Many international couples struggle to find time to be together. Often this comes through working holidays or short term work permits. However, these are just temporary solutions. Permanent Residency can be difficult, and other programs tedious. Because of this, spousal sponsorship may be the preferable option if you are planning on moving to Canada for the long term.
What is Spousal Sponsorship
Spousal sponsorship provides all of the same privilege’s that are afforded to Canadian citizens. In addition, sponsorship includes access to healthcare and work within Canada.
You can apply for sponsoring your spouse if you are married, in a common law relationship or have a conjugal partner. There are two ways to do this:
- In Canada: A benefit of sponsoring a spouse from within Canada is that we can usually process a work visa for them while they are being sponsored.
- Out of Canada: Processing times are dependent on the visa office outside of Canada. The sponsor can not be on welfare or recently have been on welfare. If you have been sponsored, or sponsored someone in the past there is a 5 year waiting period.
Application process
This application can be complicated for those new to the process. This is because each applicant must fill around of 9 forms (case specific), totaling around 54 pages. Additionally, here are some of the forms included,
- application to sponsor
- financial evaluation (some cases)
- class of application
- generic application form for Canada
- country specific requirements
- additional family information
- schedule A – background
These among other forms must be filled out. However, some forms are country and case specific. Furthermore, process may be subject to change depending on factors such as country of origin, number of dependents and immigration status etc. Although each application is different, the Canadian Spouse Visa processing time for both inland and out-land is on average of 12 months.
What’s next?
When it comes to spousal sponsorship, processing can be complicated. Each application requires proof that the relationship is valid, and not one of convenience. In this case, working with an immigration agency is sometimes the best option.
If you would like to find out more, feel free to contact us through the link.