Married or marrying a Canadian citizen or permanent resident? Our immigration lawyers prepare complete marriage visa applications — so your spouse can join you in Canada as a permanent resident.
SERVICES
If you are legally married to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you can apply for a spouse visa through spousal sponsorship — leading to Canadian permanent residence. We prepare the full application and build the evidence of a genuine relationship.
Not married yet? If you and your Canadian partner have lived together for at least 12 continuous months, you may qualify as common-law partners. We help you document the relationship and file a complete partner visa application.
While the spouse visa is being processed, your partner may be eligible for a Spousal Open Work Permit — allowing them to work for any employer in Canada. We file the work permit alongside the sponsorship to maximize your time together.
A Canadian spouse visa — formally known as spousal sponsorship — allows a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor their husband, wife, or partner for Canadian permanent residence. Once approved, your spouse can live, work, and study anywhere in Canada permanently.
There is no minimum income requirement for sponsoring a spouse. However, you must sign a three-year financial undertaking, committing to support your partner's basic needs without relying on social assistance.
The application can be filed from inside Canada (inland) or from abroad (outland). Couples residing in Quebec follow a separate provincial process. Choosing the right pathway from day one has a real impact on processing times, work authorization, and the strength of your application.
With over 23 years of experience and thousands of successful spousal sponsorship applications, Canadim is one of Canada's leading immigration law firms. Our lawyers handle marriage visa cases in every Canadian province — including the more complex Quebec process.
Every marriage and every partnership is unique. We build a personalized strategy around your situation: how long you've been together, where you live, your immigration status, and the documentation needed to prove a genuine relationship. Even small errors in a spousal sponsorship application can cause months of delay or an outright refusal — our role is to make sure that does not happen to your file.
"I am so happy that we chose Canadim. Our case manager Jasmine is absolutely terrific. My husband was immigrating to QC and it's a very long application. Jasmine always had fast responses to all our questions over a two-year process (QC is longer). The process is stressful and grueling but they helped every step of the way making it less stressful. Worth every penny."
"I highly recommend this company! If you're looking for a serious and professional law firm, I strongly recommend CANADIM. A big thank you and shoutout to Jasmine! Any immigration process can feel overwhelming, so it's important to choose a team that makes you feel supported, valued, and at ease. CANADIM did exactly that for me."
"I had a fantastic experience working with Canadim Law Firm. From the beginning, the communication was clear, professional, and supportive. Nadia was particularly helpful — always responsive, kind, and knowledgeable throughout the process. I felt confident every step of the way thanks to their guidance. I would highly recommend Canadim to anyone navigating immigration pathways in Canada."
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
To qualify, the sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident at least 18 years old, not receiving social assistance (other than for disability), and able to financially support their spouse. The relationship must be a legally valid marriage, a common-law partnership of at least 12 continuous months, or — in limited circumstances — a conjugal partnership of at least one year.
You must also provide strong documentation proving the relationship is genuine, including photos, joint financial records, communication history, and travel records.
After your marriage is legally registered, your Canadian spouse files a sponsorship application and you simultaneously file the permanent residence application — either through the inland stream (if you are already living together in Canada) or the outland stream (often faster and used when one or both spouses are abroad).
The complete application includes sponsor and applicant forms, proof of the genuine relationship, financial documentation, medical exam results, and police certificates. Once approved, you become a Canadian permanent resident.
On average, spousal sponsorship takes around 12 months for applications outside Quebec. Processing times can vary depending on the visa office handling your case, the completeness of your application, and background checks. Quebec applications take significantly longer — currently around 35 months — because of the additional provincial step.
No. Unlike parent or grandparent sponsorship, there is no minimum income requirement for sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner. However, you must demonstrate that you can meet your spouse's basic needs without relying on social assistance and sign a three-year financial undertaking.
Yes. If your spouse is in Canada and the sponsorship application has been acknowledged by IRCC (typically 4 to 5 months in), they are eligible to apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit. This allows them to work for any employer in Canada while their permanent residence application is being processed.
No. Canada does not offer a fiancé visa. You must be legally married, or qualify as common-law partners (12 months of continuous cohabitation), or in some cases conjugal partners, to apply for spousal sponsorship. If you are engaged, you will need to either marry first, accumulate the required period of cohabitation, or explore other immigration pathways.
Inland sponsorship is for couples already living together in Canada. The sponsored spouse stays in Canada during processing and can apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit.
Outland sponsorship is processed through a Canadian visa office abroad. It is often faster, allows the sponsored spouse to travel in and out of Canada during processing, and preserves the right of appeal in case of refusal.
Depending on the reason for refusal and whether you applied inland or outland, you may have the right to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division, or to reapply with stronger evidence. The most common refusal reasons are insufficient proof of a genuine relationship and incomplete documentation — both of which are largely preventable with a properly prepared application.
Whether you are already married, planning your wedding, or in a common-law relationship with a Canadian, our immigration lawyers will build the strongest possible application — minimizing the risk of delays or refusals.
Schedule a free confidential consultation.