Spousal Sponsorship

Sponsor Requirements:

  • Sponsor must be at least 18 years old;
  • The sponsor must be a Canadian permanent resident or a Canadian citizen residing in Canada;
  • The sponsor cannot be charged with imprisonment, bankruptcy, removal order (if permanent resident) or serious offense; And
  • Sponsorship cannot be sponsored in Canada as a spouse in the last 5 years.

Requirements for the sponsor:

  • The age of the sponsored person should be at least 16 years and
  • The sponsor should not be closely associated with the blood sponsor.
  • Requirements for the nature of the relationship:
  • The applicant must prove that the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsor qualifies under one of three categories:

Spouse: This means that the sponsor and sponsor are legally married. For those getting married within Canada, the marriage is a marriage certificate from that state or territory that shows that the marriage is valid. Remember that same-sex marriages performed within Canada are eligible for sponsorship. If the marriage took place outside of Canada, it must be valid under the law of the country as well as Canadian federal law.

Common-Law Partner: In order to establish a common-law relationship, the sponsor and sponsor must stay together for at least one year, except for a brief absence due to business or family reasons.

Spouses: Spouses can be heterosexual or homosexual. A sponsored person is defined as a marital partner if:

  • Disability conditions beyond their control prevent applicants from qualifying as common-law partners or spouses, such as immigration barriers or legal restrictions such as divorce or same-sex relationships; And
  • Applicants have had an interdependent relationship for at least one year with the same level of commitment as marriage or a common-law union. This may require emotional attachment and closeness, financial closeness, such as joint ownership of property or mutual financial support, and demonstration of time spent and reunification efforts.

No one can apply to become a sponsor if he or she:

  • Did not pay the immigration loan, a performance bond and / or family support payment;
  • Failed to support a previous sponsored relative, resulting in the sponsor seeking social assistance to meet their basic needs;
  • Is subject to removal order;
  • Is a prisoner, prisoner, reformer or in prison;
  • Receives social assistance for reasons other than disability;
  • Filed for bankruptcy and has not received a ‘discharge order’ from the court (he is still going through bankruptcy proceedings);
  • Sponsored for less than five years and retained permanent resident status;
  • Another spouse was previously sponsored and the sponsored spouse has not been a Canadian permanent resident for more than three years;
  • Has already submitted an application to sponsor his / her current spouse / spouse / child and no decision has been taken on his / her application yet;
  • Was convicted of a violent or sexual offense or a crime that resulted in a relative being physically harmed, attempted to cause, or threatened.