Canada's spousal and partner sponsorship is a family class permanent residence program that allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner for permanent residence. It is one of Canada's highest-volume immigration programs and has no annual intake cap — applications are processed as received. The program is built on the principle of family reunification and recognises legal marriage, common-law partnerships (cohabitation for at least 12 consecutive months), and conjugal partnerships (12+ months relationship with a barrier to cohabitation or marriage).

For current processing times, application forms, and fees, refer to the IRCC spousal and partner sponsorship page.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), s 12(1) and s 13 — the family class and sponsorship framework
• IRPR, s 117(1)(a) and 130–132 — sponsored spouse/partner definition and sponsor eligibility
• IRCC: Sponsor your spouse, partner or child — canada.ca/sponsor-spouse-partner-children
• Guide IMM 5289 — Sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child — canada.ca/guide-imm5289
• IMM 1344 — Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking — canada.ca/imm1344

Who can be sponsored — three relationship types

Spouse

A spouse is a person who is legally married to the sponsor. The marriage must be legally valid under the laws of the country where it took place and under Canadian law. Proxy marriages, telephone marriages, and marriages conducted under other non-physical arrangements are not recognised under Canadian immigration law unless the couple has since lived together.

Common-law partner

A common-law partner has lived with the sponsor in a genuine conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. The 12 months must be continuous — brief separations for travel or other reasons may not break continuity, but extended separations may. See the common-law partner definition page for detailed criteria.

Conjugal partner

A conjugal partner has been in a genuine conjugal relationship with the sponsor for at least 12 months but has been unable to live together or marry due to reasons beyond their control — such as immigration barriers in the partner's country, legal barriers to same-sex marriage in the partner's jurisdiction, or other exceptional circumstances. Conjugal partner status is the most difficult to establish and is genuinely exceptional — it is not a substitute for common-law partnership when the parties simply chose not to live together.

Sponsor eligibility

To sponsor a spouse or partner, the sponsor must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be at least 18 years old
• Live in Canada — except that Canadian citizens living abroad can sponsor a spouse or partner if they plan to return to Canada when the sponsored person becomes a PR
• Not be subject to a sponsorship bar — see the sponsorship bars page for grounds that prevent sponsoring
• Not be in default on a prior sponsorship undertaking

There is no income requirement for sponsoring a spouse or partner (unlike sponsoring parents/grandparents, which requires meeting LICO for 3 years).

Sponsorship undertaking — 3 years

The sponsor signs a sponsorship undertaking committing to financially support the sponsored person and any dependent children for 3 years from the date they become a permanent resident. This means that if the sponsored person receives social assistance during the 3-year undertaking period, the sponsor may be required to repay the government. For more detail, see the sponsorship undertaking page.

Two application streams — inland vs. outland

Inland sponsorship (sponsored person in Canada)

If the sponsored spouse or partner is currently in Canada with valid temporary resident status, the application can be submitted as an inland application. The sponsored person can also apply for an open work permit (OWP) at the same time as the PR application — this allows them to work in Canada while the sponsorship is being processed. The open work permit under inland spousal sponsorship is issued without needing a job offer or LMIA. See the inland spousal sponsorship OWP page for details. Note: the sponsored person must generally maintain valid temporary status in Canada throughout the inland processing period.

Outland sponsorship (sponsored person outside Canada)

If the sponsored person is outside Canada (or is in Canada but the sponsor prefers the outland process), the application is processed as an outland application through a visa office. The sponsored person may be required to attend an interview at the visa office as part of the assessment. Processing times for outland applications vary by visa office and country. The sponsored person can apply for a temporary resident visa or eTA to visit Canada while the sponsorship is processing, but this is assessed separately.

Genuine relationship assessment

A central assessment in all spousal/partner sponsorship applications is whether the relationship is genuine — not entered into primarily for the purpose of obtaining immigration status. Officers assess genuineness through the application evidence (documentation of the relationship, co-habitation, joint finances, communication records, photographs, statutory declarations from people who know the couple) and may conduct interviews. See the genuine relationship page for what IRCC considers in this assessment.

Quebec undertaking cap (2026)

Quebec has its own administration of family sponsorship undertakings for sponsors residing in Quebec. As of 2026, Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) reached its maximum number of undertaking applications to sponsor a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child aged 18 or over until June 25, 2026. Quebec residents seeking to sponsor a spouse or partner should check current MIFI intake status before applying. For current Quebec undertaking status, refer to the MIFI website or the IRCC sponsorship page.

Spousal and partner sponsorship is one of the fastest family class categories — IRCC has set processing time targets for this category and it does not have an annual intake cap. The genuine relationship assessment is the main area where applications are refused — providing comprehensive relationship evidence from the outset is important. For current processing times by stream (inland vs. outland) and country, refer to the IRCC processing times tool. For current application fees, refer to the IRCC fee schedule.