaking for a previous spouse or partner;
• receives social assistance for reasons other than disability;
• is in prison, has undischarged bankruptcy, or owes an immigration loan, a performance bond or court-ordered family support;
• has been convicted of certain violent or sexual offences, or offences against a relative.

You can sponsor one of three kinds of partner:

• a spouse — legally married to you and at least 18;
• a common-law partner — not married to you, but has lived with you for at least 12 consecutive months;
• a conjugal partner — in an exclusive, interdependent relationship with you for at least one year, living outside Canada, where legal, cultural or social barriers have kept you from living together or marrying.

Dependent children (generally under 22 and without a spouse or partner) can be included in the same application.

Inland or outland: the first real decision

There are two classes, and they are not interchangeable.

IRCC's own guide says to choose the Family Class if your partner lives outside Canada or if you might want to appeal a refusal. An outland refusal can be appealed by the sponsor to the Immigration Appeal Division, and the appeal must reach the IAD within 30 days of receiving the refusal. An inland refusal has no such appeal. See After a refusal.

The open work permit for inland applicants

A partner applying inland can get an open work permit while the permanent residence application is processed. They must be in a genuine relationship with the sponsor, live with the sponsor in Canada, hold valid temporary status, and have the acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) for the PR application. If their current status expires within two weeks, they may apply before the AOR arrives. The work permit can be extended for two more years if the PR application is still being processed.

If your partner is in Canada on a study or work permit of their own, the rules for their permit still apply; see Work permits.

The undertaking

When you sponsor, you sign an undertaking to support your partner financially. For a spouse or partner it lasts 3 years from the day they become a permanent resident (outside Quebec). For a dependent child under 22 it lasts 10 years or until age 25, whichever comes first. The undertaking continues even if the relationship ends — separation or divorce does not cancel it. Quebec has its own rules.

Fees and how long it takes

IRCC's fees for a spousal sponsorship:

• $1,260 to sponsor a spouse or partner, which includes the $600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee ($660 without it);
• $180 for each dependent child;
• $85 per person for biometrics, with a $170 maximum for a family applying together.

Processing times differ for inland and outland applications and change every month. Check IRCC's processing-times tool for the current estimate before you plan a wedding date, a move or a job change around it.

Proving a genuine relationship

The officer must be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and was not entered into mainly for immigration. Strong files show the relationship as it actually is, over time:

• how and when you met, and how the relationship developed;
• the wedding, and who attended — for Kerala families, the photographs, invitations and the families' involvement often tell the story clearly;
• time spent together: travel records, stays, photographs across months and years;
• communication while apart, in moderation — a representative sample, not thousands of screenshots;
• shared responsibilities: joint accounts, a shared address, insurance, children.

For common-law partners, proof of living together for the full 12 months matters most.

Common mistakes

• Choosing inland for speed of work without considering that an inland refusal cannot be appealed.
• Leaving out family members. Every dependent child must be declared, even one who is not coming; leaving someone out can cause serious problems for years afterwards.
• Inconsistent dates and addresses between the sponsor's and partner's forms, or with an earlier visa application.
• Too little evidence of the relationship over time, or a pile of unexplained documents.
• Sponsoring while barred, for example within five years of being sponsored yourself.
• Using an unlicensed agent. Only a licensed representative may charge for immigration advice; a file prepared with false information can lead to a refusal and a ban for misrepresentation.

How Polinsys helps

Before you pay any fee, Joy Stephen, RCIC (CICC licence R419719), reviews your situation and tells you honestly which class suits you, what risks he sees, and what evidence your relationship needs. We then prepare both the sponsorship and the permanent residence forms so they agree with each other and with your past applications, organise your relationship evidence into a clear story, and, for inland files, apply for the open work permit at the right moment. If an application is refused, we review the officer's notes with you. Bring your questions to our free Friday Q&A: FREE Webinars: Resource Guides and AR Q&A.