Who can sponsor

Sponsorship is a promise, not a form you fill because you love someone. IRCC looks at you first. On 15 October 2026, IRCC's eligibility page said you can sponsor if all of these are true.

• You are at least 18.
• You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada under the Indian Act.
• You live in Canada. A citizen living outside Canada can still sponsor, but must show a plan to live in Canada when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. A permanent resident living outside Canada cannot sponsor.
• You sign an undertaking and a sponsorship agreement.

There is usually no minimum income to sponsor a spouse or partner. Income becomes a test only in a narrow case: you are sponsoring a dependent child who has a dependent child of their own, or your spouse or partner has a dependent child who has a dependent child of their own. The Financial Evaluation form explains the amount. Quebec has its own income rules.

Who cannot sponsor

A genuine marriage does not fix a sponsor bar. IRCC lists these reasons. There can be others, and IRCC will tell you if they find one.

• You were sponsored by a spouse or partner and became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago.
• You are still inside the 3-year undertaking for a previous spouse or partner.
• You are in jail, you are under a removal order, or you are behind on an immigration loan, a performance bond, or court-ordered family support (Quebec has its own list).
• You receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability, you defaulted on an earlier undertaking, or you are an undischarged bankrupt. Again, some of these bars differ in Quebec.
• You were convicted of a violent offence, an offence against a relative that caused bodily harm, or a sexual offence, in Canada or abroad.
• You already have an application in process for the same person, and IRCC has not decided it.

If you live in Quebec, you also sign an undertaking with the province, and you wait until IRCC tells you to send it. Sending it early does not speed the file up. Quebec will not process it.

Who can be sponsored

The person must be at least 18, in a genuine relationship with you, and not inadmissible. Couples of any gender are included. The three partner categories are not interchangeable. I take the definitions from IRCC's who you can sponsor page and the complete guide (IMM 5289).

Spouse

You are legally married, and the marriage is valid where it happened and in Canada. Both of you had to be physically present. A marriage done outside Canada by proxy, telephone, fax, or internet, where one or both of you were not in the room, is not recognized. A marriage licence, or a Canadian record of solemnization, is not enough. IRCC wants the certificate that shows the marriage was registered with the government.

Common-law partner

You are not married to each other. You have lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 continuous months. Time apart in that year has to be short and temporary, such as a family duty or a work trip. A long separation breaks the clock. If either of you ends the relationship, IRCC treats it as over. You will need proof you shared a home: a lease, bills, mail, or another record that shows the same address over those 12 months.

Conjugal partner

This category is narrow, and I say no to it more often than people expect. Your partner lives outside Canada, is not your spouse or common-law partner, and has been in an exclusive, mutually dependent relationship with you for at least one year. That means you have shared your lives physically, emotionally, financially, and socially. You also have to show that marriage or living together was not possible, for a real barrier such as marital status where divorce is not available, sexual orientation where a same-sex relationship is not accepted or is illegal, or persecution. Wanting to skip the 12 months of living together is not that barrier. A conjugal partner cannot be living in Canada, and the application is Family Class only.

Dependent children can be included, or sponsored on their own. Age, custody, and a child who already has a child change the forms. I cover children on the family sponsorship page. If your child may already be a citizen, you cannot sponsor them for permanent residence. Check that before you add them.

Fees, processing time, and the undertaking

I do not freeze a processing time on this page. IRCC publishes a live figure, and it moves. Use IRCC's processing times tool and look up sponsorship of a spouse or partner. Your time can also be longer if more people apply than IRCC can admit in a year, or if a medical, a police certificate, or a security check takes longer. Quebec files follow the province's step as well.

Fees below are from IRCC's fee list, which I checked on 15 October 2026. Pay what the list says on the day you apply. If the fee is short, IRCC returns the application.

• Sponsor a spouse or partner: $1,260. That includes the sponsorship fee, the processing fee, and the right of permanent residence fee.
• The same application without the right of permanent residence fee: $660. You still pay that fee before the person becomes a permanent resident. Paying it up front avoids a later pause. IRCC refunds it if you withdraw or they refuse the application.
• A dependent child: $180. Children do not pay the right of permanent residence fee.
• Biometrics: $85 per person, or $170 for a family of two or more applying together. Most people age 14 to 79 give biometrics for every permanent residence application, even if they gave them before.
• The open work permit is separate. On the same date the fee list showed $155 for a work permit and $100 for an open work permit holder.

If you live in Quebec, the province charges its own fee when you apply to Quebec. Do not add that payment to the IRCC receipt. IRCC's guide also says that if you withdraw because you do not qualify as a sponsor, processing fees are repaid except the $85 sponsorship fee.

The undertaking

The undertaking is the part people skim, and the part that lasts. You promise to support the person you sponsor so they do not need social assistance. For a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner, the length is 3 years in every province except Quebec. It starts when they become a permanent resident. You cannot cancel it or shorten it after that, even if they become a citizen, the relationship ends, someone moves, or you lose your job. If they receive social assistance during those years, you repay it, and you cannot sponsor anyone else until you do.

Basic needs in the sponsorship agreement include food, clothing, shelter, everyday living, and dental, eye, and other health needs that public health does not cover. Your partner agrees to make a reasonable effort to support themselves. You can ask to withdraw the sponsorship only before they become permanent residents, and only if IRCC approves the withdrawal. Quebec's undertaking length is different. Read IRCC's undertaking page before you sign.

Documents, and what happens after you apply

You apply online. The checklist is personal: it changes with the class you pick and the country that issued the documents. This is the usual set, not a substitute for that checklist. If you cannot get an item, include a clear explanation. A silent gap gets the package returned.

Police certificates apply to each person 18 or older who is not already a citizen or permanent resident, for every country other than Canada where they spent 6 or more months in a row since age 18. Give biometrics within 30 days of the letter. IRCC starts the file after it has them. Do not book the medical exam until IRCC asks, because results expire. When the request comes, each family member who is not already a citizen or permanent resident has 30 days, including a child who is not coming with you. Leaving someone off the forms can cost this application and a later sponsorship.

Link the file to an online account and answer every request before the deadline. If you appoint a paid representative, do not also link it to your own account, or you will have to cancel the representative. A Family Class approval means a permanent resident visa that your partner must use before it expires. It is not extended. An inland approval ends with a confirmation of permanent residence in Canada. An inland refusal means your partner leaves when the temporary stay ends.

Frequently asked questions