Inland Spousal Sponsorship

This information may be out-of-date. Please refer to our most current guidance on Canadian Spouse Visas.

The Inland Spousal Sponsorship is designed to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their spouses or common-law partners to live with them permanently in Canada. To apply for this visa program, your partner must be already in Canada and holding a temporary resident status (working, studying, or visiting) in Canada.

You can apply under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada class if your spouse or common-law partner cohabits (lives) with you in Canada.

Sponsor Eligibility

As a sponsor, you must be able to prove that you

• Are legally a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• Are at least 18 years old;
• Can provide the basic needs for you and your family, including food, clothing, and shelter;
• Can support your spouse/partner financially; and
• Can ensure that your spouse/partner does not need to ask for financial help from the Canadian government.

Although there is no minimum income requirement to sponsor your partner, unless you are sponsoring a spouse or partner that has a dependent child, and their dependent child has 1 or more children of their own, you need to sign in an undertaking to prove that you commit to:

• providing financial support for your sponsored family members, starting when they become permanent residents
• repaying any provincial social assistance your sponsored family members get during that time