Sponsoring Spouse or partner to Canada
Have you been away from your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner for long time now and wish to bring them to Canada but not sure if you are eligible or what requirements you need to meet to be able to sponsor them? This blog will discuss general questions and answers about sponsoring your spouse or partner to Canada.
What are the new changes to sponsor spouse or partner to Canada?
- The spousal, common-law, conjugal sponsorship applications have been combined as one application package.
- Both inland and overseas applications use the same application package and checklist
- Simplified guide has been created to help applicants through the application process by providing them step by step instructions of what they need to apply.
- The document checklist has been made more personalized based on what you are applying for (spousal, common-law or conjugal sponsorship). The document checklist tells you exactly what forms you need to fill out and what documents you need to include with your application
- The questionnaire for relationship has been made more easier to understand and the questions have been reduced
- Medical examination or no longer needed to be done upfront, once you submit your application you will get a notification of instructions of where to get the examination done and when to complete it by
- Police certificates are also not needed upfront, so you wait until you get instructions, clearances are asked for any country you have lived at since the age of 18 for six months or more
- Now you can link your paper application to an online account to take advantage of getting faster response from IRCC. Applicants are encouraged to create the online account so that IRCC can communicate faster with them and receive response faster as well. If you don’t create the online account within the time frame you will only get email or mail notification which leads to longer processing times.
Have the Requirements changed for Spousal Sponsorship?
The requirements for sponsoring a spouse or partner to Canada has not changed, the basic requirements for the sponsor still include:
- Being a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada
- 18 years of age or older (both applicant and sponsor)
- Signing an undertaking that you will financially support the applicant for 3 years after they become a PR of Canada
What are the Application fees for Sponsoring a Spouse or Common-Law
The Sponsorship and Permanent Resident Application Fee is $550 CAD. This comes from paying $75 for the sponsorship application fee and paying $475 for the principal applicant fee (spouse or common-law partner) totaling in the amount of $550
What is Right of Permanent Residence Fee?
The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) is required for most PR applications. So when your PR application gets approved, you will have to pay Right of Permanent Residence Fee to become a permanent resident of Canada. The Right of Permanent Residence Fee is $490 CAD and this fee can be paid anytime during your application process. It is recommended to pay in advance to avoid delays in your application. If you pay in advance and your application gets refused the Right of Permanent Residence Fee gets refunded.
You do not need to pay RPRF for the following:
- dependent children of the principal applicant or sponsor
- sponsorship applications for children that are adopted
- sponsorship applications for orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild
- protected persons that are eligible for Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds
- refugees
How much is the total fee for Sponsorship Spouse or Partner to Canada?
|
Sponsorship Fee for Spouse and Partners |
Total Amount |
|
Sponsorship and Permanent Resident Application Fee |
$550.00 CAD |
| Sponsorship and Permanent Resident Application Fee | $490.00 CAD |
| Total Government Fee |
$1040 CAD |
Remember these are not the only expenses you will incur, because you have to pay translations, courier, medical examinations, police certificate clearances, fees for lawyer (if applicable) etc.
Is there a Minimum Income Requirement to Sponsor Spouse or Partner to Canada?
There is no minimum requirement for sponsoring a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner to Canada. The sponsor and the spouse/partner can either submit an inland or overseas application should you decide to submit an overseas application you will both need to prove that your intent is to live in Canada once the application is approved. There are many other factors the immigration officers considers when approving a sponsorship application such as:
- genuineness in the relationship
- you do not owe the government money
- you are not on social assistance
- have no inadmissibility issues
- if you previously sponsored someone and that person is getting help from the government that can potentially affect your application
- your marriage has to be recognized in Canada and in that country your marriage took place
- being able to provide financial support to the person getting sponsored
Can I sponsor my Same-Sex Partner as Spouse?
Yes, you can sponsor your same-sex partner as a spouse only if your marriage took place in Canada and depending when you got married as same-sex partners. If you got married outside of Canada as same-sex partners, your marriage has to be recognized in the country in took place and under the Canadian law.
Can I sponsor my Fiancée to Canada?
Unfortunately, you cannot sponsor a fiancée to Canada. If you are engaged and planning to get married in the near future but like to see your spouse they can apply for a Visitor Visa if they come from a non-visa exempt country. If they come from visa-exempt country they simply apply for Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). So in order to sponsor your spouse you have to be married unless under special circumstances you are unable to get married or be in a common-law relationship then you may be eligible under conjugal sponsorship.
If you have lived together with your partner for 12 months or more continuously you may be eligible under the common-law sponsorship.
Can I sponsor my Spouse or Partner if I don’t make enough money?
There is no minimum requirement to sponsor a spouse or partner to Canada, but you cannot sponsor someone if you are on welfare or any other social assistance program. If you are on disability you can still sponsor your spouse or partner to Canada. To have the immigration officer approve your application you need to convince him/her that you have enough financial means to take care of your family member(s) once they land in Canada. What immigration Canada looks for is that the person getting sponsored will not rely on social assistance once they arrive in Canada.
When Sponsoring a Spouse or Partner to Canada should I apply for Inside or Outside of Canada?
To determine if you should submit an inland or overseas application it is best to consult with an immigration representative. The immigration representative will advise you based on your unique situation and see what will play in favour.
Why do I have to go through interview process when sponsoring wife or partner?
If an immigration officer has doubts that your relationship is not genuine you may be called for an interview to clear their doubts. If your interview goes poorly and the immigration believes your relationship is not genuine you can most likely expect a refusal.
Even if your relationship is genuine your application is not guaranteed for approval. Most of the time applications get refused because the application was poorly prepared without much supporting documentation to prove genuineness in relationship. It is highly recommended to hire a law firm with experience to avoid delays or potential of refusal of an application for errors that could have easily been avoided.
How long am I financially responsible for the person I am sponsoring?
When sponsoring a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner to Canada you are financially responsible for them for three years. What you have to do is sign an undertaking promising you will be financially responsible for the person you are sponsoring. Should you get divorced or separated you are still responsible for them financially until your term is done.
If your partner or spouse has dependent children you are responsible for them for a period of 10 years or until the dependent child turns 25 years whichever comes first.
If the dependent child is over the age of 25, you must provide financial support for 3 years.
Contact Akrami & Associates
Looking to sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner to Canada then contact Akrami & Associates at 416-477-2545 for the highest possible chance of success. Akrami & Associates has assisted many clients with obtaining their PR status in Canada and we can help you too. Contact us today!!
With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!
