Reveal How to Open a Canadian Immigration Application as a Spouse and Get a Visa right away

Sponsorship to settle in Canada as a spouse is of interest to many people. This is one of the fastest visas to Canada and the Canadian government provides an unlimited number of visas each year so that Canadian citizens or permanent residents can bring their spouses to the land of maple leaves to live permanently.

If you are also preparing to open a Canadian spousal sponsorship application but do not know the conditions, application process, and how to arrange evidence, the following article, ImmiPath will help you answer your questions. That and more, so that the couples can soon reunite in Canada. See it now!

1. Conditions for Sponsoring Canadian Settlement as husband and wife

You may be eligible to sponsor your married, common-law spouse for Canadian immigration if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and meet the following conditions:

• At least 18 years old
• Live in Canada or plan to return to Canada once your spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident of Canada
• Able and willing to provide for your spouse or partner’s basic financial needs for 3 years

2. What Documents Do You Need to Prepare for a Canadian Immigration Sponsorship Application as a Spouse?

When applying for Canadian immigration sponsorship under marriage, you need to prepare the following documents:

• Completed application forms
• Proof of status in Canada
• Identification
• Certificate of marriage
• 2 Criminal Records and Police Certificates from all countries where your spouse has lived for six months or longer over the age of 18
• Health certificate of your spouse
• Proof of payment of applicable government fees
• Digital Cameras
• The questionnaire assessed information about relationships and financial support
• Marriage certificate (see common law if you are not married)
• Wedding invitations and photos
• Birth certificates or adoption records for any children you and your spouse have together
• Proof of marriage registration with a government agency

To prove your relationship, you should provide at least two of the following documents:

• Proof that you and your spouse own property jointly
• Shared bank accounts
• Utility bill with both of your names
• Copy of government-issued ID
• Car’s insurance
• Pay stubs or tax forms show that you live at the same address

If you are in a common-law relationship and are looking to sponsor your partner, you will need to provide the following documents to the visa processing officer:

• The questionnaire assessed information about relationships and sponsorship
• Birth certificates or adoption records for any children you and your spouse have together
• Photos of you and your common-law partner prove that you are in a conjugal relationship
• Proof that you have lived together for at least a year

And at least 2 of the following documents:

• Documentation indicating that you are recognized as legal partners of each other, such as employment or insurance benefits
• Proof of financial support or shared expenses between you and your partner
• Evidence that your relationship is recognized by family and friends (letters, emails, social networks)

If you cannot provide all of the above documents, find a way to prove your relationship. For example, a letter of explanation or sworn statement from family or friends can attest to your common-law status.

The final decision regarding your common law documents will be at the discretion of the visa officer but the more evidence you provide, the better your chances of acceptance.

If you are in a relationship and are looking to sponsor your partner, immigration officers will expect to see the following evidence:

• Apartment
• Economic support, including joint financial agreements, joint bank accounts, etc.
• Evidence that your friends and family realize that you two are in a relationship

For both spousal and common-law relationships, there is no legal document or specific moment in time that solidifies your commitment to each other. Instead, you need to demonstrate evidence of a serious, committed relationship with the intention of maintaining that relationship long-term.

3. Canadian Immigration Sponsorship Process for Spouses

To open a Canadian immigration sponsorship application for marriage, you need to prepare the following steps:

3.1 Step 1: Receive requests for documents to submit from IRCC

IRCC will send 2 applications at the same time (petition application and permanent residence application for the sponsored person) and request documents to prepare for the sponsor.

3.2 Step 2: Pay the application fee to IRCC

Fees such as application processing fees, permanent resident card fees, and biometric fees need to be paid. These fees must be paid online through IRCC’s online portal.

3.3 Step 3: Submit application to IRCC

After the application is fully prepared, the candidate will submit the application to IRCC by mail. The application will be processed and sent to the Canadian Consulate. The next thing is that the applicant needs to wait until the interview date at the Consulate to complete the process of sponsoring his or her spouse to Canada.

4. Cost of Sponsoring US Settlement for Marriage?

The government’s processing fee to sponsor a married couple to immigrate to Canada is also a question for many people. If you are sponsoring your spouse or common-law partner and have dependent children, you will pay an additional $150 for each child included in the application.

• Guarantee fee: $75
• Main applicant processing fee: $475
• Permanent residency fee: $500
• Biometrics: $85
• Total: $1135

If the sponsor resides in Quebec or intends to reside in Quebec after being granted permanent residence, there will be an additional fee of $289 CAD in addition to the fees listed above.

