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Hold a work permit? Since 4 September 2026 you can take a course of six months or less without a study permit.

What it means →
A family reunited in Canada through spousal and family sponsorship
Family sponsorship · Canada

Spousal & Partner Sponsorship — bring your family together in Canada.

We turn your relationship into a submission-ready case — consistent forms, organized proof, and an officer-friendly package for spouses, partners, and children.

Start my sponsorship Message on WhatsApp
RCIC-led Brampton & London Officer-ready files
Every relationship type
Spouse, common-law, and conjugal partners.
Children included
Dependent & adopted children pathways.
Evidence, organized
A clean, consistent proof plan.
RCIC-led
Regulated, accountable representation.
Who you can sponsor

Reunite with the people who matter most.

Spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, and dependent children — biological or adopted. Adoption follows its own kit and steps.

Spouse

A legally married partner in a genuine relationship. The applicant must also meet IRCC admissibility checks.

Married

Common-law partner

Living together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. Short, temporary separations may be acceptable.

12+ months cohabiting

Conjugal partner

Outside Canada, not married or common-law, in an exclusive interdependent relationship for at least a year, with real barriers to living together or marrying.

1+ year, barriers apply

Dependent children

Biological or adopted. Generally under 22 and not married or common-law — or 22+ with a qualifying condition and long-term dependency.

Under 22 (with exceptions)

Adoption & intercountry adoption

Adopted children and intercountry adoption follow separate kits and steps — don’t file the spouse or child kit by mistake.

Separate kit

Our focus

A clean evidence plan, a consistent narrative, and an officer-friendly package that reads fast and credible from the first page.

Officer-ready
Family members you did not declare when you immigrated. A spouse, partner or child who was not declared and examined when you became a permanent resident is excluded from the family class under section 117(9)(d). The public policy that relaxed this rule for refugees and sponsored spouses ended on 10 September 2026; applications received by that date are still assessed under it. Everyone else needs a humanitarian and compassionate request. What is left after the policy ended.
Inland or outland

Two ways to file — and they are not interchangeable.

Where your partner lives, whether you can keep living together, and what happens if the file is refused all turn on this choice. We settle it before anything is submitted.

Inland

Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada class

Your partner is already in Canada and you are living together. You are expected to keep cohabiting while the application is processed.

  • An open work permit is generally available to the applicant while the application is in progress.
  • A partner whose temporary status has lapsed can still be processed in this class under a longstanding public policy — explained below.
  • There is no appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division if it is refused. The remedy is judicial review at the Federal Court.
  • Leaving Canada while the application is open carries re-entry risk.
Outland

Family Class, processed by a visa office

Filed through the visa office responsible for your partner’s country of nationality or legal residence. Your partner may be inside or outside Canada.

  • Sponsors generally keep a right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division if the application is refused.
  • Travel in and out of Canada is not tied to the application, subject to admissibility and valid documents.
  • Living together in Canada is not required for this route.
  • An open work permit is not an automatic feature of this route.
Choosing the wrong stream is one of the costliest mistakes in family sponsorship — it can cost an appeal right, a work permit, or a year of processing. Confirm the current rules on canada.ca before you file.
Out-of-status spouses

Status lapsed? You may still be sponsored from inside Canada.

A public policy made under subsection 25(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act lets genuine spouses and common-law partners who are living with their Canadian citizen or permanent resident sponsor be processed in the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada class even when their temporary status has run out.

What the policy sets aside

The requirement to hold valid status in the class, and the inadmissibility that flows from not having it. Every other requirement of the class still applies in full.

Subsection 25(1) policy

What you still have to prove

An eligible sponsor with a valid undertaking, a genuine relationship, and that the two of you are living together in Canada.

Three conditions

The undertaking is the key

Without a sponsorship undertaking on file, the case is assessed under general humanitarian and compassionate rules instead — a considerably harder test.

Sponsorship required
This summarises a long-standing federal public policy. It is general information, not legal advice, and the operating guidance is periodically revised — read the policy on canada.ca and get your own case assessed before acting on it.
How we help

A sponsorship built to be believed.

Sponsorship turns on whether an officer believes your relationship is genuine. We make that easy to see.

  1. 01

    Confirm the right pathway

    Spouse, common-law, conjugal, or child — and sponsor eligibility — settled before anything is filed.

