Who Can Sponsor a Spouse to Canada?
A Canadian citizen, a permanent resident living in Canada, or a person registered under the Indian Act can sponsor a spouse or partner, if 18 or older. In most cases there is no minimum income requirement. A default on a past undertaking or support order, bankruptcy, a removal order or certain convictions can bar you. An officer decides.
18
The minimum age to sponsor a spouse or partner
3 years
How long the undertaking for a spouse or partner lasts
Five years
The bar for a person who was sponsored as a spouse or partner
Who can sponsor a spouse or partner?
Spousal sponsorship has two sides: the sponsor and the person being sponsored. The sponsor side has its own eligibility rules, separate from the relationship itself. These rules come from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) and IRCC policy, and an officer makes the final decision.
To sponsor a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner for permanent residence, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Indian Act, or a permanent resident of Canada.
- Live in Canada, if you are a permanent resident. A permanent resident who lives outside Canada cannot sponsor a spouse or partner.
- Show, if you are a citizen living outside Canada, that you plan to live in Canada once your spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident.
- Show that you can meet the basic needs of yourself and the person you sponsor.
- Sign an undertaking, a binding promise to financially support your spouse or partner.
The undertaking for a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner lasts 3 years from the day they become a permanent resident. It stays in force even if your relationship breaks down or your circumstances change.
The rule
To sponsor a spouse or partner you must be at least 18 and a Canadian citizen, a person registered as an Indian under the Indian Act, or a permanent resident living in Canada.
What can stop you from sponsoring?
Even if you are a citizen or permanent resident over 18, you generally cannot sponsor if you:
- Are in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking (you did not repay social assistance the person you sponsored received).
- Are in default of a court-ordered support payment, such as alimony or child support.
- Are an undischarged bankrupt.
- Are receiving social assistance for a reason other than a disability.
- Are subject to a removal order, or detained in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison.
- Were convicted of (or attempted or threatened) certain offences, particularly violent or sexual offences, including against a relative.
- Cannot show you are able to provide for the basic needs of the people involved.
Being charged with certain serious offences can also pause your ability to sponsor while the matter is before the courts. The exact list and how each item is assessed comes from IRPR; this is a readable summary, not the legal text.
Many of these bars are temporary. Once a default is cleared, a bankruptcy is discharged, or a removal order no longer applies, you may become eligible again. The assessment is fact-specific, and an officer decides.
What is the five-year bar for people who were sponsored?
If you became a permanent resident through a spousal, common-law or conjugal partner sponsorship, you generally cannot sponsor a new spouse or partner until five years have passed since you became a permanent resident. This is often called the five-year sponsorship bar. The rule took effect on March 2, 2012.
The clock runs from the day your own permanent residence took effect, not from the day a previous relationship ended, and it still applies even if you have since become a Canadian citizen.
The five-year bar is separate from the rule that bars you from sponsoring a new spouse or partner while your undertaking for an earlier one is still running.
Do you need a minimum income to sponsor a spouse?
In most cases there is no minimum income requirement to sponsor a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner. You do not need to meet a minimum necessary income (MNI) threshold or send a Financial Evaluation (IMM 1283), except in one case: the person you are sponsoring has a dependent child who has a dependent child of their own. If you live in Quebec, Quebec applies its own income rules.
You still sign the undertaking promising to provide for basic needs, but in most cases there is no income table to pass.
This is different from the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), where the sponsor must meet the minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the 3 tax years before applying and prove it with tax documents.
Receiving social assistance is a separate issue from income level. Receiving social assistance for a reason other than disability can make you ineligible to sponsor, even when no minimum income requirement applies.
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What do people ask?
Who is allowed to sponsor a spouse for Canadian permanent residence?
A person aged 18 or older who is a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada under the Indian Act, or a permanent resident living in Canada. A permanent resident who lives abroad cannot sponsor. A citizen abroad can sponsor only by showing plans to live in Canada when the spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident. The Spousal Sponsorship guide explains the full application.
Is there a minimum income to sponsor a spouse or partner?
In most cases, no. Spousal, common-law and conjugal partner sponsorship usually has no minimum necessary income, unlike the Parents and Grandparents Program. You still sign an undertaking to provide for basic needs. The income test applies when the sponsored person has a dependent child who has a dependent child of their own, and Quebec applies its own income rules. The Family Sponsorship Income guide compares the income rules.
Can a Canadian citizen sponsor a spouse while living outside Canada?
Yes, if the citizen shows they plan to live in Canada when the spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident. Only citizens have this option: a permanent resident must be living in Canada to sponsor. The Inland vs Outland Sponsorship guide explains which stream fits a sponsor abroad.
What situations can disqualify me from sponsoring?
Bars include a default on a past sponsorship undertaking or a court-ordered support payment, undischarged bankruptcy, social assistance for a reason other than disability, certain convictions (especially violent or sexual offences), a removal order, and detention in a penitentiary, jail or prison. Many of these are temporary and can clear over time. An officer assesses each case. The IRPR explorer shows the regulations behind each bar.
What is the five-year sponsorship bar?
If you became a permanent resident by being sponsored as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, you generally cannot sponsor a new spouse or partner until five years after your own permanent residence took effect. The clock starts at your PR date, not the end of the old relationship, and still applies if you became a citizen. The rule took effect on March 2, 2012. The Spousal Sponsorship guide covers the rest.
Does receiving social assistance stop me from sponsoring?
It can. Receiving social assistance for a reason other than disability generally bars you from sponsoring a spouse. This is separate from income: spousal sponsorship usually has no minimum income, and relying on social assistance (other than for disability) is a specific bar of its own. An officer makes the final decision. The Family Sponsorship Income guide explains how the income and assistance rules differ.
How long am I financially responsible for the person I sponsor?
For a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, 3 years from the day they become a permanent resident. The undertaking is a binding promise to support them, and it stays in force even if the relationship ends or your situation changes. If they receive social assistance during that time, you may have to repay it. The Spousal Sponsorship guide explains the undertaking in detail.
Can a permanent resident sponsor a spouse?
Yes, if the permanent resident lives in Canada. A permanent resident who lives outside Canada cannot sponsor a spouse or partner. Citizens have more room, since they can sponsor from abroad by showing plans to return. The Can I Sponsor My Spouse on a Work Permit guide explains why temporary residents cannot sponsor at all.
Part of:Sponsoring family
- Does Marriage Give Canadian Citizenship?
- Common-Law Sponsorship Canada: Sponsor Without Being Married
- Inland vs Outland Spousal Sponsorship: Which Is Better?
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.