How to Bring Your Partner to Canada

How to Bring Your Partner to Canada 

If you wonder how to bring your partner to Canada, you need to know the whole process of submitting the application. Under the sponsorship program, you can bring your common-law or conjugal partner to live with you in Canada.

A common-law partnership can be regarded as a marriage. To sponsor your common-law partner, you need to prove that you have lived together for at least a year in a marriage-like relationship. Consequently, the immigration officer will require evidence such as a Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation questionnaire, photos, proving that you are in a long-term relationship, proof that you live together, and birth certificates if you have children.

Besides these documents, you need to provide at least two documents from this list: proof of shared expenses, written evidence that your partnership is recognized by your families and friends, employment, or insurance benefits, showing that you are common-law partners.

In case you cannot submit all the documents mentioned above, you should be creative and provide other proof that demonstrates your common-law partnership. Just remember that the more evidence you can submit, the higher your chances to bring your partner to Canada.

Examining the question of how to bring your partner to Canada, you also need to know what documents you need to prepare if you are in a conjugal relationship. Submitting the application, you need to prove that your partner lives outside Canada and you cannot live together or marry in the home country of your partner due to legal, immigration, or cultural reasons.

Requirements

Before going into details on how to bring your partner to Canada, you should check whether you are eligible to sponsor them. You have a right to apply for the sponsorship program if you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of the country who is 18 and more years old. Additionally, you need to prove that you do not get social assistance from the Canadian government.

Studying the guides on how to bring your partner to Canada, you should also pay attention to the undertaking and sponsorship agreement. The former is a promise to support your partner for three years in Canada. The latter is an agreement to provide for the basic needs of your sponsored partner. You will have to complete a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement during the application process.

Researching how to bring your partner to Canada, you need to examine whether you should meet the income requirement. As a rule, you do not have to reveal your income. Nevertheless, you may need to prove that you have sufficient funds when you wish to sponsor a partner with dependent children who have children of their own. In this case, you need to complete the Financial Evaluation form.

Now it is worth explaining how to bring your partner to Canada. You and your partner need to submit two applications: the application to become a sponsor and the application to become a permanent resident of Canada. You have to send both applications at the same time to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

To prepare the application package, you should know that this process consists of several steps. The ability to follow them can guarantee that you will not need to research how to bring your partner to Canada once again.

Step 1. Get the application package. First, you need to visit the web page of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and get the application package. It includes the forms and documents you and your partner need to fill out, a guide on how to complete the forms correctly, and a document checklist for you and your partner. You should check country-specific requirements  on how to bring your partner to Canada in the guide before completing the application forms and submitting the documents.

Step 2. Prepare all documents. Then, you need to gather all documents listed in the checklist. Otherwise, your application will be returned to you without processing. In case you cannot submit the required document, you ought to explain why you cannot do it. After completing all forms and preparing the documents, you need to pay the application processing fees. They will be explained later. Remember, that any documents that are written not in English or French, must be supported by a certified copy of the original document, a translation, and an affidavit from the translator. 

Step 3. Submit your application. When you are ready to submit your application, please double-check the application package since it can be returned to you if it is incomplete or any fee is missing.

Government Fees

Considering the subject of how to bring your partner to Canada, you should know how much you need to pay for the application. The total fee is 1,050 CAD that includes a principal applicant processing fee of 475 CAD, a sponsorship fee of 75 CAD, and a right of permanent residence fee of 500 CAD.

You can pay for the right of permanent residence later, but this may cause delays. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada recommend you pay it during the application submission. Also, researching how to bring your partner to Canada, you can find out the way to refund this fee if your partner does not get a permanent residency status. However, the sponsorship application fee is not refundable.

To pay the fees for your application, you should have the access to the Internet, a valid email address, and a credit (debit) card. Then you will need to print the receipt. 

Processing Time

Thinking about how to bring your partner to Canada, you need to be prepared to wait for at least a year to get the decision on your application. This time also includes the time of giving the biometrics (photos and fingerprints) by your partner.

If your partner needs to give the biometrics, they have to appear in person at the nearest biometric collection service point. To give the biometrics, your partner needs to pay the biometric fee of 85 CAD and receive a biometric instruction letter with further explanation. Moreover, your partner should take the letter with them to the collection service point. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recommend your partner visit the biometric collection service point as soon as possible since the processing of the application starts after getting the biometric information.

Work Permit Application

When you research the topic of how to bring your partner to Canada, you can wonder whether they are allowed to work in the country. As a rule, your conjugal or common-law partner have a right to work in Canada. Nevertheless, they should apply for a permit to work in the country.

Generally, your conjugal or common-law partner can apply for an open work permit. It allows the foreigner to work for any employer in Canada. If your partner does not have a right to obtain an open work permit, they can apply for an employer-specific work permit. It allows your partner to work in Canada according to the conditions on the work permit, such as the name of the employer, the period of the work, and, sometimes, the region of the work.

Studying the legal documents on how to bring your partner to Canada, you should check whether your partner needs an employer-specific work permit. If they need it, the potential employer of your partner should get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This document will allow the employer to hire a worker for a specific job. If your partner is planning to work in Canada, you should decide what type of work permit they need during the initial stages of the research of how to bring your partner to Canada. The processing of the open work permit application takes about 4 to 5 months and costs 155 CAD.

 

In case, you have questions about How to Bring Your Partner to Canada , please fill in application below or contact us directly.