Canada gives a lot of priority to family reunification based immigration. Well, it is to be noted that family class application gives an opportunity to the citizens or permanent residents of Canada to sponsor their common-law partner or spouse to immigrate to Canada.
Read on to get to know all about the ways to sponsor your partner s that he or she is able to join you in Canada. These are the times of online dating and same-sex spouses or partners, which is legal in Canada. And your partner can be from any corner of the world. This is good news for all those Canadian citizens who have a foreign partner or spouse.
The three main criteria are listed below:
- Common-Law Sponsorship
- Spousal Sponsorship
- Conjugal Sponsorship
Each of these areas is different. It is always a smart idea to get in touch with a legal expert before applying to sponsor your partner.
Who All Can Apply?
You need to meet the following qualifications for becoming a spousal sponsor:
- A Canadian citizen of at least 18 years of age (a permanent resident of Canada or registered as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act).
- A Canadian citizen, not living in Canada at the present moment. In this case, you will have to prove that you plan to live in Canada with our sponsored partner or spouse.
- If you are a permanent resident and do have any plans of living in Canada, then you can’t sponsor anyone.
- If you can sponsor someone only when you can prove that you can cater to the basic needs of that person.
More about Spousal Sponsorship:
If a Canadian citizen (of minimum 18 years of age) is married to a foreign citizen (of minimum 18 years of age), then he or she can apply for Spousal Sponsorship.
But it is mandatory for the marriage to be legal in a specific country. One has to prove that the marriage is genuine and not just a means to get an entry in Canada. For this, a person might have to answer personal questions asked by the visa officer.
More about Common-Law Sponsorship:
It is the perfect solution for all those people who are not lawfully married but have been living together constantly for a minimum of one year in Canada. But the partners cannot just be roommates. They will have to prove that they are a genuine couple and share an exclusive relationship.
One has to give evidence of two things:
- An exclusive relationship
- One year of cohabitation
Conjugal Sponsorship:
If you are planning to move your partner to Canada, then this can prove to be the toughest category. But it turns out to be the only solution for all those couples who do not fall into the above-mentioned categories.
A conjugal partner is basically a foreign national who is not residing in Canada. But he or she has been in a marital relationship with their sponsor for a minimum of one year. It is not an option for all those people who are dating or plan to get married sometime soon.
For getting success under this category one has to submit many documents that will prove that you are in a relationship that looks pretty much like an actual marriage. These will involve shared assets, history together, travels together, etc.
There is no denying the fact that there are several factors that need to be considered if you are planning to sponsor your partner to move to Canada. Look for lawful guidance from an immigration lawyer who can make the entire process hassle-free.