Bring Wife to Canada

Bring Wife to Canada

If you and your wife live in different countries, you might want to change this situation as soon as possible and bring your wife to Canada. The best way to do so is through the spousal sponsorship program.

Requirements

You can bring your wife to Canada if you are a citizen or a permanent resident of Canada who is at least 18 years old. Also, you should be ready to take care of the person you are going to sponsor. If you are a citizen of Canada living abroad, you need to demonstrate your willingness to live in Canada when your wife gets the permanent residence status. Nevertheless, you cannot bring your wife to Canada if you are a permanent resident who lives abroad. Additionally, you cannot sponsor your spouse if you receive social assistance from the Canadian government.

Your wife should also meet the eligibility requirements. It should be noted that you cannot sponsor your wife if she is inadmissible to Canada. This means that she is not allowed to come to Canada.

To bring your wife to Canada, you should also be legally married. If you are married in Canada, you need to provide a certificate of marriage from the province or territory where the marriage is registered. It should be mentioned that same-sex marriages registered in Canada are also valid for spousal sponsorship. In case the marriage is registered abroad, it must be valid under the law of the country where the marriage took place and under the federal law of Canada.

Remember, that when you want to bring your wife to Canada, you and your spouse should prepare two applications, which you need to send together to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. You should apply to become a sponsor, and your wife should apply for permanent residence. In case you live in Quebec and want to bring your wife to Canada, you ought to visit the website of the Government of Québec.

There are several steps you should follow to bring your wife to Canada. The first step is to get the sponsorship application package. It includes forms that you and your wife must fill out, a checklist for you and your wife, and a detailed guide that can help you and your wife to fill out the forms correctly. 

The second step is to gather all required documents. You need to pay close attention to this step since the immigration officer will return your application without processing it if you and your wife do not include all the requested forms and documents. Consequently, if you cannot provide all documents mentioned in the checklist, you must explain why you cannot do it.

To bring your wife to Canada, you and your spouse must provide all needed forms and documents for the sponsorship application package. During the application processing, your spouse also needs to submit all additional information that the immigration officer can request, such as police certificates, biometric information, and medical exams. The officer will send a letter with further instructions and indicate how much time your wife has to send this information.

A police certificate is a document that demonstrates that the person does not have a criminal record. In case the applicant has a criminal record, they must provide a copy of a criminal record. The certificate helps the immigration officer to assess your wife and confirm that she is allowed to live in Canada.

It is better to include police certificates when you and your wife submit the sponsorship application. Nevertheless, your wife should check the application checklist and find out when she needs to provide it. Typically, police certificates are valid for a year from the date they are issued. However, the immigration officer can ask your wife to submit a new police certificate.

If you want to bring your wife to Canada, she needs to give her biometrics. After the biometrics fee of 85 CAD is paid, the immigration officer will send your spouse a letter, giving her 30 days to give their biometrics in person at the closest collection point. Also, she needs to take the letter to the biometric collection service point.

Additionally, your family members, who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents, ought to pass a medical exam, even if they are not applying together with your wife. The immigration officer will send your wife and other family members a letter with a request to complete a medical exam. This letter will include further instructions. When your family members receive a request, they have 30 days to do it. Also, they have to print the IMM 1017 form and the detailed instructions for each person.

If some or all your documents are not in English or French, you must submit the English or French translation of the documents, certified copies of the original documents, and an affidavit from the translator if they are not a certified translator in Canada.

The next step is to complete all forms. To bring the wife to Canada, the sponsor must fill out IMM 1344 (Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement, and Undertaking) and IMM 5532 (Sponsorship Evaluation and Relationship Questionnaire) forms.

Your wife needs to complete IMM 1344 (Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking), IMM 0008 (Generic Application Form for Canada), eIMM 5669 (Schedule A – Background/Declaration), IMM 5406 (Additional Family Information), and IMM 5532 (Sponsorship Evaluation and Relationship Questionnaire).

The fourth step is to pay the processing fees and submit the application. The wise decision is to make a photocopy of the application package for your own records. When you complete the forms and gather all documents, you need to double-check the application. You and your wife should remember that the immigration officer will return the application if it is incomplete or the processing fees are missing.

Before sending the application to bring your wife to Canada, you have to place the documents in the right order. You should put a copy of the checklist on top of the sponsorship application package. After the checklist, you need to put an open work permit application and processing fee payment receipt if your wife wants to work in Canada. Then you need to put barcode pages and additional documents in the order they are mentioned in your checklist. You can use a courier service or regular mail to submit your sponsorship application.

Government Fees

To bring your wife to Canada, you and your spouse should pay the government fees. In total, you need to pay 1,050 CAD and this sum already includes a 75 CAD sponsorship fee, a principal applicant processing fee of 475 CAD and a right of permanent residence fee of 500 CAD.

Processing Time

As a rule, it takes a year to process the sponsorship application and bring your wife to Canada. Additionally, you and your wife can check the status of the application online.

Work Permit Application

If your wife already has a work permit, she can continue to work in Canada as long as the permit is valid. If your wife does not have a work permit, she can submit the application with the sponsorship application package. She has to complete an IMM 5710 form (Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker) and pay the processing fee of 155 CAD. Your wife should remember that it is illegal to work in Canada without authorization from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

In case your wife wants to apply for the open work permit after submitting the sponsorship application package, she needs to send an IMM 5710 form and the correct fee payment receipt to the Case Processing Centre in Edmonton. As a rule, it takes 4-5 months to process the work permit application.

 

In case, you need assistance in order to wing your wife or husband to Canada, please fill in application below or contact us directly.