4. Get a response
Question & Answer
How do I sponsor my spouse or partner if they’re living in Canada?You can check processing times here.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will return your application if it's not complete or if you haven't paid your processing fees.
If your application is being processed, IRCC will:
- send you an application number and acknowledgment of receipt
- decide if you're eligible to be a sponsor
- decide if your or partner is eligible for permanent residence
You’re not eligible to be a sponsor
If IRCC refuses you as a sponsor, you can choose to have them continue processing your spouse or partner's application for permanent residence. You will also usually have to make humanitarian and compassionate arguments. If this is your situation, it's a good idea to get legal advice.
If you choose to withdraw your application, you won't get the $75 sponsorship fee back. You'll get all other fees back.
You’re accepted as a sponsor
If you're approved as a sponsor, IRCC will decide if your spouse or partner is eligible for permanent residence. IRCC will send your spouse or partner a letter with the application number. This is their Acknowledgement of Receipt letter.
Link their application
After they get this letter, your spouse or partner can link their application to the online account if you're their designated representative.
Open work permit
After they get their Acknowledgement of Receipt letter, your spouse or partner can apply for an open work permit. Once they get the work permit, they can work while IRCC decides their application for permanent residence. A dependant child included in their permanent residence application can also apply for an open work permit at that time.
To get a work permit, your spouse or partner and their dependant child must:
- be living with you in Canada, and
- have valid status.
Follow the process on IRCC’s website if you want to apply for this work permit.
Submit what IRCC requests
Your spouse or partner will be asked to submit their:
- medical exams
- police certificates
- biometrics
When the biometrics fee is paid, IRCC will send your spouse or partner a letter asking them to give their biometrics. Your spouse or partner then has 30 days to give their biometrics in person at their closest collection point. They must show the letter from IRCC when they give their biometrics.
To finish processing their application, your spouse or partner will have to send IRCC:
- their passports, or photocopies of their passports
- 2 photos
- proof of payment for the right of permanent residence fee
Confirm their permanent resident status
IRCC will email your spouse or partner instructions on how to confirm their permanent residence status online through the Permanent Residence Portal. Follow the instructions carefully.
Or your spouse or partner might need to meet with an immigration officer for an in-person interview. If they need to, IRCC will contact them with the time and place of the interview and what documents to bring. The officer will make the final decision to allow your spouse or partner to stay in Canada as a .
Refused applications
IRCC will send your spouse or partner a letter that says why the application was refused. If that happens, get legal advice as soon as possible.
You can't appeal a decision if you're sponsoring a spouse or partner who's inside Canada.
But a lawyer can explain your options. For example, your lawyer might recommend asking a court to cancel the decision. This is called a Judicial Review.
The deadline to start a judicial review is 15 days from when you get IRCC's decision refusing the application. So get legal help right away.