A Canadian spouse visa is acquired by the applicant when a Canadian PR or citizen sponsors them through the Family Sponsorship Program. The Family Sponsorship program is one of the immigration programs in Canada. Through this program, an eligible permanent resident or a citizen can apply to sponsor their family members to get PR as well. Your family members may include your spouse/ common-law partner, dependent children, parents and grandparents, adopted children, and relatives.
Spouse Visa Canada
You can apply to sponsor your spouse, partner, or dependent child so they can apply for Canada PR. However, you must first be eligible to apply for sponsorship. If you are found eligible, make sure that you have enough money to support them and that they don’t need the Canadian government’s social assistance.
Am I Eligible to Sponsor My Spouse/Partner or Dependent Child?
You may be eligible if you are:
- At least 18 years old
- A Canadian PR holder/citizen
- Be able to fulfill the basic needs of the sponsee
- You do not take any social assistance other than that of a disability
Additional eligibility:-
- For PRs: you need to be living in Canada otherwise you won’t be able to sponsor
- For citizens: if you are not living inside Canada, prove that you plan to do so when your sponsee becomes a PR
For those planning to live outside Quebec:
- You must commit to financially support the sponsee for a certain period. In other words, you are promising an undertaking.
- Both the sponsor and sponsee should agree to the sponsorship agreement, meaning they both will take on particular responsibilities.
- At the time of application, as the sponsor, you will be signing a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.
Length of Undertaking
- Spouse/ Common-Law Partner/ Conjugal Partner- 3 years
- Dependent child under the age of 22 years- 10 years or until they reach the age of 25
Who is not eligible to sponsor?
- You are not 18 years of age
- You’re not a Canadian citizen/PR
- You don’t plan on living in Canada when the sponsee becomes PR
- If you are a temporary resident in Canada or your PR application is not processed yet
- You don’t have the required financial resources to support the sponsee
In some cases, you won’t be able to sponsor your spouse or partner. Examples of such circumstances are:
- You became a PR not more than 5 years ago by being sponsored by your spouse/partner
- Your 2-year undertaking agreement is still not over. This means you are still financially supporting your previously sponsored partner/spouse visa
Apart from these reasons, if you are found ineligible based on other reasons, IRCC will tell you why.
Income Requirements to Sponsor a Spouse/ Partner/ Child
Generally, there’s no income requirement when it comes to sponsoring your spouse, partner, or dependent child. However, in some cases, you may need to meet those requirements.
To be eligible for the Canadian Family Sponsorship Program, you must sign a contract with the family member you are supporting. This promise states that you must offer them financial support in Canada for their basic needs. It covers things like shelter, clothes, food, and health care that aren’t covered by public health insurance.
Depending on the type of sponsorship, you must also meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO).
According to LICO, the income requirements are listed below:
| No. of Family Member | Minimum Income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $27,514 |
| 2 | $34,254 |
| 3 | $42,110 |
| 4 | $51,128 |
| 5 | $57,988 |
| 6 | $65,400 |
| 7 | $72,814 |
| For each additional person if there are more than 7 | $7,412 |
For those planning to live in Quebec:
Once IRCC approves you to sponsor, you need to meet further sponsorship requirements set by Quebec. Apart from that, as the sponsor, you will sign an undertaking with Quebec.
Eligibility for Sponsee
Along with the sponsor, the sponsee must be eligible as well.
| Eligibility Factors | Spouse: | Common-Law Partner: | Conjugal Partner: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | be at least 18 years old | must be at least 18 years old | must be at least 18 years old |
| Sex | can be either sex | can be either sex | can be either sex |
| Marital Status | must be legally married to the sponsor | must not be legally married to the sponsor | must not be married to the sponsor or be in a common-law relationship with them |
| Living in | the sponsor and the sponsee must not have spent a long time apart | must be living outside of Canada | |
| Relationship duration | must have been living with the sponsor for a minimum of 12 months consecutively in a conjugal relationship | they must be in a relationship with the sponsor for a minimum of 1 year | |
| Other Factors | They must not be able to live with the sponsor because of legal and immigration issues such as:- marital status- persecution- sexual orientation | ||
| You must provide proof that you and the sponsee cannot live together in your conjugal partner’s country. |
Dependent Child:
- A child is dependent if they have not reached the age of 22
- if they don’t have a spouse or common-law partner
Even if some children reach the age of 22 years or are older may qualify as dependents if they meet the following requirements:
- they have been dependent on their parents before the age of 22 years for financial support
- are not able to financially support themselves due to mental or physical condition
You may sponsor your child or your spouse/partner’s child if they qualify as a dependent child.
