Under its Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, the Canadian government aims to welcome 80.000 applicants through its Spousal, Partner, and Children category. Most of these applicants will arrive in the country as spouses or partners of people who hold a PR card in Canada or Canadian citizens. Spousal sponsorship is operated on a priority basis by the Canadian government. As the emerging land of opportunities, Canada intends on welcoming over 3,50,000 persons every year and subsequently offering citizenship for those who meet all requirements. This number is only expected to grow with each passing year.
The process for standard spousal applications is over one year. According to Sean Fraser, the Immigration Minister of Canada, the IRCC is back to processing applications within 12 months as compared to the delays caused during the pandemic. Applicants can now also track their PR status through the Spousal Sponsorship application tracking system to stay updated with every step and present any new requirements if needed.
In this article, we will explore how your permanent resident / canadian citizen partner, spouse, or common-law can help you gain immigration status in Canada. From how to apply and what steps to follow, this article will serve as your concise guide towards Canadian sponsorship.
Canada’s Spousal Sponsorship Process
We have all seen movies and read exposes about how people sometimes fake their relationships in order to gain a permanent resident card in various countries. Therefore, once your partner has decided on sponsoring your living status in Canada, you will need to prove certain requirements to be able to qualify as a deserving applicant. You will go through a process that will help determine if you and your partner/spouse are in a genuine relationship or are staging a performance in order to gain residentship.
Common-law partners and spouses do not necessarily have to be in Canada to be sponsored. Canadian citizens have the right to sponsor from abroad as long as they demonstrate to the IRCC that they will be living in Canada once the application is approved. However, permanent residents can only sponsor their spouses and common-law partners when they are in Canada, even if their partner is living abroad.
Eligibility Criteria For Your Sponsor Spouse:
Your spouse, the one sponsoring your immigration to Canada, needs to meet these criteria in order to help sponsor you:
- Has to be at least 18 years of age.
- Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident? If they are an indigenous person registered under the Canadian Indian Act, they will be as eligible as PR card holders and citizens.
- Show that they are not receiving any social assistance (unless deemed disabled).
- Are strong enough financially to look after the spouse who will be migrating to Canada.
Eligibility Criteria For You As The Sponsored Person:
One of the three relationships mentioned below should describe the sponsored person’s relationship with their current Canadian partner for eligibility purposes:
- Spouses: It must be proved that you and your Canadian partner or permanent resident were legally married in an in-person wedding ceremony.
- Common-Law Partners: If you and your partner are not married, you must show proof of living together for 12 consecutive months in order to be deemed eligible.
- Conjugal Partners: If you aren’t married to your Canadian partner but have been in a relationship with them for at least a year, live outside of Canada, and for some reason are not able to marry the Canadian partner, the IRCC may identify the persons involved in this relationship as conjugal partners. The reason for not being able to marry each other may be cultural, religious, or legal.
- You must be at least 18 years of age.
- You will need to go through security and criminality screening and only once you pass this screening, will you be eligible for immigration. A basic health check will also be a part of this step.
What Happens Once The IRCC Approves Your Application?
Once your application has been approved and you have been granted the status of a permanent resident of Canada, you and your spouse will still need to uphold some terms and conditions of your spousal sponsorship agreement. Your Canadian better half is going to be accountable for your finances for the next three years. If you ask the Canadian government for financial assistance, your spouse may have to repay the government. As the sponsored person, you will not be allowed to sponsor another partner for the next five years.
Canadian Immigration Spousal Sponsorship is considered a priority process by the Canadian government. As expert spousal sponsorship lawyers in Toronto, we at Chaudhary Law make sure that you and your spouse/partner are on your way to leading a beautiful life together without any complications. Our Canadian immigration lawyers have extensive knowledge of legal practices and are up to date with all laws in order to help people immigrate to Canada easily. To know more and book a consultation, visit our website – https://chaudharylaw.com/.
