Sponsor

A spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident may be sponsored to immigrate to Canada. If the sponsorship is granted, the sponsored individual will be given permanent resident status, enabling the couple (or family, as applicable) to start a new life in Canada.

A sizable number of new permanent residents are admitted to Canada each year under the Family Class category, which includes the common-law / spousal sponsorship immigration programme.

There are many things to think about if you're interested in taking this route to permanent residency, either as the sponsor or the sponsored individual. Among the crucial factors are:

What kind of citizen are you?

At the time of the application, are you still residing there?

Is the sponsor a citizen of Canada or a citizen of another country?

For the sponsored person to be granted permanent residency in Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) must approve both the sponsor and the sponsored person.