Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner for permanent residence in Canada. Spousal sponsorship is one of the highest-priority immigration categories and is processed relatively quickly.
Who Can Be Sponsored?
You can sponsor: your legally married spouse (regardless of gender or where the marriage took place), your common-law partner (a person you have lived with continuously for at least 12 months in a marriage-like relationship), or your conjugal partner (in exceptional circumstances where cohabitation was impossible due to immigration barriers or other serious reasons, and you have been in a genuine committed relationship for at least one year). Same-sex relationships are fully recognized for all sponsorship categories.
Who Can Sponsor?
To be an eligible sponsor, you must be: a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years old, not currently receiving social assistance (for disability-related reasons is an exception), not in default on a previous immigration sponsorship undertaking, and not banned from sponsoring due to certain criminal convictions (particularly convictions involving sexual offences, violence, or threats). If you sponsored a previous spouse and the undertaking is still in effect, you may still be able to sponsor a new partner if you meet all other requirements.
Outland vs Inland Sponsorship
Outland sponsorship: You apply while your spouse lives outside Canada. The sponsored person receives a PR visa and lands in Canada to activate their PR status. The sponsored person can apply for a visitor visa to visit Canada while the application is in process. Inland sponsorship: Your spouse is already in Canada as a temporary resident. They apply for PR from within Canada. With inland sponsorship, your spouse can apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) while the PR application is pending, allowing them to work legally in Canada. Processing times for inland and outland applications are similar — roughly 12 months currently.
Conditional PR
For couples in a genuine relationship lasting less than two years at the time of the PR application, a condition of two-year cohabitation is attached to the sponsored partner's PR status. Within those two years, you must remain in a genuine marital or common-law relationship. If the relationship ends during the two-year conditional period (other than in cases of abuse or neglect), the sponsored partner's PR status may be revoked. After two years of continuous cohabitation, the condition is automatically lifted.
The Sponsorship Process
Both the sponsor and the sponsored person submit forms simultaneously. The sponsor completes the sponsorship undertaking (pledging financial responsibility for three years) and submits their portion through IRCC. The sponsored person submits their PR application simultaneously. Documents required include: proof of the relationship (marriage certificate, photos, communications history, evidence of shared life), financial proof for the sponsor, proof of citizenship or PR status, police certificates, medical exam, and biometrics for the sponsored person. Use IRCC's document checklist generator for your specific situation.