Documents for the Sponsee
Upload these documents with your application if applicable:
- Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking
- Receipt Fee
- Marriage certificate
- Proof of identity documents
- Police Certificate
- Medical Exam
- Generic Application Form for Canada
- Schedule A – Background/Declaration
- Additional Family Information
- Financial Information
Whoever you are sponsoring, they must provide:
- The required documents and forms with their application
- Additional documents and information that IRCC will request during application processing, such as biometric information and medical exam
How to Apply
There are two processes to go through when applying for sponsorship outside of Quebec:
a. Apply to become a sponsor
b. The sponsee applies for permanent residence through the Family Sponsorship pathway.
Step 1
First of all, you must apply to become a sponsor. To do so, you need to download the necessary forms and complete and sign them. The sponsee will also sign these forms. They will sign the entire application electronically and also upload it to their application.
Step 2
The sponsee will first create an account on the PR portal. If they already have an account, they will just sign in. They’ll fill out the required digital forms and upload them to their PR account.
Step 3
As the sponsor, you need to pay the application fee, permanent residence fee, and biometrics fee. We advise you to book the biometric collection appointment for the sponsee as soon as to avoid delays.
There are third-party fees that you need to pay as well. These include: a Police Certificate and a medical exam.
Step 4
Once you ensure that the PR application is filled out and all the required documents are attached, submit it.
Step 5
IRCC will send you a link using which you can link your application to your online account. Through this, you can easily track your PR application’s status.
What happens after you apply?
If you want your spouse/partner or dependent child to come to Canada sooner, they may apply for a visitor visa. They may be eligible to benefit from a faster processing time for a visitor visa if you:
- Submitted an application to sponsor them
- Received an acknowledgment of receipt (AOR)
The spouse or partner will only benefit from a faster processing time. They still have to meet all the eligibility requirements. Once IRCC approves their visitor visa, they may also apply for an open work permit after their arrival in Canada.
Processing Time
| You are sponsoring | Sponsee lives | You’ll be living | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse Visa/Common-law Partner | In Canada | Outside Quebec | 09 Months |
| In Quebec | 26 Months | ||
| Spouse/Common-law Partner/Conjugal Partner | Outside Canada | Outside Quebec | 12 Months |
| In Quebec | 34 Months | ||
| Dependent Child | India | – | 12 Months |
Fee
| You are sponsoring | Fee Type | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse Visa/Partner | Sponsorship Fee | CAD$85 |
| Application Processing Fee | CAD$545 | |
| Right of Permanent Residence Fee | CAD$575 | |
| Dependent Child (with Spouse/Partner) | – | CAD$175 |
| Dependent Child (without Spouse/Partner) | Sponsorship Fee | CAD$85 |
| Application Processing Fee | CAD$85 |
Sponsor Adopted Child From India
Through the Family Sponsorship Program, you can apply to sponsor your adopted child from India so they can come to Canada. You may sponsor your adopted child if you are already a Canadian citizen or PR and meet other requirements as well.
There are two processes you need to follow while sponsoring an adopted child:
- The child adoption process, and
- Immigration process
Further on, the immigration process involves two stages:
- You apply to become their sponsor
- Fill out a permanent resident application for the sponsee
Eligibility Requirements for Intercountry Adoption
To bring your adopted child to Canada as a permanent resident, you must meet these requirements:
- Live in Canada
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Must be a Canadian permanent resident or citizen
In case you already are living in Quebec or you plan on living, you must meet Quebec’s sponsorship requirements as well.
