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 How to sponsor your partner for Canadian immigration

How to sponsor your partner for Canadian immigration

With Canada aiming to expedite 18,000 spousal sponsorship applications by the end of 2020, here is a step-by-step guide on how to submit an application to reunite with your loved one.

Canada is aiming to expedite the processing of 18,000 spousal sponsorship applications by the end of this year.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made this significant announcement on Thursday, outlining the innovative steps it is taking to try and reunite loved ones as quickly as possible. In recent years, Canada has been targeting some 70,000 new immigrants to obtain permanent residence each year under its spousal, partner, and children’s family class sponsorship category. This is due to the Canadian government viewing family reunification as a top priority.

Spousal sponsorship application processing has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the new measures announced by IRCC should help to alleviate backlogs.

If you are looking to submit a new spousal sponsorship application, here is key information that you need to know.

About the process

Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner to obtain permanent residence.

The Canadian citizen or permanent resident (the “sponsor”) and the foreign national (the “sponsored person”) must be approved by IRCC for the sponsored person to obtain permanent residence.

The sponsor and sponsored person must prove to IRCC that their relationship falls under one of these three categories:

  • Spouse
  • Common-law partner
  • Conjugal partner

Canada recognizes same-sex marriages. Same-sex partners can apply under one of these three categories so long as they meet all of IRCC’s eligibility criteria.

Who you can sponsor

  • Spouse: Your spouse must be legally married to you and at least 18 years old.
  • Common-law partner: Is not legally married to you, is at least 18 years old, and has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months.
  • Conjugal partner: Is not legally married to you, is it at least 18 years old, has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year, lives outside of Canada, and can not live with you in their country of residence or marry you due to significant legal and immigration reasons. Such reasons can include their marital status (e.g., they are still married to someone else in a country where divorce is not possible), their sexual orientation (e.g., same-sex relationships are not accepted in their country), persecution (e.g., your relationship is between religious groups in a country where this not accepted). You must prove you could not live together or get married in your conjugal partner’s country.

Source: CIC NEWS

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