Inland vs Outland Spousal Sponsorship: What Is the Difference?

Inland and outland describe where IRCC processes a spousal or partner sponsorship, not the type of relationship. Inland is for a partner already living with you in Canada, with temporary resident status unless IRCC's public policy for spouses exempts them. Outland goes through a visa office: the partner can travel, and a refused sponsor can appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division. An IRCC officer decides every application.

Compare current times on Processing Times

Last verified: November 2026

About 26 months
Inland, on IRCC’s processing-time tool (outside Quebec)
About 18 months
Outland, on IRCC’s processing-time tool (outside Quebec)

Figures IRCC published October 9, 2026. The Processing Times page carries the current table.

What is the difference between inland and outland sponsorship?

Inland is the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (IRPR s.124). Outland is the family class (IRPR s.117), processed through a visa office. Both lead to the same goal, permanent residence under IRPA s.12(1).

Inland and outland side by side
Feature	Inland (In-Canada)	Outland (Overseas)
Where the sponsored partner lives	Inside Canada with the sponsor, with temporary resident status unless IRCC's public policy for spouses exempts them	Inside or outside Canada, with no status in Canada required
Open work permit while waiting	Yes, after the acknowledgement of receipt	Yes, if living in Canada with the sponsor. Not for a partner living abroad
Travel during processing	Leaving Canada can end temporary status, and the partner may not be allowed back	Yes, but must satisfy a border officer at each entry
Published processing time (outside Quebec)	About 26 months	About 18 months
Appeal if the sponsorship is refused	No appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division, only judicial review in the Federal Court, with leave	Sponsor may appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IRPA s.63(1))

What does inland sponsorship ask of your partner?

Inland applies when your sponsored partner already lives with you in Canada and holds temporary resident status, for example as a visitor, worker or student. IRCC’s public policy for spouses exempts some partners who are out of status. You file the sponsorship and the permanent residence application together while the couple stays in Canada.

The sponsored person is generally expected to remain in Canada throughout processing. Leaving can end your partner’s temporary status, and they may not be allowed back, especially if they need a visa or an eTA to enter. If they cannot return, IRCC says you must submit a new overseas sponsorship application.

If a visitor record, work permit or study permit will expire while the application is pending, applying to extend it before it lapses generally lets your partner stay under maintained (implied) status while IRCC decides. Under the public policy, a partner without status must wait for the approval in principle letter before applying for the open work permit.

The sponsored spouse or common-law partner open work permit:

Can be applied for after IRCC sends the acknowledgement of receipt (AOR), the letter that confirms an officer has reviewed the package and found it complete.
Can be applied for without the AOR if the partner’s permit or status will expire in 2 weeks or less.
Is not automatic and is not approval of the sponsorship: it is a separate application your partner submits.
Is not the target of the changes IRCC made on January 21, 2025 to narrow open work permits for spouses of some workers and students.

What does outland sponsorship allow?

Outland processes the application through a Canadian visa office. It is the natural choice when the sponsored partner lives outside Canada, but couples already in Canada sometimes choose it too. Despite the name, the partner does not have to stay abroad: they can usually visit or even live in Canada while the file is processed, as long as they satisfy a border officer at each entry.

If an outland sponsorship is refused, the sponsor can appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division. It can receive new evidence, decides on the facts at the time of the appeal and can weigh humanitarian and compassionate grounds (IRPA s.67(1) and s.175(1)). An inland refusal has no such appeal. The court route is judicial review in the Federal Court, with leave (IRPA s.72(1)).

An outland applicant can generally travel and visit Canada during processing if they hold a valid visitor visa or are visa-exempt.

The rule

If an outland sponsorship is refused, the sponsor can appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division.

IRPA s.63(1)Verify on justice.gc.ca

Who can sponsor a spouse or partner, inland or outland?

