If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Surrey, you can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner for PR. Brightlight Immigration prepares these files every week, including couples with past refusals, short relationships, or complicated histories. A licensed RCIC reviews your evidence before IRCC sees it.
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Quick Facts
| Topic | What applies |
|---|---|
| Who can sponsor | Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada |
| Who can be sponsored | A spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner |
| Routes | Inland, with your partner in Canada, or outland, with your partner abroad |
| Work during processing | Partners in Canada may qualify for an open work permit |
| Income test | None in most cases |
| Government fees | $1,260, including the right of permanent residence fee |
| Processing time | Often more than a year; check IRCC's tool |
| Forms | IMM 1344, IMM 0008, and the relationship questionnaire |
| Undertaking | Three years of support after your partner lands |
| Job offer or education needed | No |
What Spousal Sponsorship Is
Spousal sponsorship sits inside the family class run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It lets a Canadian citizen or permanent resident sponsor a spouse, common-law partner, or, in limited cases, a conjugal partner for permanent residence. It is one of several family sponsorship options, and unlike economic programs, it rests on your relationship rather than your work history or education.
The file has two linked parts sent together. You apply to be approved as a sponsor, and your partner applies for permanent residence. IRCC reviews both as one package. There is no points system and no job offer. The sponsor must meet residence and eligibility rules, and the partner must pass medical, criminal, and security checks. The main question is whether the relationship is genuine, and that is where careful preparation shows. Our national spousal sponsorship guide covers each rule in more depth.
Who You Can Sponsor
IRCC recognizes three types of relationship. Each has its own proof.
A person you are legally married to. The marriage must be valid where it took place and under Canadian law. Both partners must be at least 18. Many Surrey couples married abroad, and a marriage registered in India, Pakistan, the Philippines, or elsewhere is accepted when it was legal there. Bring the marriage certificate and, where your country issues one, the registration record.
A partner you have lived with in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months in a row. You do not need to be married. Short absences, such as a work trip or a family visit, are allowed. A longer break in living together can restart the 12 months. Joint leases, shared bills, and the same address on your ID help prove it.
A partner you have been committed to for at least one year but cannot live with or marry because of barriers outside your control, such as immigration restrictions or laws in your partner’s country. IRCC applies strict tests here. Most couples should apply as spouses or common-law partners first.
Same-sex partners are not a separate category. They apply as spouses, common-law partners, or conjugal partners, depending on the relationship. Canada has recognized same-sex marriage since 2005, so married same-sex couples apply on the same terms as any spouse.
Inland or Outland
The route depends on where your partner lives when you apply. Both lead to permanent residence, but the rules during processing differ.
| Inland | Outland |
|---|---|
| Partner already lives with you in Surrey with valid temporary status | Partner lives outside Canada, or is in Canada but chooses the outland route |
| Partner may apply for an open work permit once IRCC confirms receipt | Partner can travel during processing |
| Partner should stay in Canada during processing | A visa office reviews the file |
| No appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division after a refusal | Right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division after a refusal |
If your partner has a past refusal or a complicated history, the choice can change how the file is reviewed. Partners in Canada should read about the spousal open work permit before you decide. Inland partners who leave Canada during processing can create problems for the file, so plan any travel with us first. Outland files may also include an interview at the visa office. We go through this choice with every couple before a form is filled in.
Eligibility
IRCC assesses both of you. A problem on either side can lead to a refusal, so we check both before preparing anything.
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, and living in Canada. A citizen living abroad must show a plan to return when the partner becomes a permanent resident. Permanent residents must live in Canada to sponsor. You cannot sponsor if you receive social assistance for reasons other than disability, have defaulted on an earlier sponsorship, are in an undischarged bankruptcy, or have been convicted of certain offences against a family member.
If you were sponsored as a spouse or partner yourself, you cannot sponsor a new spouse or partner until five years after you became a permanent resident. The bar still applies after you become a citizen. It catches many people off guard, so we check it first. You also cannot sponsor while an undertaking for an earlier spouse is still running, or while an earlier spousal application is still being processed.
You sign a legal promise to support your partner’s basic needs for three years from the day they become a permanent resident. It does not end if the relationship ends, if you separate, or if either of you moves. Your partner also signs an agreement to make an effort to support themselves. If your partner receives social assistance in that time, the province can seek repayment from you.
Your partner must not be inadmissible for criminal, security, or certain health reasons, and the relationship must be genuine, not entered into mainly to gain status in Canada. Your partner also needs police certificates and a medical exam from an IRCC panel physician. Earlier refusals or overstays must be disclosed, even if they seem minor.
Weak or badly dated evidence is the most common reason spousal files are questioned. A licensed RCIC checks yours before IRCC sees it.
Refusals
Spousal files get closer review than most applications, because officers are trained to spot relationships formed for immigration. These are the refusal reasons we see most and what we check before anything goes to IRCC.
This is the most common reason. Officers weigh photos, messages, travel history, shared finances, and statements from people who know you. Thin evidence, dates that do not match, or a disorganized package can lead to a refusal even when the relationship is real. We check that every date on the forms matches your photos, tickets, and messages, since officers compare them line by line.
Arranged marriages are common in many Surrey families, and they are valid. Officers assess them with cultural context, but the file needs to show how the match was arranged, who was involved, and how the relationship continued after the wedding. Statements from the parents or elders who arranged the match, and photos of family events before and after the wedding, help the officer see the full picture.
