Spousal and Partner Sponsorship
Overview
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their spouse (legally married), common-law partner (cohabiting for at least 1 year), or conjugal partner (in a conjugal relationship for at least 1 year with a barrier to cohabitation or marriage) for Canadian permanent residence. There is no income requirement for sponsoring a spouse or partner (unlike the parents and grandparents program). The sponsor must sign a 3-year undertaking and must not be subject to a sponsorship bar. Applications can be processed from within Canada (inland) or from outside Canada (outland).
Spousal sponsorship is one of the most common immigration pathways. Officers assess the genuineness of the relationship, and applications are refused if the officer is not satisfied that the relationship meets the s 4 IRPA test. The 5-year bar (a person who was themselves sponsored as a spouse within the preceding 5 years cannot sponsor another spouse) is an important compliance feature of the program.
Eligibility
Three categories of partner
- Spouse: a person to whom the sponsor is legally married; the marriage must be legally valid in the country where it took place and in Canada
- Common-law partner: a person who has cohabited in a conjugal relationship with the sponsor for at least 12 consecutive months; they do not need to currently live together at the time of application, but must have done so for the required period
- Conjugal partner: a person who has been in a conjugal relationship with the sponsor for at least 12 months but cannot cohabit or marry due to an exceptional barrier (e.g., immigration bar, anti-homosexuality laws in their home country, marital status); this category is narrow and intended for genuine cases where physical cohabitation is impossible
Sponsor requirements
- Canadian citizen or PR, at least 18 years old
- No minimum income requirement for spousal/partner sponsorship
- Not subject to any sponsorship bar (see sponsorship bars)
- Not subject to the 5-year bar (not themselves a sponsored spouse/partner within the preceding 5 years)
Genuine relationship requirement
Officers must be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and was not entered into primarily for immigration purposes. See the genuine relationship test concept page for the full assessment framework.
Selection criteria
Application process
Inland vs outland processing
Outland sponsorship: the sponsored person lives outside Canada or is outside Canada at the time of application. The application is processed by IRCC's overseas processing centres. If approved, the sponsored person receives an immigrant visa and lands as a PR. This is the standard pathway for most applicants.
Inland sponsorship: available only where the sponsored person is in Canada at the time of application and holds legal status (e.g., visitor, student, or worker). The advantage is that the sponsored person may apply for an open work permit while the application is in process. The disadvantage is that the sponsored person cannot leave Canada and re-enter — if they leave, the inland application is abandoned and an outland application must be submitted.
Conditional permanent residence (repealed)
A conditional PR requirement (requiring 2 years of cohabitation after landing for marriages/partnerships under 2 years at the time of application) was introduced in 2012 and repealed in 2017. Sponsors and sponsored persons should be aware that there is no longer a conditional PR requirement for spousal or partner sponsorships.
The 3-year undertaking
The sponsor undertakes to financially support the sponsored spouse or partner for 3 years from the date the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. If the relationship breaks down and the sponsored person receives social assistance during this period, the sponsor remains legally responsible for repayment.