Spousal Sponsorship Canada
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner for Canadian permanent residence.
IPJ Immigration Solution guides you through every step, from confirming eligibility to the moment your partner lands in Canada.
20+ Years Experience
Licensed by Law Society of Ontario and CICC
Members of CILA and CAPIC
Women-Led Firm
SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP AT A GLANCE
Program Overview
Who can sponsor
Canadian citizens and permanent residents (living in Canada)
Who can be sponsored
Spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner
Income requirement
None - income thresholds do not apply to spousal sponsorship
Can partner work during processing
Yes - inland applicants can apply for an open work permit after Acknowledgement of Receipt
Processing time (approx.)
Inland: ~21 months | Outland: ~15 months (IRCC estimates, subject to change)
Education requirement
None
Job offer requirement
None
WHO CAN YOU SPONSOR?
Canada’s spousal sponsorship program recognizes three relationship types. Each has specific eligibility requirements. See our family sponsorship canada services here.
Spouse
Your spouse is a person you are legally married to. The marriage must be valid in the country where it took place and under Canadian federal law. Same-sex marriages are fully recognised. Both partners must be at least 18 years old.
Common-Law Partner
A common-law partner is someone you have lived with in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 continuous months. You do not need to be legally married. Short, temporary absences are permitted, but any significant interruption restarts the 12-month requirement.
Conjugal Partner
A conjugal partner is someone you have been in a committed relationship with for at least one year but cannot cohabit with or marry due to circumstances genuinely beyond your control – such as immigration barriers or legal restrictions in their country. This category has strict requirements. Most couples qualify under spouse or common-law.
SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Age and Status
You must be at least 18 years old and be one of the following: a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident living in Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Indian Act.
Residency — Citizens and PRs Living Abroad
If you are a Canadian citizen living abroad, you must demonstrate a clear and genuine intent to return to Canada when your partner becomes a permanent resident.
Permanent residents living outside Canada may still be eligible to sponsor if they can demonstrate they will return to Canada to live when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. Speak with our team to assess your specific situation.
Financial and Social Assistance
You must not be receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability. No minimum income threshold applies — this is not the same as the income requirement for parent and grandparent sponsorship.
Criminal History
You must not have a disqualifying criminal history — specifically violent offences, sexual offences, or offences against a family member. If you have a criminal record of any kind, discuss it with our team before proceeding. Full disclosure is always the right approach.
Prior Sponsorship Obligations
You must not be in default on any previous sponsorship undertakings or outstanding immigration loans.
The 5-year bar
If you were previously sponsored to Canada as a spouse or partner yourself, you cannot sponsor a new partner until five years have passed from the date you became a permanent resident. This applies even if you have since become a Canadian citizen.
The Sponsorship Undertaking
By sponsoring your partner, you take on a legal obligation to financially support them for three years after they become a permanent resident. During this period, they will not be eligible for most federal social assistance.
- IRCC requires you to acknowledge and sign this undertaking as part of your application
- This is a binding legal obligation — it applies regardless of what happens in your relationship after landing
- It cannot be cancelled, transferred, or voided by separation or divorce after permanent residence is granted
WHY APPLICATIONS GET REFUSED AND HOW WE HELP
A well-prepared application avoids the most common refusal reasons. These are the issues we watch for in every file.
Relationship Not Considered Genuine
IRCC doubts the authenticity of the relationship based on insufficient or inconsistent evidence. This is the most common refusal reason in spousal sponsorship. We review every piece of evidence before it is submitted and advise on what strengthens — and what inadvertently weakens — a relationship package.
Marriage of Convenience
IRCC believes the relationship was entered into primarily to obtain immigration status rather than out of genuine commitment. Building a clear, consistent, and well-documented picture of your relationship from the beginning is essential.
Misrepresentation
Failure to disclose a previous marriage, prior refusal, criminal record, or other material facts. Full disclosure is always the right approach — and always the approach we take. Attempting to omit or minimise past issues typically makes them worse.
Sponsor Ineligibility
Receiving social assistance, being within the 5-year bar, or being in default on a prior undertaking. We confirm sponsor eligibility in full before a single form is prepared.
Inadmissibility
An undisclosed criminal record or medical condition that must be addressed before or during the application. If your partner has a complex background, we assess it early so it does not become a surprise during processing.
Already been refused?
Every application we handle receives a full legal audit before submission. If your application has already been refused, we can assess your options — including an appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (outland only) or a judicial review in Federal Court.
How to Apply for Spousal Sponsorship
Gather Documents
Collect all required documents: passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate or proof of 12 months of cohabitation, police certificates from every country where you lived for six months or more since age 18, medical examination results, and your relationship evidence package. We provide a customised checklist for your specific situation so nothing is missed.
Complete and Submit the Application
All forms are completed and the full package — the sponsorship application and the permanent residence application — are submitted together online through the IRCC portal. Both applications are assessed as one package. Any error or missing document at this stage delays the entire file.
Acknowledgement of Receipt
IRCC confirms your application is complete and in process. Once the Acknowledgement of Receipt is received, your partner can apply for an open work permit to work for any employer in Canada during processing. Processing times for open work permits vary and are subject to IRCC's current service standards.
IRCC Review and Decision
IRCC conducts security and background checks, reviews your relationship evidence, and may request an interview or additional documents. If approved, your partner receives a Confirmation of Permanent Residence and completes the landing process. Permanent residence begins immediately upon landing.
Processing times are determined solely by IRCC. While we carefully prepare every application, final timelines are outside our control.
Professional Fee Schedule
We believe pricing should be honest, transparent, and stress-free. That’s why we don’t charge by the hour or burden you with unexpected fees. Before any work begins, you’ll receive a clear, written agreement outlining exactly what’s included. No guesswork, no surprises – just a straightforward deal you can count on.
