Spousal Sponsorship Document Checklist for Canada
A spousal sponsorship package holds the sponsor's forms (IMM 1344 and IMM 5532), the partner's permanent residence forms (IMM 0008, IMM 5406 and IMM 5669), and proof of status, relationship, identity, police certificates, medical, photos and fees. IRCC's own checklist for your case, such as IMM 5533 for a spouse, is the final list.
IMM 5533
IRCC’s document checklist for a spouse
IMM 5589
IRCC’s document checklist for a common-law partner
$1,260
IRCC’s fee to sponsor a spouse or partner
$85
Biometrics, per person
Fees from IRCC’s fee list. The Fee Calculator totals the fees for your family.
What goes in a spousal sponsorship package?
A spousal or partner sponsorship application is two applications submitted together. The Canadian citizen or permanent resident applies to be a sponsor, and the spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner applies for permanent residence.
The package combines the sponsorship forms, the principal applicant’s PR forms, and supporting documents that prove who you both are and that your relationship is genuine. The forms below are the typical core of a package as described in IRCC’s Guide 5289, but form numbers, versions and required items change.
The supporting documents fall into these groups:
- Proof of the sponsor’s status
- Proof of the relationship
- Identity and civil status documents
- Police certificates
- The medical exam
- Biometrics, photos and the fee receipt
IRCC’s application kit page builds the instructions and checklist for your case from drop-down menus. The Document Checklist tool builds a list for your situation.
The rule
IRCC publishes a specific document checklist for each situation, such as IMM 5533 for a spouse or IMM 5589 for a common-law partner, and that checklist is the authoritative list of what to include.
Which forms does each side fill in?
| Form | Who completes it | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| IMM 1344 | Sponsor | Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking: the sponsor signs to take on financial responsibility |
| IMM 5532 | Sponsor and principal applicant | Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation: how the relationship developed |
| IMM 1283 | Sponsor, depending on the situation | Financial evaluation |
| IMM 5476 | If you appoint a representative | Use of a Representative |
| IMM 0008 | Person being sponsored | Generic Application Form for Canada, with its schedules |
| IMM 5406 | Person being sponsored | Additional Family Information |
| IMM 5669 | Person being sponsored | Schedule A: Background/Declaration |
| IMM 5409 | If you rely on a common-law relationship | Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union |
Guide 5289 says any dependant on file over 18 must also complete a separate IMM 5669 and IMM 5406. Complete the PDF forms and the portal’s digital forms as Guide 5289 directs, and follow its signing instructions. A missing signature or an outdated form version can get a package returned as incomplete before it is even assessed.
What proof of status and relationship does IRCC ask for?
The sponsor must show they are eligible to sponsor, which usually means proving Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status. A sponsor living outside Canada (only Canadian citizens can do this) must also show they plan to live in Canada when the partner becomes a permanent resident.
IRCC must be satisfied the relationship is genuine and not entered into mainly for immigration. What the proof starts from depends on the relationship:
- Spouse
- The marriage certificate.
- Common-law partner
- There is no single document: a record of at least 12 months of continuous cohabitation.
- Conjugal partner
- Partners who could not marry or live together for reasons beyond their control submit proof of those obstacles and of the commitment between them.
Guide 5289 allows up to 10 pages of proof of communication, translated if not in English or French. The Proof of Relationship guide covers the kinds of evidence, and IRCC’s checklist lists the documents you must submit.
Which identity, police and medical documents are needed?
Both people provide identity and civil status documents, including records from any previous marriage and documents for any dependent children listed on the application. Where a document is not in English or French, IRCC asks for the English or French translation, an affidavit from the translator if they are not a certified translator, and a certified copy of the original.
Police certificates come from the principal applicant, and from each family member who is 18 or older and is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They cover every country other than Canada where the person has lived for six months or more in a row since the age of 18. These show any criminal record and feed into IRCC’s admissibility assessment under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Every family member who is not a citizen or permanent resident must pass an immigration medical exam, even if they are not coming to Canada. For a family sponsorship, IRCC sends instructions for the exam with an IRCC-approved panel physician after you submit a complete application; upfront exams are for Express Entry.
What about biometrics, photos, fees and a work permit?
