Complete Guide · Updated 2026

Spousal Sponsorship in Canada

How to bring your husband, wife, or common-law partner to Canada as a permanent resident — who qualifies, which path to choose, what it costs, and how to avoid the mistakes that lead to refusals.

What spousal sponsorship is

Spousal sponsorship is the federal immigration program that lets a Canadian citizen or permanent resident bring their spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner to Canada as a permanent resident. It is part of the family class, the category Canada uses to reunite close family members.

The program is run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and is federal, which means the core rules are the same whether you live in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, or Quebec. Two applications move together: the sponsor's application to sponsor, and the sponsored person's application for permanent residence.

Who can sponsor, and who can be sponsored

To act as a sponsor, you generally must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years old, and able to show you are not in a situation that bars sponsorship — for example, being in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking, receiving social assistance for a reason other than disability, or certain criminal or immigration-related circumstances.

The person you sponsor can be your:

• Spouse — you are legally married, and the marriage is valid both where it took place and under Canadian law.
• Common-law partner — you have lived together continuously in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months.
• Conjugal partner — a narrower category for couples in a genuine relationship who could not marry or live together for reasons beyond their control, such as immigration or marital-status barriers.

Inland vs. outland: choosing your path

This is the first strategic decision in most files, and it is easy to get wrong. The label refers less to physical location at a single moment than to which stream you apply under and what that stream allows.

Choosing between them depends on where your spouse lives now, their current status in Canada, whether they need to work, and whether they need to travel. This is exactly the kind of decision worth confirming with a lawyer before you file, because switching streams later is disruptive.

Marriage vs. common-law

If you are legally married, your application is built around a valid marriage plus evidence that the relationship is genuine and ongoing. If you are not married, you may still qualify as common-law partners — but you must prove at least 12 months of continuous cohabitation in a conjugal relationship.

That proof requirement changes the evidence strategy substantially: shared leases or property, joint bank accounts and bills, correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address, and other records that establish you were genuinely living together throughout that period.

Read the common-law sponsorship guide →

Is there an income requirement?

For spousal and common-law sponsorship, there is generally no minimum income requirement. This is one of the key differences from sponsoring parents or grandparents, where the Minimum Necessary Income applies. When you sponsor a spouse, you still sign an undertaking — a promise to provide for your partner's basic needs — but you are not asked to prove a specific income threshold to qualify.

The application process, step by step

1. Confirm eligibility and choose your stream. Verify that both sponsor and applicant qualify, and decide between inland and outland based on your circumstances.
2. Build the relationship evidence. This is the core of the file: proof of a genuine relationship, its history, and its ongoing nature.
3. Complete both applications. The sponsorship application and the permanent-residence application are prepared together, along with all supporting forms and documents.
4. Pay the fees and submit. Government processing fees, the right-of-permanent-residence fee, and biometrics are paid to IRCC.
5. Respond to IRCC. Biometrics, medical exams, and any requests for additional documents or an interview are handled as they arise.
6. Confirmation of permanent residence. Once approved, the sponsored spouse becomes a permanent resident.

Processing times

Processing times are published by IRCC and change frequently. They differ between inland and outland applications, and outland times depend on the specific visa office responsible for the applicant's country or region. Because these figures move, any realistic timeline should be based on current IRCC data for the office that will handle your file rather than a general number you read once.

What it costs

There are two separate cost layers, and it helps to keep them distinct: government fees paid to IRCC, and legal fees paid to your lawyer.

Government fees are set by IRCC and are the same regardless of who prepares your application. They include the sponsorship and processing fees, the right-of-permanent-residence fee, biometrics, and the cost of medical exams and any certified translations.

Legal fees are what you pay for representation. This practice uses posted flat fees rather than hourly billing for sponsorship applications:

Legal fees only. IRCC processing fees, biometrics, medical exams, certified translations, and disbursements are billed separately at IRCC cost, with no markup. A written engagement letter with full scope is provided before any work begins.

If your application is refused

A refusal is not always the end of the road. Depending on the type of application and the reasons given, your options may include an appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division, an application for leave and judicial review at the Federal Court, or a fresh application that directly addresses the reasons for refusal.

Many refusals turn on the same underlying issue: IRCC was not persuaded the relationship is genuine, or key evidence was missing or poorly presented. Those problems are often fixable with a stronger, properly documented application.

Refusal appeals and reconsideration →

A note on Quebec

Sponsorship is federal, but Quebec adds a provincial step: after federal approval of the sponsor, Quebec assesses the sponsor's undertaking under its own process. If you live in most other provinces, there is no equivalent provincial step — your file moves through IRCC alone. This is one reason federal-only sponsorship files across Canada can move differently from Quebec files, and it is worth understanding which situation applies to you.

Frequently asked questions