Spousal and Partner Sponsorship in Canada

Spousal sponsorship lets a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a person registered under the Indian Act sponsor their spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner for permanent residence. The partner applies either in the family class (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, IRPR, s. 117(1)(a)) or in the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (IRPR s. 124). Partners of any gender can be sponsored, and the partner must be at least 18.

Every case has two applications, submitted together by the partner through IRCC's Permanent Residence Portal: the sponsor's application and the partner's application for permanent residence. The sponsor also signs an undertaking to provide for the partner's basic needs for 3 years and to repay any social assistance they receive.

Government fees to sponsor a spouse or partner

$1,260

Undertaking, starting on the day of permanent residence

3 years

Living together continuously to be common-law partners

12 months

Wait before sponsoring a partner if you were sponsored as one

5 years

The point most couples underestimate is the genuineness test. Under IRPR s. 4(1), a person is not your spouse or partner if the relationship is not genuine, or if it was entered into mainly to gain status under immigration law. Either one is enough for a refusal. A marriage certificate shows that a marriage took place, not that the relationship is genuine; the evidence of your shared life carries the application.

As the sponsor, you must meet these requirements on the day you file and until IRCC makes a decision (IRPR s. 133(1)).

• StatusCanadian citizen, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act
• AgeAt least 18 years old
• ResidenceYou live in Canada. A citizen abroad may sponsor a partner if they will live in Canada when the partner becomes a permanent resident (IRPR s. 130(2)). A permanent resident abroad cannot sponsor.
• Undertaking and agreementYou sign the undertaking. You and your partner both sign the sponsorship agreement, in which your partner promises to make every reasonable effort to support themselves (IRPR s. 132(4)).
• 5-year ruleIf you were sponsored as a spouse or partner, you must have been a permanent resident or citizen for at least 5 years before you file (IRPR s. 130(3)).
• No open spousal undertakingAny undertaking you gave for a previous spouse or partner must have ended (IRPR s. 117(9)(b) and s. 125(1)(b)).
• No pending applicationYou have not already applied to sponsor the same person without a decision yet.

You may also be barred from sponsoring if you:

• are subject to a removal order, or are in a jail, prison or penitentiary
• receive social assistance for a reason other than disability
• are in default on a past sponsorship undertaking, court-ordered support such as alimony or child support, an immigration loan or a performance bond
• are an undischarged bankrupt
• were convicted in or outside Canada of a sexual offence, a violent indictable offence punishable by at least 10 years, or an offence causing bodily harm to a current or former family member, relative or partner

A conviction does not bar you after a record suspension, a final acquittal, or 5 years from the end of the sentence (for a foreign conviction, you must also show rehabilitation) (IRPR s. 133(2) and (3)). In Quebec, IRCC does not apply the default, support payment and bankruptcy bars (IRPR s. 137(c)); Quebec applies its own requirements and receives your undertaking.

• SpouseLegally married to you. A marriage outside Canada must be valid under the law of the place where it took place and under Canadian law.
• Common-law partnerNot married to you, but has lived with you in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. If either of you ends the relationship, IRCC considers it over.
• Conjugal partnerLives outside Canada and has been in an exclusive, mutually interdependent relationship with you for at least 1 year, but cannot marry you or live with you because of legal, immigration, social, cultural, religious or similar barriers

Some real relationships are still excluded by law: if either of you was married to someone else when you married, if you have lived apart for at least 1 year and either of you has a new partner, or if either of you was not physically present at the ceremony, apart from a narrow Canadian Forces exception (IRPR s. 5 and s. 117(9)(c) and (c.1)). A relationship ended and restarted to gain status is also excluded (IRPR s. 4.1).

A partner without status can still apply inland under a 2005 public policy, but only if the sole problems are overstaying, working or studying without authorization, or entering without a required visa, document or valid passport (they need a passport before becoming a permanent resident). Such a partner must wait for the approval in principle letter before applying for an open work permit.

IRCC's instructions to its officers list the evidence it expects. Your personalized document checklist is the final word, but these categories are the core of most files.