See more: How much does Canadian immigration cost?

5. How Long Does It Take to Sponsor Canadian Immigration for Marriage?

Processing time for a Canadian marriage settlement application is about 12 months. For example, a sponsor applying to sponsor his or her spouse in 2022 will have the application processed in the last month of 2023.

If you have prepared all the required documents and see that the waiting time is longer, it may be due to the following reasons:

• The documents are invalid and the evidence is not convincing enough
• The relationship between husband and wife does not have a clear and tight bond
• The financial support of the guarantor is not enough
• The background of the sponsored person is not clear, his English or French proficiency or skills do not meet the required standards. If your application does not pass, IRCC will return it to you as soon as possible. At this time, you need to quickly add the necessary documents to avoid prolonging the application review time, and affecting the reunification process and your costs.

6. Some Frequently Asked Questions about Canadian Immigration Sponsorship as a Spouse

6.1. Can I leave Canada while my spousal sponsorship application is being processed?

The sponsored person may leave Canada for a short period of time while waiting for a decision on the Canadian marriage sponsorship application.

However, as Canadian residency is required for sponsorship status in Canada, it is risky to leave the country in case you cannot re-enter.

Another consideration is if the sponsored spouse has applied for an open work permit and is currently maintaining status in Canada.

If so, they will lose the status they maintained after leaving Canada and must wait until their work permit application is approved to return.

If you are a permanent resident, you must remain in Canada during the processing of your application to sponsor Canadian spouses under common law.

6.2. Does Canada limit the number of spousal sponsorship applications?

Unlike sponsoring parents and grandparents, there is no entry limit for spousal sponsorship. Canada continues to accept spousal sponsorship applications throughout the year.

6.3. Will I get permanent residency if I marry a Canadian?

Simply marrying a Canadian does not automatically confer Canadian permanent residence on the spouse. 

Once you are married or in a common-law relationship, you can apply for spousal sponsorship. Only after the spousal sponsorship application is approved will the married spouse become a Canadian permanent resident.

6.4. How do I apply to sponsor a spouse to Canada?

Applications for spousal sponsorship to immigrate to Canada can be submitted by mail or through IRCC’s new permanent residence application portal.

6.5. Does my spouse or domestic partner need to prove proficiency in English or French?

Your sponsoring spouse or common-law partner is not required to demonstrate proficiency in English or French.

However, your spouse or common-law partner may be required to take a language proficiency test when applying for Canadian citizenship later. 

6.6. How much money do I need to sponsor my spouse, common-law partner, or common-law partner to come to Canada?

Unlike most other forms of Canadian sponsorship, you do not need to demonstrate a minimum income to sponsor a spouse, common-law partner, or common-law partner.

However, whenever you sponsor a family member to come to Canada, you must sign an undertaking in which you promise to provide financial support for the basic needs of your sponsored family member. 

The term of the commitment depends on the type of guarantee. For spousal sponsorship (including spouse and common-law partner), the commitment period is 3 years from the date the sponsored individual becomes a Canadian permanent resident.

6.7. What are my ongoing obligations if I sponsor my spouse, common-law partner, or common-law partner as a spousal sponsor?

When sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner, you are responsible for meeting your partner’s basic needs, including their daily needs and health for 3 years.

You must ensure that your spouse or common-law partner does not require public assistance from the government before signing the commitment agreement.

If your spouse or common-law partner needs financial assistance from the government, you must pay them back all the money they received while you were legally responsible for them. 

If you do not repay the full amount, you will not be allowed to sponsor another qualifying family member until you do so.

Your financial obligations will remain in effect even if: 

• Your sponsored spouse becomes a Canadian citizen
• Your relationship is over
• Your spouse, common-law partner or common-law partner moves to another country or province
• You have financial problems

7. How to Sponsor Canadian Immigration through Marriage as Quickly as Possible to Get a Visa?

With the shared information about settling in Canada as spouses, ImmiPath hopes it will be useful for spouses when opening a sponsorship application to settle in Canada under a married visa.

ImmiPath hopes that when couples open a spousal sponsorship application to come to the US, it should come from true love and the desire to build a family together and reunite with the person they love in the land of Maple Leaves.

If you have any questions about the sponsorship paperwork to go to Canada as spouses, please comment below the article, ImmiPath’s team of consultants will support, advise, and help the couples reunite soon in the land of Maple Leaves.