When searching for information about Canadian sponsorship for you or your partner, you will likely come across different terms to classify a relationship. To sponsor a romantic partner to Canada, the government recognizes three types of relationships: Spouse, Conjugal partner or Common Law partner.
When both people (of the opposite or same gender), are in a legal marriage recognized in the country where it took place or in Canada.
It is important to remember that IRCC does not recognize marriages performed outside of Canada where one or both persons weren’t physically present at the ceremony. This also includes ceremonies that were conducted by proxy, for example online or via telephone. The only exception to this role is marriages to members of the Canadian Forces.
It is a person who you are not married to but you have been living continuously for more than one year, in a conjugal relationship. Your partner can be of the opposite or same gender as you for immigration purposes. You must also demonstrate a significant degree of commitment between two people.
For you to prove that you are in a common-law relationship, you must submit proof that you and your partner were:
Which documents do I need to submit to demonstrate my common-law relationship?
When you apply, you should provide at least two of the following documents as a prove of your common-law relationship:
If you can’t provide the documents mentioned above, you must find ways that demonstrate your relationship and provide them. Provide sworn declarations or letters of explanation from family and friends that can attest to your common-law status. The final decision regarding your common-law documents will be at the discretion of the visa officer but the more proof you can provide, the better your chances of being accepted.
A conjugal partner is someone who is living outside of Canada, and you have been in a romantic, committed relationship with them for at least one year, but there are significant barriers preventing you from living together. This could be because of reasons beyond their control (e.g. immigration barrier, religious reasons or sexual orientation. etc)
In some cases, they are also not able to legally marry their sponsor and qualify as a spouse. In all other respects, this category is similar to a common-law partner or a spouse, in terms of they have been in a bona fide (genuine or real) conjugal relationship for a period of at least one year.
For example, It is considered a conjugal relationship if you can not marry or live with your partner because you lived in a country:
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident intending to sponsor their partner to immigrate as the conjugal partner must provide evidence such as:
For both conjugal and common-law relationships, if there is no legal documentation or a specific event that can prove the commitment to your partner. In these cases you must provide to the immigration officers, evidence of significant emotional and interpersonal ties that demonstrates that you are in a serious, committed relationship and also with the intention to remain in that relationship long-term.
It’s important to make sure you understand these different terms when looking into sponsoring a partner to come with you to Canada. As each classification has different requirements it’s essential to make sure you understand which category you fall under when applying. It’s also important to note that many other factors affect what documents you will need to provide as well as exactly how the process will look for you. If you still have questions, we recommend reading our dedicated spousal sponsorship page to learn more.
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