Sponsor my Spouse
Do you and your spouse live apart from each other and miss each other dearly? Do you wish that you could be together in Canada? Do you often ask yourself: How can I sponsor my spouse? Is your desire to have someone that could help you make this possible? At Akrami & Associates, we can try our best to reunite you and your spouse. The process is called a Sponsorship and in your case, it would be for your spouse. In order to start the process and get one step closer to being with your spouse, I will outline the important information you need to know as well as the documentation required.
What it means to Sponsor Someone
It is imperative for you to understand that once you commit to sponsoring someone, you are solely responsible for and are promising to give financial support for the basic needs of the person and/or people you are sponsoring. Keep in mind, the basic needs you would need to provide for your spouse would be things, such as: food, clothing, shelter, and other needs for everyday living. Most importantly, dental care, eye care and other health needs are not covered by Canada’s public health services and are entirely your responsibility.
Prior to committing to sponsoring your spouse, you must ensure that your spouse does not and will not need to ask the Canadian government for financial help and support. If they receive any type of social assistance or financial help from the government, you will be responsible to pay back what they have received during the support period. Consequently, if you do not repay the amount in full, you will not be able to sponsor anyone else.
Additionally, if your situation changes while you are sponsoring your spouse, the sponsorship will unfortunately not be cancelled as a result. The sponsoring of your spouse is a binding promise of support meaning that your responsibility to support your spouse will stay in effect for the entire length of the support period.
For instance, the sponsorship will not be cancelled, even if:
- Your spouse becomes a Canadian citizen.
- You become divorced, separated, or your relationship with your spouse breaks down.
- Your spouse moves to another province or country
- You have financial problems.
Eligibility to Become a Sponsor
You can only become a sponsor if you are:
- A Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or a permanent resident.
- At least 18 years old.
- Living in Canada:
– If you are a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when your sponsored spouse becomes a permanent resident.
– You cannot sponsor someone if you are a permanent resident living outside Canada - Able to prove that you have enough income to provide basic needs for your spouse and their dependent children.
Who Cannot Become a Sponsor
There are specific requirements and regulations when it comes to any immigration application. For the spousal sponsorship, there are certain restrictions to who can or cannot become a sponsor.
You cannot be a sponsor if you:
- Were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago.
- Sponsored a previous spouse or partner and three years have not passed since this person became a permanent resident.
- Are in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking, an immigration loan, a performance bond or family support payments.
- Are still going through the process of bankruptcy (undischarged bankruptcy).
- Receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability.
- Were convicted of a violent or sexual offence, an offence that caused bodily harm to a relative or you attempted or threatened to commit any of these offences.
- Are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison.
- Are under a removal order.
- Have already applied to sponsor your current spouse, partner or child and a decision on your application has not been made yet.
Examples of Spousal Sponsorship
The following will be questions you may ask with regards to your marriage, your spouse, and more. We have included these here in order for you to better understand how spousal sponsorship works and to resolve any confusion that you may have.
Spousal Sponsorship Questions
If my spousal sponsorship is successful, which family members can come with me to Canada when I immigrate?
The following family members can accompany you when you immigrate to Canada:
- Your dependent child,
- Your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent child, and
- A dependent child of a dependent child.
The following family members cannot accompany you when you immigrate to Canada:
- Your parents,
- Your grandparents,
- Your brother(s) or sister(s),
- Your uncle(s) or aunt(s),
- Your nephew(s) or niece(s), or
- Other relatives.
Note that you may be able to sponsor them after you immigrate to Canada.
How old must my spouse be for me to sponsor them to immigrate to Canada?
Your spouse must be of legal age in Canada which is 18 years old. Since June 10, 2015, the Government of Canada will refuse any applications for spouses under the age of 18 years old.
Does the Government of Canada recognize marriages conducted by proxy, telephone, internet and fax?
Unfortunately, no they do not recognize these types of marriages. If one or both spouses were not physically present at the wedding ceremony, they will not recognize the marriage.
This restriction will only be exempt if your application was received before June 10, 2015 OR you are a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. The marriage could potentially be recognized if you could not be physically present at your marriage ceremony due to travel restrictions related to your service, the marriage took place outside of Canada, and it was registered in a country where marriage by proxy is legal.
Contact Akrami & Associates if you want to Sponsor your Spouse
It is essential that you have met all of the aforementioned requirements before you attempt to apply for Spousal Sponsorship. Sponsorship applications are difficult applications to pursue on your own and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit the application. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients reunite with their spouses and they are now extremely happy living in Canada. If you believe that you may be eligible to sponsor your spouse, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.
With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!
