About Spousal & Partner Sponsorship
If you’re a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian under the Indian Act, you may be able to sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child to become a permanent resident. Spouses and partners make up about 69% of all Family Class admissions — the single largest category of family sponsorship, representing roughly 22% of all permanent immigration to Canada.
Who You Can Sponsor
- Spouse — legally married to you, opposite or same sex
- Common-law partner — living together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 continuous months
- Conjugal partner — in a committed relationship for at least 1 year but unable to live together or marry due to circumstances beyond your control (e.g. immigration barriers, marital status, sexual orientation in the home country)
- Dependent child — generally under 22 years old and without a spouse or partner of their own
Sponsor Requirements
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian, and at least 18 years old
- Commit to supporting the person(s) you sponsor by signing an undertaking and sponsorship agreement
- Meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations
In most cases there’s no minimum income requirement to sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent child — that requirement generally only applies if the dependent child (or the spouse/partner’s dependent child) has children of their own.
Processing & Status
The current service standard is 12 months for overseas spouse, partner, and child applications (met roughly 80% of the time); there is currently no published service standard for in-Canada applications. If your spouse or partner already holds a valid work or study permit, they can generally continue to work or study while their application is processed, and may be eligible for an open work permit while waiting.
Quebec residents must also sign a separate undertaking with the Government of Quebec as part of the process.
How We Help
We help build a well-documented relationship evidence package, prepare the sponsorship undertaking, and track your application through to a decision — including guidance for applicants who are already in Canada versus applying from overseas.