Reunification with a husband or wife in Canada

Family Reunification Programs (Family Sponsorship) allow permanent residents and citizens of Canada to invite their family members and relatives for permanent residence in the country. One of these is the Spousal or Partner Sponsorship Program. Under its terms, a Canadian resident must support their partner for 3 years, and the partner should not claim social assistance from the government. Important: the relationship must be genuine!

Who can be sponsored

Canada recognizes several categories of partners who can be sponsored. They must all be over 18 years old:

• a spouse to whom the Canadian resident is legally married;
• a common-law partner with whom the Canadian resident has been living for more than a year but is not married;
• a foreign partner with whom the Canadian resident has been in a relationship for more than a year but is not married or living together due to valid reasons related to the laws of the partner's home country.

If the sponsor and the sponsored person are married, for example, in their home country or in Canada, showing a marriage certificate is sufficient.

If there's no official marriage, proof of cohabitation must be provided. This can include a joint lease agreement, shared utility bills, property ownership, registration at the same address, joint photos, etc.

In the last case, when sponsoring a foreign partner, it's necessary to prove that living together or getting married is impossible. For example, this could be evidence of being denied long-term stay in the partner's country. This category also includes situations where the partner is married and their country's laws prohibit divorce, or where same-sex marriages are illegal.

Who can sponsor

For a Canadian resident to become a sponsor, they must meet several requirements:

• be at least 18 years old;
• be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• live permanently in Canada;
• not receive social assistance, except for disability benefits;
• be able to provide for the needs of those they are sponsoring.

In most cases, there are no specific income requirements. Proof of income is only needed if the Canadian resident is sponsoring a spouse or partner who plans to move with their child and grandchild.

In some cases, sponsoring a spouse or partner is not allowed at all. A person cannot be a sponsor if they:

• are under 18 years old;
• do not intend to live in Canada in the future;
• are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• have applied for permanent residence, but it's still under review;
• don't have enough money;
• were themselves sponsored for immigration less than 5 years ago;
• have already sponsored someone and are still financially responsible for that person;
• are financially unreliable (not paying alimony, haven't repaid an immigration loan, are bankrupt, receive social assistance, etc.);
• sponsored someone before and failed to meet financial obligations;
• have a criminal record for a violent crime, a crime against a relative causing bodily harm, or a sexual offense;
• have received a deportation order.

How to apply

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Two applications are submitted simultaneously: the Canadian resident submits a sponsorship application, and their spouse or partner applies for permanent residence. You need to gather a package of documents, fill out the form, and submit the application online on the official Canadian website. As of 2025, the standard processing time for spousal sponsorship applications is approximately 12 months, which is significantly faster compared to previous years when the process could take up to 26 months.

The province of Quebec has its own sponsorship conditions, more details are available on the official Quebec website.