If IRCC decides the relationship was entered into mainly for status, the file is refused. The best protection is a relationship record built over time, not gathered the week before filing. A large age gap, a short courtship, or no shared language is not a bar, but each needs a clear explanation.
Leaving out a past marriage, an earlier refusal, or a criminal record. A misrepresentation finding can bar your partner from applying for five years. Full disclosure is always the right choice. If you are unsure whether something counts, disclose it and explain it.
The five-year bar, social assistance, an earlier default, or an undisclosed record can each end a file before the relationship is assessed. We confirm these before preparing a single form.
Your options depend on the route. An outland refusal can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division within 30 days. An inland refusal usually calls for a stronger new application, and a Federal Court challenge needs a lawyer and has strict deadlines. Since May 2026, most permanent residence refusals include the officer's notes, so we start there.
The Process
The file has two linked applications sent together: your sponsorship and your partner’s permanent residence application. Our step-by-step guide to the spousal sponsorship process explains each stage in more detail.
We confirm your sponsor status, the five-year bar, your partner's admissibility, and the right relationship category before any form is filled in. A problem found here saves months. We also check whether any child of your partner should be included.
We look at where your partner lives, travel plans, and work needs, then recommend a route and explain what it means. Partners already in Surrey on a permit often choose inland to keep working, while partners abroad often choose outland.
This step matters most. We help you organize photos over time, messages, travel records, shared finances, statements from family and friends, and a clear timeline. Photos should span the relationship, with dates and places, and messages should cover the whole period, not a few weeks.
The sponsorship form (IMM 1344), the permanent residence form (IMM 0008), and the relationship questionnaire go in together online. A missing page can send the whole file back. Fees are paid online, and the receipt goes into the package.
IRCC confirms the file is complete. A partner living in Canada may then apply for an open work permit. The date on the acknowledgment is also when IRCC's processing clock starts.
IRCC runs background checks, reviews the evidence, and may ask for more documents or an interview. Respond to any request by the deadline in the letter, since a missed deadline can lead to refusal. If approved, your partner receives a Confirmation of Permanent Residence and lands.
Every step is handled by our licensed RCIC team at our Surrey office.
Documents
Incomplete files are returned unprocessed. This list covers the usual documents, and we give you a checklist built for your situation before you file. Send clear colour scans, not originals, unless IRCC asks for them, and name each file so the officer can find it.
Documents not in English or French need a certified translation.
Real Client Stories
These are real spousal files prepared by our Surrey team and reviewed by Loveneet Paneswar, RCIC. Slide through to find the situation closest to yours.
Your situation may be different. Our immigration consultant in Surrey will tell you honestly what your options are.
Why Brightlight
Spousal sponsorship is one of the most closely reviewed applications IRCC handles. The difference often comes down to preparation and to who handles the file.
| What matters | Brightlight | Unregulated agent | DIY |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCIC licensed and CICC regulated | ✓ | ✕ | — |
| Refusal case experience | ✓ | Unverifiable | Risk |
| Relationship evidence review | ✓ | Variable | Risk |
| Responsive communication | ✓ | Variable | — |
| Legal accountability | ✓ | ✕ | — |
Meet Your Immigration Consultants
When you bring a spousal file to our Surrey office, the founders review it themselves, not a junior assistant.
Founder & RCIC Consultant
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with 14+ years of experience across family sponsorship, permanent residence, work permits, and refusals. Every spousal file passes her review before it goes to IRCC.
Co-Founder · Chief Client Officer
Sumir is your first point of contact, guiding intake, updates, and document collection from relatives abroad. Many clients return to him at every stage. Book a consultation to start today.
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FAQ
Straight answers from our licensed RCIC to the spousal sponsorship questions Surrey couples ask most.
No. Marriage does not grant permanent residence. Your spouse must sponsor you, and IRCC assesses the relationship, the sponsor’s eligibility, and your admissibility before approving anything. Marriage only makes you eligible to apply.
Inland is for partners already living in Canada with valid status, who should stay here during processing. Outland is for partners abroad, or in Canada who choose the visa office route, and they can travel. Only outland refusals can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division.
A partner living in Canada may qualify for an open work permit once IRCC confirms receipt of the sponsorship. It lets them work for almost any employer without a job offer while the permanent residence file is processed. Apply once the acknowledgment arrives, not before.
No, in most cases. You still sign an undertaking to support your partner’s basic needs for three years after they land. An income test applies only in rare cases, such as when your partner’s dependent child has children of their own.
No. Arranged marriages are valid, and officers assess them with cultural context. Show how the match was arranged, who was involved, and how your relationship continued after the wedding, with messages, visits, and family statements. We help you organize this evidence.
It depends on the route. An outland refusal can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division within 30 days of the decision. An inland refusal usually calls for a stronger new application. We read the refusal and officer’s notes before advising.
Only after five years. If you became a permanent resident through spousal sponsorship, you cannot sponsor a new spouse or partner until five years after that date, even if you are now a citizen. We check this before anything else.
Government fees total $1,260, or $660 now and $600 later if you defer the right of permanent residence fee. Biometrics add $85, and the medical exam and police certificates are paid to the provider. Our professional fee is listed separately.
It depends on the route and the visa office, and recent estimates run well over a year. Check IRCC’s processing times tool for current figures. Inland and outland times often differ. We track your file and keep you updated throughout.
Have a question not answered here? Speak to a licensed RCIC · (604) 503-3734
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