• Relationship questionnaireThe Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation form (IMM 5532), completed by both of you
• Marriage documents (spouses)Marriage certificate, proof the marriage was registered with a government authority, and proof of divorce from any earlier marriage
• Common-law documentsStatutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409), proof of separation from a former spouse, and the Statutory Declaration of Severance of Common-law Union (IMM 5519) if either of you had an earlier common-law partner
• Children and photosLong-form birth certificates or adoption records listing both parents, plus wedding invitations and photos of you as a couple
• Living togetherItems from at least 2 of these sets, or a detailed written explanation: joint ownership or a lease in both names; joint utility, credit card or bank accounts; vehicle insurance at the same address; government ID with the same address; other mail, pay stubs, tax forms or statements at the same address
• Recognition and support (common-law)Proof that you are recognized as each other's partner (for example on benefits), shared expenses or financial support, and letters from family and friends
• Contact and visits (if apart now)Proof of at least 1 year of past cohabitation, up to 10 pages of messages or other proof of contact, and proof of visits such as boarding passes or passport stamps

If the documents leave doubts, an officer can ask for more information, a Supplementary Relationship Questionnaire (IMM 5526) or an interview. In inland cases, the local IRCC office may interview you separately. Officers must give you a chance to answer concerns that matter to the decision.

1. 1

   Choose the class

   Decide between the family class (outland) and the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (inland). Then get your personalized document checklist and forms from IRCC.

2. 2

   Pay the fees online

   Pay the processing fees, usually the biometrics fee, and the right of permanent residence fee now or later. Include the receipt.

3. 3

   Submit both applications

   Your partner submits the sponsorship and permanent residence applications together through the Permanent Residence Portal and signs by typing their name. Incomplete applications are returned.

4. 4

   Acknowledgement of receipt

   IRCC sends an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) with an application number, then assesses you as a sponsor. Your partner gives biometrics within 30 days of IRCC's letter and completes the medical exam and police certificates.

5. 5

   Quebec undertaking

   If you live in Quebec, send your undertaking application to Quebec's immigration ministry only when IRCC tells you to, and not before your date in Quebec's intake schedule.

6. 6

   Decision

   A partner abroad receives a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and a visa if needed. A partner in Canada confirms permanent residence online, sometimes after an interview.

While you wait, a partner outside Canada can apply for a visitor visa, and gets faster processing automatically once the sponsor has the AOR, if they meet all visitor visa requirements. Once in Canada and living with you, they can apply for the open work permit.

You can withdraw the sponsorship only before your partner becomes a permanent resident. When you apply, you choose what happens if IRCC refuses you as a sponsor: withdraw (you get all fees back except the sponsorship fee) or continue processing your partner's application (no processing fees are refunded).

The right of permanent residence fee is refunded if you withdraw or the application is refused (after a refusal, you must first decline your right of appeal). Medical exams, police certificates and translations are paid to third parties, and Quebec charges its own fees.

There is no income test for a spouse or partner who has no dependent children, or whose dependent children have no children of their own (IRPR s. 133(4)). You must meet the minimum necessary income only if your partner's dependent child has a child. The Sponsor income requirements page explains the tables.

Processing times below come live from IRCC's processing times tool, with separate figures for partners inside and outside Canada and for Quebec. In Quebec, IRCC cannot approve the permanent residence application until Quebec accepts the undertaking; from July 2, 2026 to June 30, 2028, Quebec accepts at most 13,300 undertaking applications for spouses and partners.

For an outland (family class) refusal, the sponsor can appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRPA s. 63(1)). The IAD must receive the notice of appeal and documents within 30 days after you receive the refusal letter. A misrepresentation refusal can be appealed for a spouse or partner (IRPA s. 64(3)), but refusals for security, serious criminality and similar grounds cannot (IRPA s. 64(1)). An inland refusal has no IAD appeal; judicial review in the Federal Court requires a lawyer.

A partner approved from abroad must travel to Canada before the COPR and any permanent resident visa expire; a border services officer makes the final decision at the port of entry. A partner in Canada confirms permanent residence online. Public health coverage may not start right away, so check your province's rules.

Your 3-year undertaking starts on the day your partner becomes a permanent resident. You provide for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and health care not covered publicly. It cannot be cancelled, even if you separate, your partner becomes a citizen, either of you moves, or you lose your job. If your partner receives social assistance, you must repay it and cannot sponsor anyone else until you do.

You cannot sponsor another spouse or partner until the 3 years end. Your partner must be a permanent resident or citizen for at least 5 years before they could sponsor a new spouse or partner.