Who Cannot Sponsor Their Adopted Child?
Some cases make you ineligible to sponsor your adopted child, such as:
- You didn’t meet the requirements of the previous sponsorship agreement
- You don’t live in Canada and you don’t plan on living when your adopted child gains residency
- you failed to meet a court-ordered support order
- you were convicted of a serious crime (however, it also depends on when the offense occurred and if you were granted a suspension)
Requirements for Intercountry Adoption
You may either adopt the child in their home country or Canada. Depending on the option you choose, you must meet the specific requirements.
If you are adopting a child from outside Canada, you may sponsor them to come to Canada in the following cases:
- the child was legally adopted outside of Canada
- If the biological parents of the child are alive, they must consent to the adoption
- If the Hague Convention’s requirements apply, you must meet them
In cases of inter-country adoptions for immigration purposes, the adoption process requires:
- there should be a genuine parent-child relationship between the child and the sponsor
- The legal relationship between the adopted child and their biological parents must have ended
- The adoption process must be legal in the child’s home county as well as in the Canadian province/territory which you plan to live in
- Adoption should take place only when it is in the best interests of the child
- The intercountry adoption shouldn’t be just to obtain PR for the child
- you must meet the province or territory requirements
Medical Requirements for the Child
Before the adopted child comes to Canada as a PR, they must complete a medical exam. To know how an immigration medical exam is conducted for an adopted child, contact your province/territory or you may contact a licensed adoption agency.
Along with a medical exam, you must also sign a statement that says you are aware of any medical conditions that the child may have.
There are other requirements as well but they depend on the home country of the child and the province/territory where the sponsor lives. Contact the province/territory’s government office to know the requirements.
Documents Required
- Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking
- Financial Evaluation
- Additional Family Information
- Medical Condition Statement
- Generic Application Form for Canada
- Schedule A – Background/Declaration
- Copy of the fee receipt
How to Apply
You can apply for the sponsorship of your adopted child from India after
- you have applied to adopt them and the process is in progress and
- the province/territory where you live has sent you a
- Letter of Agreement
- Letter of No Objection/ Letter of No Involvement
You must financially support the child for the next 10 years (or until they are 25 years old, whichever comes first) from the day they gain residency.
Step 1
You must meet the provincial or territorial government’s requirements for intercountry adoption and also see if the home country of the child allows adoption or not. Once you ensure your eligibility, you can apply to become a sponsor.
Fill out the sponsorship application and the necessary digital forms. These forms are to be included in the PR application and submitted together.
Step 2
Once you are approved to sponsor your child, the child (if they are 18 years or older) can create an online account on the PR portal and fill out the application.
In case the child is not 18 years old, either you or their guardian can create the account on their behalf.
Step 3
Whoever creates the account must also fill out some digital forms. These forms will be uploaded to the portal along with the sponsor’s application and forms.
Step 4
If you are sponsoring an adopted child who is older than 14 years, they must submit their biometric information. The biometric information includes the child’s photographs and fingerprints, used for identification purposes.
The sponsor must pay all the necessary fees online as well.
Step 5
The PR application needs to be submitted once it is completed and no document is missing. The PR application and sponsorship application are to be submitted together or IRCC won’t accept them.
Fee
| You are sponsoring | Type of Fee | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Adopted child (or child to be adopted) [Dependent child] | Sponsorship fee | CAN$85 |
| Processing fee | CAN$85 | |
| Include an adopted child (or child to be adopted) [in Family Sponsorship Program] | – | CAN$175 |
How We Help
Talent Connected Worldwide can help you sponsor your spouse, dependent child, or common-law partner. We hold more than 15 years of experience in this industry which makes us your trusted partner in your immigration journey.
We are not only CICC accredited but are also an award-winning immigration consultancy. Through the years, we have assisted thousands and thousands of individuals fulfill their dreams. Want to be the next person we assist? Let’s chat!
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