How to Bring Your Spouse to Canada
How to Bring Your Spouse to Canada
Researching how to bring your spouse to Canada, you can be overwhelmed by the information. However, the application process can become easier when you follow simple steps. Initially, you should check whether you can become a sponsor and bring your spouse to Canada:
- You must be a citizen of Canada, a permanent resident, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
- You should be 18 and more years old;
- If you live outside Canada, but you are a citizen of the country, then you should prove to IRCC that you are going to live in the country with your spouse after the sponsorship application approval.
- If you are a permanent resident of Canada, but you live outside the country, you cannot apply for the sponsorship program;
- You need to prove that you do not get social assistance from the Canadian government and can financially support your spouse.
There are a number of situations when you are not allowed to sponsor your spouse to Canada, like when you are in jail or did not pay back your immigration loan.
Studying the legal documents on how to bring your spouse to Canada, you should also check whether Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada recognize your marriage. According to the government of Canada, you can sponsor your spouse if you have a legally valid civil marriage. In other words, the same-gender and opposite-gender marriage will be recognized by the immigration officers if the ceremony was legally performed in Canada, or the ceremony took place outside the country, but the marriage is legally recognized in Canada and the country of the registration. So, to sum up, according to the laws of Canada, your spouse can be of either sex, must be 18 years old or more and be legally married to you.
Before you start the application process, it is wise to check that your spouse and their dependent children (if applicable) meet the eligibility requirements. To do so, you have to be ready to fill in all the necessary forms, provide all the required documents and any additional information needed. Remember, the Government of Canada does not allow you to sponsor your spouse if it is inadmissible to the country.
It is worth mentioning, that when you apply to sponsor your spouse, you actually fill in two different applications. One is your application to become a sponsor and another one is the application of your spouse for permanent residence in Canada. You should review this guide on how to bring your spouse to Canada to avoid common mistakes during the application process. The first step is to receive the sponsorship application package. You can get it on the official webpage of the Government of Canada. The package should include a checklist, forms, and instructions on how to bring your spouse to Canada. To get the right application package, you ought to select who you sponsor, the spouse’s county of residence, and the country where the submitted documents are issued. The second step is to complete all the necessary forms. Please, always check whether you complete all forms listed on your checklist and remember about country-specific requirements. You and your spouse need to mention all family members (who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada) applying for the sponsorship program. The mentioned family members will be examined during the application processing even if they are not going to get the permanent residence status along with your spouse.
The third step is to prepare all the necessary documents. The application guide on how to bring your spouse to Canada includes the list of the required documents like passports or birth certificates, legal marriage certificates accepted by the Government of Canada, and other civil documents (ID cards, military documents, birth records, etc.)
You and your spouse must double-check whether the application package consists of completed and signed forms and documents. Otherwise, the immigration officer will return your application without processing it. You can find a list of needed signatures on the last page of your checklist. In case you cannot submit the required documents, you should include an explanation of the situation.
By the way, it is helpful to use the checklist on how to bring your spouse to Canada to make sure that you have all the documents you need to submit. You should choose the situation that applies to you for each item and check the correct box. Moreover, you need to submit only those documents that concern your situation. If your documents are not in English or French, you should submit their translations, certified copies of the original documents, and an affidavit from the translator.
Studying the guides on how to bring your spouse to Canada, you always need to check the country-specific requirements. You can be required to fill out additional forms based on the home country of your spouse, or you may need to follow special instructions on how to bring your spouse to Canada. For instance, there are different requirements for civil documents from various countries. The civil documents include proof of identity, birth certificates, family booklets, child custody documents, and others. Examining the question of how to bring your spouse to Canada, you should know that the processing time of your application is about 12 months. However, you can always check the status of your sponsorship application online. When the immigration officer begins reviewing your application, they will send you the letter or email with the number of the application and acknowledgment of receipt. Then, the officer will check your eligibility as a sponsor and the eligibility of your spouse for permanent residency status.
Considering the subject of how to bring your spouse to Canada, you need to find more information about the supporting documents your spouse needs to send to the immigration officer during the processing time. They include police certificates, medical exams, and biometrics. The immigration officer will send your spouse the letter with the detailed instruction and deadline for submitting these documents.
Your spouse and all family members, who are no less than 18 years old, need to provide the immigration officer with the police certificates from the country where your spouse and other family members have lived for six and more months and the country where your spouse and other family members have spent most of their life since the age of 18.
Your spouse will also get the instructions on how to get the medical exam done. They will have 30 days to complete the medical exam. Also, your spouse will need to give biometric information after paying the processing fee of 85 CAD and receiving a letter with further instruction. Remember, your spouse has 30 days to go to the closest collection point.
The instruction on how to bring your spouse to Canada has the information on what fees you need to pay in your situation. As a rule, you should pay the sponsorship fee of 75 CAD, the principal applicant processing fee of 475 CAD, and the right of permanent residence fee of 500 CAD. In total, the sponsorship application processing costs 1,050 CAD. After completing the application and paying the processing fees, you should send the application to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. You can find the mailing instructions online.
Considering the subject of how to bring your spouse to Canada, you should also research how they can get a work permit application. In case your spouse already has a work permit, they can work in Canada as long as the permit is valid. If your spouse wishes to work in Canada and they live with you in the country, they can add an open work permit application to the sponsorship application package. To do this, your spouse should complete the Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker form (IMM 5710) and pay the processing fee of 155 CAD.
If your spouse decides to apply for an open work permit after sending the sponsorship application package, they should fill out the form IMM 5710, pay the processing fee, and send documents to the Case Processing Centre in Edmonton. As a rule, your spouse can obtain the work permit in 4-5 months.
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