Spouse or Common Law Partner

A spouse is considered to be your partner in a personal life relationship as a spouse, common law partner or conjugal partner and must be at least 18 years of age. You may be able to sponsor them to live, work and stay permanently in Canada if they meet certain criteria and you have not been sponsored as a spouse within the last five years.

Requirements for the sponsor are:

Minimum 18 years of age; must be a Canadian permanent resident living in Canada or a Canadian citizen or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act; and cannot be in prison, bankrupt, under a removal order (if a permanent resident) or charged with a serious offence.

Requirements for the spouse or partner are:

Must be at least 18 years old and:

• Legally married or
• Common law partner, meaning, they have been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months or
• Conjugal partner, meaning they have been in a relationship with you for at least 12 consecutive months and have barriers that prevent them living with you in their current country of residence.

Do you want your life partner to join you in Canada? Talk to us about the spouse or common law partner program.