  2. 02

    Build the evidence plan

    The right proof of a genuine, continuing relationship — organized so it’s easy to follow and hard to doubt.

  3. 03

    Assemble a clean file

    Consistent forms and a coherent narrative, with common refusal triggers addressed before submission.

  4. 04

    Guide you to the finish

    Clear next steps and calm communication through submission, requests, and any follow-up from IRCC.

Good to know

Questions, answered.

The questions we hear most on this topic, answered by our consultants. The full list is in the Help Centre.

Can I sponsor a spouse or child I did not declare when I immigrated?
Under section 117(9)(d) of the Regulations, a family member who was not declared and examined when you became a permanent resident is excluded from the family class, so an ordinary sponsorship is refused. The public policy that relaxed this rule for resettled refugees, protected persons and people who were themselves sponsored as a spouse or child ended on 10 September 2026 and was not renewed. Applications IRCC received on or before that date are still assessed under it. Anyone applying now needs a humanitarian and compassionate request built into the application. See our note on what is left after the policy ended.
Can a humanitarian and compassionate request overcome the undeclared family member exclusion?
It can, but it is discretionary. An officer may exempt the applicant from section 117(9)(d) on humanitarian and compassionate grounds and must consider the best interests of any child affected. The request has to explain why the family member was not declared and document the hardship of continued separation. A bare sponsorship without that request will be refused.
Who can sponsor a spouse or partner?
Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are at least eighteen, meet the eligibility rules, and can sign an undertaking to support the person sponsored. Some past defaults or convictions can bar you from sponsoring.
Can my partner work while we wait?
Spouses and partners being sponsored from inside Canada may be able to obtain an open work permit while the application is processed. This is one of the main practical advantages of the inland route.
Can my partner be sponsored if their status has expired?
Often yes. A public policy made under subsection 25(1) of IRPA lets spouses and common-law partners who are living with their Canadian citizen or permanent resident sponsor be processed in the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada class even without valid status, so long as a sponsorship undertaking is submitted, the sponsor is eligible, the relationship is genuine and you are living together in Canada.

More questions on this topic are answered in the Help Centre.

Start your sponsorship

Get a clear plan for your case.

Tell us who you’re sponsoring and a licensed RCIC will follow up — usually the same business day — with the right pathway and your document plan.

  • An honest read on your best pathway
  • A tailored document & evidence plan
  • A licensed RCIC — regulated & accountable
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Request your sponsorship plan

Share a few details and we’ll reply with your next steps.

Prefer to book directly? Book a consultation →

Licensed RCIC · we never sell your info

Thanks — we’ll be in touch

A licensed RCIC will reach out, usually the same business day.

Message us on WhatsApp
Official IRCC pages

Confirm the details on canada.ca.

Requirements and kits change — always verify the current guidance on the Government of Canada website before filing.

Sponsor your spouse, partner or children Who you can sponsor How to apply Public policy for out-of-status spouses (A25(1)) Application guides & kits
Explore more

Other ways we can help.

Express EntryCRS strategy & PR profile Provincial Nominee (PNP)Every province & OINP Work Permits & LMIAEmployer-specific & open Study PermitsPAL/TAL, funds & study plan Canadian CitizenshipPresence planning & filing Refusals & AppealsReview, remedies & re-filing
General information only, not legal advice. Contacting us or submitting a form does not create a client–consultant relationship until a written retainer is signed. Requirements change — confirm current rules on canada.ca. IRCC makes all final decisions.
Confidential · fee-exempt · nobody is contacted

Does your status in Canada depend on your partner?

When status flows through a spouse or partner, it can be used as leverage. Canada has a measure for exactly that — fee-exempt status in your own name, an open work permit, and healthcare coverage.

Permit for victims of family violence

Your sponsorship is being withdrawn or used to control you, your permit depends on a spouse, or money and documents are being held over you.

No feeOpen work permitHealthcare See what this gives you
In immediate danger? Call 911. Press Esc twice to leave instantly.

Sponsorship review

Will your sponsorship hold up to scrutiny?

Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.

  • Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant — never a bot, never a salesperson
  • A written shortlist of the programs you realistically qualify for
  • Consultations are fee-based; you get the fee and available times by reply

CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.

Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.

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