The same sponsorship rules apply to both classes. The sponsor generally must:

Be 18 or older and a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act.
Sign a sponsorship undertaking to support the partner financially: 3 years for a spouse or partner outside Quebec, and Quebec sets its own length.
Live in Canada if a permanent resident. A Canadian citizen abroad may sponsor a spouse or partner if they will live in Canada when the partner becomes a PR.
Not be receiving social assistance, except for a disability.
Not be in default of a previous undertaking or an immigration loan.
Not be subject to a removal order, imprisoned, or detained.
Not be barred: a partner previously sponsored generally cannot sponsor a new partner for 5 years (IRPR s.130(3)).

In most cases there is no income requirement to sponsor a spouse or partner. One applies when the partner has a dependent child who has a dependent child of their own. Quebec applies its own rules, including on income.

What happens if the relationship ends during processing?

No conditional permanent residence: Canada eliminated conditional permanent residence for sponsored spouses and partners in April 2017. No rule requires the couple to live together for a set period after landing to keep PR status: the 2-year cohabitation condition was repealed.
Withdrawal before a decision: A sponsor can ask in writing to withdraw the sponsorship before a final decision, and IRCC must approve the withdrawal. Once it is processed, no decision is made on the permanent residence application, because it depended on the sponsorship.
Once PR is granted: The later breakdown of the relationship does not, on its own, take permanent resident status away.

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What do people ask?

What is the difference between inland and outland spousal sponsorship?

The difference is where the file is processed and what the partner can do while waiting. Inland (IRPR s.124) is for a partner living with you in Canada, with temporary resident status unless IRCC's public policy for spouses exempts them, who should plan to stay. Outland (the family class, IRPR s.117) runs through a visa office and lets the partner travel. Only an outland refusal can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division under IRPA s.63(1).

Which is faster, inland or outland spousal sponsorship?

Outland was faster in the figures IRCC published October 9, 2026: about 18 months outside Quebec, against about 26 months inland. These times change monthly and count from when IRCC receives a complete application, so they are not promises. Our Processing Times 2026 guide explains how IRCC measures these times.

What is inland spousal sponsorship?

Inland sponsorship is the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class under IRPR s.124. The sponsored partner already lives with you in Canada and holds temporary resident status, such as a visitor, worker or student, unless IRCC's public policy for spouses exempts them. You file the sponsorship and the PR application together from inside Canada. The partner may apply for an open work permit but is expected to stay in Canada.

What is outland spousal sponsorship?

Outland sponsorship is the family class under IRPR s.117, processed through a Canadian visa office. The sponsored partner can live inside or outside Canada and can usually travel while the file is processed, as long as they satisfy a border officer at each entry. A partner who lives in Canada with the sponsor can apply for the sponsored spouse or partner open work permit; a partner living abroad cannot. If the sponsorship is refused, the sponsor can appeal under IRPA s.63(1).

Can I switch from inland to outland after applying?

IRCC's sponsorship guide describes no switch. It says leaving Canada can end a visitor's, student's or worker's status, and a partner who leaves may not be allowed back. If your partner cannot return to Canada, IRCC says you must submit a new overseas sponsorship application. The steps depend on your stage and your file. A licensed immigration lawyer or CICC-regulated consultant can review a switch first.

Does my spouse automatically get an open work permit if we apply inland?

No. The open work permit is a separate application your partner submits, generally after IRCC sends the acknowledgement of receipt confirming the permanent residence application is complete, or sooner if their status expires in 2 weeks or less. Approval of the work permit is separate from approval of permanent residence. Our Spousal Open Work Permit guide explains who qualifies and how the January 2025 changes apply.

Can common-law or conjugal partners use these streams?

Common-law partners can use either stream, and conjugal partners use outland only. A common-law couple has lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months in a row. A conjugal partner lives outside Canada and has a relationship of at least one year, but the couple could not live together or marry for legal, immigration, religious or other reasons, so they are sponsored in the family class.

If my relationship ends, will my partner lose permanent residence?

Generally not, once PR is granted. Canada removed conditional permanent residence in April 2017, so no rule requires a couple to live together for a set time after landing. While the application is still in process, a sponsor can ask IRCC to withdraw the sponsorship, and the PR application depends on it. Misrepresenting a relationship is a separate, serious matter. Our Sponsorship Breakdown guide covers the undertaking and PR status.

Part of:Sponsoring family

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.