Bring Your Relationship Home.
Prepare a clear Canadian sponsorship application that connects sponsor eligibility, relationship history, family circumstances and supporting evidence into one credible record.
One Couple. Different Routes.
The correct strategy depends on your legal relationship, where the applicant lives, current immigration status and the practical need to travel.
Married Spouse
You are legally married, both at least 18, and the relationship is genuine rather than entered mainly for immigration.
Common-Law
You have lived together in a marriage-like relationship for at least 12 consecutive months, with limited temporary absences.
Family Class
The applicant is usually outside Canada, or an applicant in Canada needs a route that can continue if they leave.
In Canada Class
You live together in Canada and the applicant has valid temporary status, or may be considered under the applicable public policy.
How Is Your Relationship Defined?
Select the situation closest to yours. This is an initial planning direction, not an eligibility or approval decision.
Prove More Than The Marriage.
Confirm the marriage is legally valid and build a record showing the relationship is genuine and continuing. Align ceremonies, communication, visits, finances, family knowledge and future plans.
Confirm Eligibility Before Filing.
Sponsorship combines two applications: the sponsor must qualify, and the spouse or partner must qualify for permanent residence and be admissible to Canada.
Confirm Who Can Sponsor
The sponsor must generally be at least 18 and be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered person under the Indian Act.
- Qualifying Canadian status
- Residence rules met
- No applicable sponsorship bar
Meet The Definition
Marriage, common-law and conjugal relationships have different legal tests. The relationship must also be genuine and continuing.
- Both at least 18
- Correct legal category
- Not primarily for status
Understand The Promise
The sponsor accepts financial responsibility for three years after the spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident, even if circumstances change.
- Basic needs covered
- Social assistance repayable
- Separation does not end it
Declare Every Family Member
Dependent children and other required family members must be declared and generally examined, even when they are not accompanying now.
- Children fully declared
- Custody documents reviewed
- Examinations completed
Make Every Detail Consistent.
Use this private checklist to find gaps before submission. The strongest evidence mix depends on how your relationship actually developed.
Which Route Needs Review First?
Choose the situation closest to yours. The result is a planning direction, not a legal conclusion or approval prediction.
Move Through The Process Clearly.
Confirm eligibility, build the relationship record, submit both applications and respond carefully through the final decision.
Confirm Eligibility
Test sponsor bars, the legal relationship, applicant admissibility and the correct class.
Build The Story
Create one chronology and choose evidence that supports each important period.
Complete Both Files
Align sponsor forms, PR forms, declarations, certificates, fees and country documents.
Track The Case
Monitor biometrics, medicals, document requests, interview risk and final instructions.
Show A Life. Not A Scrapbook.
Strong evidence explains how the relationship functions across time. It should connect cohabitation, communication, finances, family involvement and future plans without manufacturing a perfect-looking story.
Review your evidence →Make Dates Agree
Forms, messages, travel records, addresses and personal statements should describe the same sequence of events.
Show Shared Residence
Use official mail, leases, bills and household records—or explain credibly why conventional evidence is limited.
Show How Life Works
Financial support, shared responsibilities, beneficiaries and major decisions can demonstrate a real partnership.
Explain The Distance
Connect travel limits, work, study, immigration barriers or family duties to continuing communication and reunion plans.
Sponsorship Is A Legal Commitment.
The undertaking normally continues for three years after the spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident. Separation, divorce or changed finances do not automatically end it.
- Review previous undertakings, social assistance and sponsorship bars.
- Protect or restore temporary status where a separate application is required.
- Do not assume a PR filing automatically gives work authorization.
Get Clear Answers.
Understand relationship categories, evidence, income, application classes, work permits, undertakings and previous histories.
Discuss your application →You generally must have lived together continuously in a marriage-like relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. Short, temporary absences may be acceptable when cohabitation otherwise continued.
In most spouse or partner cases there is no formal minimum-income requirement. A special income test can apply when the sponsored person has a dependent child who has their own dependent child.
The answer depends on where the applicant lives, whether you live together in Canada, current status, travel needs, procedural consequences and the possibility that the applicant may leave Canada.
No. A legal marriage establishes the relationship category, but IRCC still assesses whether the relationship is genuine and was not entered primarily to gain immigration status.
Some sponsored spouses or partners in Canada may qualify for an open work permit, but eligibility and timing rules apply. The permanent-residence application itself does not automatically authorize work.
For a sponsored spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner, the undertaking is generally three years from the date they become a permanent resident.
Every family member must be declared. Custody, consent, identity and examination requirements must be reviewed carefully, whether or not the child will accompany the applicant.
Address the prior record directly. Previous undertakings, relationship histories, credibility findings, inadmissibility and inconsistent answers can affect strategy and evidence.
Present Your Relationship With Clarity And Care.
Review sponsor eligibility, the correct class, relationship chronology, evidence balance, children, previous histories and status options before filing.