I’m sponsoring my spouse or partner. What information should I include?
To sponsor your , , or to become a you must show Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that:
- you did not enter your relationship mainly for immigration reasons, and
- it is a genuine relationship.
And you must show that you meet IRCC's requirements for:
- a valid marriage,
- a common-law partnership, or
- a conjugal partnership, if your spouse or partner is outside Canada.
If you did not tell IRCC about your spouse or partner
You may not be able to sponsor your spouse or partner if:
- you were married or in a common-law or conjugal relationship when you became a permanent resident, and
- you did not tell IRCC at the time.
If this applies to you, the law says that you cannot sponsor your partner. But IRCC created a policy that says they may not enforce this if you:
- came to Canada as a resettled refugee,
- became a permanent resident after you got status in Canada, or
- became a permanent resident as a sponsored spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child
IRCC has extended this policy until September 2023.
When the policy will not apply
If telling IRCC about your spouse or partner would have made you , the policy will not apply to you. This means you will not have the right to sponsor them. For example, this could happen if your spouse or partner would have been inadmissible because of a criminal record.
This policy will also not apply if you were sponsored as a , but you had a spouse or common-law partner:
- before you became a permanent resident, and
- did not tell IRCC.
If the policy does not apply to you, you need to get legal advice about:
- the risk that you could lose your own status in Canada
- options for your spouse or partner to come to Canada