The sponsored partner and family members give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) unless they are exempt, as Canadian citizens and existing permanent residents are. After IRCC receives your application and the biometric fee, it sends a biometric instruction letter, and you have 30 days from that letter to attend a collection point. The application itself asks for a photo taken within 12 months of applying that meets IRCC’s specifications.
Fees are paid online and the receipt goes in the package. A package commonly includes the sponsorship fee, the principal applicant’s processing fee, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee and the biometric fee, with additional fees for dependent children where they apply. IRCC’s published amounts govern: $1,260 to sponsor a spouse or partner, and $85 per person for biometrics.
A sponsored partner who lives in Canada with you may be able to apply for an open work permit, under either the family class or the in-Canada class. They apply once IRCC sends the acknowledgement of receipt for the permanent residence application. A partner living outside Canada cannot get this permit. An officer makes the final decision on every part of the application.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
- Fee CalculatorCurrent government fees, itemized
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What documents are required to sponsor a spouse in Canada?
A spousal sponsorship package holds the sponsor's forms, the partner's permanent residence forms, and supporting documents: proof of the sponsor's citizenship or PR status, proof of the relationship, passports and civil status records, police certificates, photos and the fee receipt. A medical exam is part of processing too. IRCC's checklist for your exact case is the final word. The Document Checklist tool builds a list for your situation.
What forms are in a spousal sponsorship application?
The core forms are the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking (IMM 1344), the Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation (IMM 5532), the Generic Application Form (IMM 0008) and its schedules, Additional Family Information (IMM 5406), and Schedule A: Background/Declaration (IMM 5669). Common-law couples often add the Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409). The Immigration Forms page links each current form.
Which IRCC document checklist should I use?
Use the one IRCC gives you for your exact situation. Its application kit page builds the instructions and checklist from drop-down menus, and the checklists include IMM 5533 for a spouse and IMM 5589 for a common-law partner. Download the current version before you assemble anything, because it is the authoritative list: it tells you which forms you need and lists the documents you must submit. The Spousal Sponsorship page explains the rest of the process.
Is the document checklist different for inland and outland spousal sponsorship?
The core forms and supporting documents are largely the same, and IRCC's Guide 5289 covers both. The class changes: you sponsor under the Family Class if your partner lives outside Canada (a partner living with you in Canada may use it too), or the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class if they live with you in Canada with temporary resident status, unless IRCC's public policy for spouses exempts them. The Common-Law Sponsorship guide compares inland and outland.
How do I prove my relationship is genuine?
A married couple starts with the marriage certificate. Common-law partners build a record of at least 12 months of continuous cohabitation: a joint lease or mortgage, joint accounts, bills in both names, and ID showing one address. Many couples add photos over time, proof of communication and documents naming each other as partner or beneficiary. The Proof of Relationship guide lists the kinds of evidence couples use.
Do we both need police certificates?
The sponsored partner does, and so does each family member aged 18 or older who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, from every country other than Canada where they lived for six months or more in a row since age 18. The certificates feed IRCC's admissibility check under IRPA. Follow your checklist for exactly whose certificates are required. The Police Certificate Requirements guide explains each country's process.
What fees are involved in spousal sponsorship?
IRCC's fee to sponsor a spouse or partner is $1,260: $660 for sponsorship and processing, plus the $600 right of permanent residence fee. Each dependent child adds $180, and biometrics cost $85 per person, or $170 at most for a family applying together. You pay online and include the receipt in the package. Confirm the amounts on IRCC's fee list before you pay. The Fee Calculator totals the fees for your family.
Why might an application be returned as incomplete?
A package can be returned for an outdated form version, a missing signature, a missing police certificate, fees not paid in full, or a mandatory checklist item left out. IRCC returns an incomplete package before assessing it, so the wait starts over. Working straight from the current checklist and Guide 5289 for your case helps avoid these problems, and an officer still decides the application. The Document Checklist tool helps you track each item.
Part of:Sponsoring family
- Proof of a Genuine Relationship for Spousal Sponsorship
- Family Sponsorship Income Requirements (LICO): 2026 Guide
- Spousal Sponsorship Interview Questions
The textbook on this subject
Volume 2: Immigrating to Canada $79
The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.