Immigrate to Canada as a Couple
Immigrate to Canada as a Couple in 2024 - Canada PR Process
Option 1: Spousal Sponsorship
If you’re a couple and one of you is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada, the Canada Spousal Sponsorship Program provides an effective pathway for relocation. Through this option, your partner can sponsor you to become a permanent resident, provided they meet specific eligibility criteria.
For a successful sponsorship, the sponsor must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a Canadian permanent resident residing in Canada or a Canadian citizen
- Not be incarcerated, bankrupt, under a removal order (for permanent residents), or facing serious charges
- Not have sponsored a spouse to Canada within the last 5 years
To qualify for Spousal Sponsorship in Canada, you must establish that your relationship falls into one of three categories:
Spouse:
- Legally married, with a Certificate of Marriage if married in Canada. If married outside Canada, the marriage must be valid in that country and meet Canadian federal law requirements.
Common Law Partner:
- Lived together continuously for at least one year.
Conjugal Partner:
- If circumstances prevent common-law partnership or marriage, such as legal barriers or immigration restrictions, you may qualify as conjugal partners.
Additionally, you must have been in a mutually dependent relationship for at least one year, demonstrating commitment similar to marriage or common-law partnership through emotional ties, intimacy, financial closeness, and efforts to spend time together.
Option 2: Express Entry
The federal government’s streamlined system for managing three key economic immigration programs—the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
For couples seeking a Canada PR visa through Express Entry, two avenues exist:
Dependent Inclusion:
- The main applicant can designate their spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner as a dependent.
- Alternatively, the spouse or partner can be named as a secondary applicant.
- Note: Dependents are allowed only in FSWP and FSTP applications; CEC excludes dependents.
- When including a spouse or partner as a dependent, the primary applicant must demonstrate sufficient settlement funds, showcasing the ability to support both parties financially in Canada.
- The spouse or partner's profile, when listed as a dependent, does not impact the overall Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score—a pivotal factor in Express Entry draws.
Secondary Applicant Route:
- If the spouse qualifies for Express Entry, they can apply as a secondary applicant.
- Both partners create individual Express Entry profiles, mutually including each other.
- This approach allows an additional 40 CRS points for the partner's profile, influencing the overall CRS score.
- Choosing the stronger candidate as the main applicant is crucial, considering factors like language proficiency and education. If one partner has lower scores, listing them as a dependent might be more strategic.
Option 3: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Option 4: Open Work Permit for Spouses
Spouses and partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents have the opportunity to secure an Open Work Permit while their sponsorship application for permanent residence is in progress. This permit empowers them to work for any employer in Canada, ensuring financial support for themselves and their family during the immigration journey.
To qualify for an Open Work Permit, the foreign national must:
- Be the principal applicant with a submitted permanent residence application under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class, or be a spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner under the family class with an application accepted for processing by IRCC after a completeness check, and not refused or withdrawn.
- Submit a work permit application with a requested duration of up to two years.
- Be the subject of a sponsorship application from their Canadian citizen or permanent resident spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner.
- Share the same residential address as their sponsor in Canada at the time of the application.
- Possess valid temporary resident status in Canada or be eligible for and have applied for the restoration of their status.
Open Work Permit
