Sponsor Your Common-law Partners For Permanent Residence In Canada

Due to the coronavirus chaos, Canada has put travel restrictions on foreign nationals to combat the spread of this pandemic. However, immediate family members are exempt from this travel ban. Common-law partners of a Canadian are also included in the list of immediate family members. In the context of immigration, a common-law partner is someone who has lived with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for one year in a marriage-like relationship. In official terms, this kind of relationship is called a “conjugal relationship”. Also Read: How to Apply for Canadian Spouse Visa? Canadian residents can sponsor their partners for immigrating to Canada and becoming permanent residents. For this purpose, the couples would be required to prove that they have lived with each other for a minimum of one year. They can provide a lease or mortgage issued in the name of both. If that is not feasible, couples can provide bank statements, phone bills, utility bills, or any other document that can demonstrate that they have lived together for a whole period of one year. Also, while boarding a flight to Canada, partners can use these documents to establish proof of their relationship status.

What you need to know about Outland and Inland Sponsorship

Couples applying for sponsorship applications for their partners will be affected differently depending on the nature of sponsorship applications, whether they are Inland or Outland sponsorship. Also Read: You Can Still Apply For Spousal Immigration Applications

Outland sponsorship

An Outland spousal sponsorship application is processed through the visa office situated in the foreign national’s country of origin. This program is specially designed for sponsored partners living abroad. However, applicants living in Canada can also apply for Outland sponsorship. This will allow them to enter and exit Canada amid the processing of their application.

Inland sponsorship

Applicants can make their way through an Inland Sponsorship when both the partners are residing in Canada. This program gives an applicant the ability to continue staying in Canada during the processing of their application.

Stay in Canada while waiting for the application process

There is an Open Work Permit Pilot Program for spouses as well as common-law partners to work anywhere in Canada while their Permanent Residence applications are under processing. This pilot program is open till July 31, 2020.

Eligibility criteria for this pilot

The application for spousal or common-law partner sponsorship should be in processing;
Both partners must be living at the same address;
The applicant must have a temporary resident card.