What Our Services Include
Every applicant’s situation is different. Some clients want expert support while staying in control of their own application. Others want a team to manage everything.
Guided Application Review
Perfect if you are comfortable managing your own spousal sponsorship application but want a licensed professional team to verify your eligibility as a sponsor, review your relationship evidence, check your cohabitation and financial documents, and audit your full application package before it reaches IRCC.
What's included
- Sponsor and Applicant eligibility assessment and document strategy
- Full review of your completed application and documents
- Custom document checklist, professional templates and guidance
- Final pre-submission review call
Full Care Representation
Ideal for couples with complex situations such as a short relationship history, previous refusals, prior marriages or dependants, immigration status complications, or anyone who wants complete peace of mind. You share your documents and your story. We take care of the rest.
What's included
- Sponsor and Applicant eligibility assessment and document strategy
- Professional application preparation & Submission
- Custom document checklist, professional templates and guidance
- All communication with IRCC as your authorised representative
- Ongoing updates and guidance until you receive your decision
- IRCC portal management
Upgrading to Full Care Representation: Start with a Guided Application Review and decide to upgrade to Full Care Representation before your application is submitted? We will credit the full amount you have already paid toward your new fee.
Why Clients Choose IPJ for Spousal Sponsorship
Spousal sponsorship looks straightforward on paper. In practice, relationship evidence, inland versus outland decisions, and refusal risks make it one of the most scrutinised family class applications IRCC processes. We have guided couples through every variation of this file for over 20 years.
Two Decades of Ontario Experience
Before inland spousal sponsorship existed in its current form, before IRCC digitalised family class files, before relationship evidence standards tightened, we have been handling spousal sponsorship files through every policy era.
We Have Been Where You Are
Our team navigated Canada's immigration system personally. That shapes how seriously we take every piece of relationship evidence, how carefully we approach inland versus outland decisions, and how personally we care about reuniting your family.
RCIC and Lawyer Combination
CICC-licensed RCICs and an immigration lawyer licensed by the Law Society of Ontario — JD from Osgoode Hall — with Federal Court capability on every complex spousal sponsorship file.
We Know What IRCC Looks For
Insufficient relationship evidence and inconsistent documentation are the most common spousal sponsorship refusal reasons. We have reviewed hundreds of files and know exactly what strengthens an application and what raises flags before submission, not after.
You Are Not Just a File Number
Small, focused team. The same consultant who opens your spousal sponsorship file stays with it through to PR approval. That is not a feature we advertise — it is how we operate.
Success With Difficult Cases
Previous refusals, Procedural Fairness Letters, complex relationship histories, and prior inadmissibility - we have handled every variation of this file. Book a free 15-minute call to tell us where things stand.
What Our Clients Say
Our clients come to us from across Richmond Hill and the wider Greater Toronto Area, including Markham, Vaughan, Toronto, and Mississauga. Their words reflect what we work to deliver on every file: clarity, honest guidance, and real results.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Inland sponsorships take approximately 21 months. Outland sponsorships take approximately 15 months. These are IRCC estimates and may change at any time based on application volumes and staffing. Our team monitors current processing times and advises you throughout.
Inland requires both partners to live together in Canada with valid immigration status. It allows an open work permit during processing but carries no right of appeal if refused — Federal Court judicial review only. Outland is for partners outside Canada or visiting. Travel is permitted during processing and a refusal can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division. The right stream depends on your circumstances — our team assesses both and advises accordingly.
Yes, for inland applicants only. Once the Acknowledgement of Receipt is issued, your partner can apply for an open work permit to work for any employer in Canada during processing. Processing times for open work permits vary and are subject to IRCC's current service standards.
No minimum income is required for spousal sponsorship. You must not be receiving social assistance (except for disability). The income threshold applies only to parent and grandparent sponsorship it does not apply here.
Yes, if you are a Canadian citizen. You must demonstrate a genuine and clear intent to return to Canada when your partner becomes a permanent resident. Permanent residents living outside Canada face additional eligibility conditions — speak with our team to assess your situation before preparing any documents.
For outland applications, you have the right to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division. For inland applications, the only recourse is a judicial review in Federal Court. In either case, we can assess your options and help you understand the strongest path forward. Early legal advice is particularly valuable after a refusal.
Yes. All three categories spouse, common-law partner, and conjugal partner are open to same-sex couples under Canadian law. Marriages performed outside Canada must be valid under the law of the country where they took place and under Canadian federal law.
When you sponsor your partner, you sign a legal undertaking to financially support them for three years after they become a permanent resident. During this period, they will not be eligible for most federal social assistance. This is a binding legal obligation that applies regardless of what happens in your relationship after landing including separation or divorce.
Your Next Step Starts Here
The clearest way to know where you stand with your spousal sponsorship is a conversation with someone who can actually assess your relationship evidence and file strategy.
✓ 20+ Years Experience ✓ Licensed by Law Society of Ontario and CICC ✓ Women-Led Firm ✓ Mississauga, Ontario
Free 15-Minute Discovery Call
A short conversation to understand your sponsorship situation, your inland or outland options, and help you choose between Full Care Representation and Guided Application Review.
Paid 45-Minute Consultation
A focused session for specific spousal sponsorship needs such as relationship evidence strategy, previous refusal review, inland versus outland decision, or detailed questions about your file. Clear, practical guidance tailored to your situation.
Start With a Guided Questionnaire
Complete a short questionnaire to help us understand your relationship history, sponsorship situation, documentation, and any complications in your file. A licensed consultant will review your answers and get back to you within 24 hours with a clear, personalised recommendation.