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Spouses, Common-law Partners and Conjugal Partners

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The Immigration System of Canada supports Spousal sponsorship. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor his spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner to obtain Canadian permanent resident status.

A spouse is a person with whom you are legally married. A Common-law partner is a person you live or have lived with for at least 12 consecutive months in a marriage-like relationship, while a Conjugal partner is a person with whom you are having a committed relationship for at least consecutive 12 months but does not reside with the partner due to some barriers.

There are two options for spousal sponsorship

  • Inland sponsorship
  • Outland Sponsorship

Inland Sponsorship

For inland sponsorship, both applicants and sponsored spouses are required to live in Canada during the application processing period. Inland Sponsorship is filed in Canada. The standard application processing takes almost 12 months for approval.

Outland Sponsorship

The applicant can apply for outland sponsorship when the sponsored spouse lives abroad and the Canadian sponsor resides in Canada.

The foreign spouse or partner can enter and leave Canada throughout the application process if they are from a visa-free country or obtain the appropriate Canadian visa. While the Canadian spouse or partner will remain in Canada while the application process time.

Eligibility Criteria for the Sponsor

A Canadian resident is considered eligible to sponsor his spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner only if;

  • He is 18 years or above
  • A Canadian Citizen or permanent Canadian resident
  • He lives in Canada, even if he is not, he is planning to return to the country
  • He is not having any disability and does not require any social assistance from the government
  • He can support his spouse, partner, or other dependent children financially and can fulfill their basic needs

Sponsorship Requirements

Spousal Sponsorship in Canada requires you to provide financial support to the sponsored person, including the spouse and any dependent children. The Canadian resident sponsoring his spouse is required to sign an undertaking that involves a promise to provide all the basic needs to the sponsored person or persons. These basic needs are;

  • Housing, including utility bills
  • Food
  • Clothing and other necessary items
  • Medical expenses

The undertaking is valid for 3 years from the day your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner becomes a permanent resident.

The Canadian Government does not allow you to cancel or withdraw undertakings once the sponsorship application has been approved by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Application Processing

When the sponsoring applicant and the sponsored spouse both meet the eligibility requirements, then the applicant has to submit two applications at the same time;

  • Application for sponsoring your spouse or partner
  • Application for your spouse or partner’s permanent residence

The application process consists of four basic steps;

  1. Download the package containing the form, guide, and instructions from the government website
  2. Pay the online application fee, including processing fee, right of permanent resident fee, biometric fee, and any other fee if applicable
  3. Submit your application as per the instructions you have downloaded from the Government website
  4. Submit all supporting documents as per requirements

About Canada Visa and XL Immigration Consultation Services

Xl Immigration Consulting Services Inc is a renowned Immigration Consulting Services firm in British Columbia. We are dedicated to bringing families together in Canada. We provide professional legal services in areas such as sponsoring children, spouses, partners, parents, grandparents, and the Super Visa. We assist our clients in preparing sponsorship applications or appeal cases.

Contact us today if you need any support, consultancy, or legal advice for your spousal sponsorship needs.