Canada always encourages immigrants to bring their families to the country. Therefore, the immigration authorities give high priority to spousal sponsorship. If you have moved to Canada and wish to bring your spouse to the country, you can apply for a spousal sponsorship for this purpose.
You can sponsor your spouse, common law partner or conjugal partner under this sponsorship program.
Eligibility requirements for spousal sponsorship program:
You can sponsor your spouse or partner if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and are at least 18 years old.
You must be living in Canada or plan to return to the country once your spouse or partner gets permanent residence.
You must be able to meet the basic financial needs of your spouse or partner for three years once they enter the country.
Proof of relationship:
If you are looking to sponsor your spouse, you must provide the following documents as proof of your relationship:
- Marriage certificate from the government
- Completed relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation questionnaire
- Invitations and photos of your marriage
- Birth certificates or adoption records of your children with your spouse or partner
- Proof of registration of marriage
- Proof that you and your spouse are joint owners of property
- Proof of shared bank accounts
Categories you can apply under for spousal sponsorship:
When your spouse is outside Canada you should apply under the Family Class (outland) category. But you cannot live with your spouse till your sponsorship application is approved. But you spouse can come to the country on a temporary visa while the sponsorship application is being sponsored.
You can sponsor your spouse or partner even if they are living in Canada, provided you are holding a valid immigration status or have applied for an open work permit to work in Canada while the application is being processed. But as an applicant you should avoid travel outside Canada while your application is being processed.
Minimum income requirements:
Though there are no minimum income requirements to bring your spouse or partner to Canada, however you must promise to provide the necessary funds to meet the basic needs of your spouse or partner by signing an undertaking. However, the length of the undertaking depends on the category of sponsorship.
Processing time for spousal sponsorship applications:
The average processing time for spousal sponsorship programs is around 12 months.
However, this depends on factors such as submission of the complete documents, proof of relationship documents and the number of applications with the immigration department.
The Canadian spousal sponsorship program is the most popular immigration program used by immigrants to bring their families to Canada.