Sponsor Your Wife to Canada
Sponsor Your Wife to Canada
Recently the Government of Canada has announced its new 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, according to which Canada will aim to welcome 80,000 immigrants per year under the spousal, partner, and children category. These changes provide a perfect opportunity for those who want to sponsor their wife to Canada. However, you need to meet several requirements to sponsor your wife to Canada successfully.
First of all, you can be eligible to sponsor your wife to Canada if you are a citizen or permanent resident of the country, are at least 18 years old, live in the country, or are going to return when your wife gets a permanent resident status.
Second, you have to prove that you are not receiving social assistance for a reason other than a disability, and you are able to financially provide for the basic needs of your wife.
Third, when you wish to sponsor your wife to Canada, you are required to submit evidence of your marriage to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). To do so, you need to send them a marriage certificate (possibly wedding invitations, and photos, proof of registration of marriage by government authority), fill in the Relationship Information, and Sponsorship Evaluation questionnaire, and provide birth certificates or adoption records if you and your wife have children together. Also, you need to submit at least two of the following documents: copies of government-issued IDs, shared bank accounts, car insurance, utility bills with both of your names, and other evidence that you and your wife have a common property, for example, tax forms showing that you live at the same address.
It is very important to mention, that unlike most other forms of Canadian sponsorship, you do not need to demonstrate a minimum amount of income to sponsor your wife to Canada. Nevertheless, you must sign an undertaking promise, which ensures that you will support the basic needs of your wife in Canada. The basic needs include everyday needs such as accommodation, food, wardrobe, dental care, eye care, and all other health needs. The length of the undertaking agreement that is needed to sponsor your wife to Canada is three years from the day your wife gets a permanent resident status in the country.
Before sending your application to sponsor your wife to Canada, you need to pay all required fees. You may even pay the right of permanent residence fee before applying, to avoid any delays. Moreover, this fee is refundable if you are refused to sponsor your wife to Canada. The total fee for the spousal sponsorship application is from 1,050 to 1,135 CAD, which includes a sponsorship fee of 75 CAD, a principal applicant processing fee of 475 CAD, and a right of permanent residence fee of 500 CAD. The biometrics fee is 85 CAD and if you are sponsoring your wife to Canada and they have dependent children, then an additional 150 CAD payment will be required for each child included in the application. Remember, you need to complete the payment online and submit a copy of the receipt with your application to sponsor your wife to Canada. It is worth mentioning, that if the sponsor resides in the province of Quebec or intends to reside in Quebec upon the issuance of permanent residence, they must pay an additional fee of 289 CAD to the fees mentioned above.
The processing time of your application to sponsor your wife to Canada can take around one year (12 months). Sometimes, the processing period can take even longer, depending on the details of your individual case. In other words, the immigration officer can delay the processing of your application and ask you to submit additional proof of the relationship with your wife. Remember, if you want to sponsor your wife to Canada, you need to make sure that your application is complete. Additionally, if your documents are not in English or French, you need to attach their English or French translations, certified copies of the original documents, and a confirmation from the person who translated the documents. The immigration officer can communicate with you through your online account, e-mail, or mail. Nevertheless, IRCC recommends you create an online account. This makes communication fast and secure. Also, it allows you to get updated information about the status of the application and receive letters from the immigration officer online.
After the officer gets your application to sponsor your wife to Canada, it will be checked whether all the required forms and documents are submitted. If your application package to sponsor your wife to Canada is incomplete, the officer will return it to you without being processed. If the application is complete, you will receive a letter confirming that the application to sponsor your wife to Canada is accepted for further processing. In its turn, your wife will receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) letter with the application number. Now you only have to wait for the decision whether you can sponsor your wife to Canada.
It is also worth mentioning, that immigration interviews are rare for spousal sponsorship cases. They usually occur when there is a lack of documents supporting the relationships or some contradicting information on the forms versus documents is present. Age and religious differences, a short period of time between meeting your wife and marriage, or little or no cohabitation can be the reasons for an interview before you are allowed to sponsor your wife to Canada.
While you are waiting for approval, your wife is allowed to come to Canada, but there is no special visa for that. So some applicants may encounter difficulties applying for a temporary visa to Canada if they have an application for permanent residence already in process. Those who apply for a temporary residence visa must prove they will leave at the end of its validity, but having an active application for permanent residence can create doubt. So it might be wise to apply for a temporary visa and then once together in Canada, submit an application to sponsor your wife under the inland sponsorship category. In this case, a wife being sponsored can then transition from their temporary status in Canada to an open work permit that would allow them to work for any employer while their application is being processed.
If your wife lives outside of Canada or you are currently living in Canada with the sponsor but do not plan to stay in the country during the application process, you should choose outland sponsorship. But remember that until your application has been approved, living with your wife may be difficult. However, they can apply for a temporary visa to come to Canada while the outland sponsorship application is being processed. Please also remember, you can withdraw your sponsorship application at any time before the person you are sponsoring becomes a permanent resident of Canada. To sum up, mind that the application that helps you to sponsor your wife to Canada is considered a top priority for immigration officers. If you do not want to get a refusal, all you need to do is prove that your relationship is legitimate and several of the abovementioned factors will be taken into consideration. Be prepared that to determine if your relationship is genuine immigration officers will consider photos of your wedding that show members or your family there, ask questions about some cultural practices of the region or other facts of your married life. You may also prepare letters of explanation that can help a visa officer to understand your cultural background better. Remember, marriage ceremonies that are conducted over the internet are not accepted for Canadian immigration purposes and do not allow you to sponsor your wife to Canada.
If you need help with Sponsor Your Wife or Partner to Canada and getting her work permit application together with permanent resident status, please fill in application below or contact us directly.
