Common Law Sponsorship Canada

Common Law Sponsorship Canada is a key family immigration pathway. It allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor a common-law partner for permanent residence. To qualify as common-law partners, you must show you have lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least one continuous year. The program exists to reunite partners and support family life in Canada.

The process normally involves the Canadian sponsor filing a sponsorship application while the partner applies for permanent residence. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) assesses both parts of the file together. Sponsors must be at least 18 years old and sign an undertaking to provide financial support for the sponsored person for the length of the undertaking (often three years for a partner, subject to current rules).

Common-law sponsorship reflects Canada's emphasis on family reunification. Approved partners can build their lives in Canada and contribute to their communities.

Eligibility criteria

Sponsor eligibility

• Status — The sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and at least 18 years old.
• Proof of relationship — Evidence that you and your partner have cohabited in a conjugal relationship continuously for at least one year. Examples can include shared financial responsibilities, joint leases or mortgages, joint property, joint bills or accounts, mail to the same address, and other proof of a genuine relationship.
• Financial responsibility — Sponsors sign an undertaking to provide essential needs for the sponsored person for the required period. For most federal sponsorships of a spouse or common-law partner (outside Quebec), there is no minimum necessary income test; Quebec has separate financial requirements. Always verify current instructions.
• No default on past sponsorships — The sponsor must not have failed to meet the terms of a previous sponsorship when that mattered to eligibility.
• Social assistance — The sponsor must not be receiving social assistance for reasons other than disability, unless current instructions allow your situation.

Sponsored person eligibility

• Relationship — The applicant must be the sponsor's common-law partner: at least one year of continuous cohabitation in a conjugal relationship, without long unexplained separations.
• Admissibility — The person must be admissible to Canada (for example medical, criminal, and security requirements), unless another legal pathway applies in exceptional cases.
• Intent to reside in Canada — Both partners must intend to live together in Canada after the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident (with nuances for valid temporary travel).
• Prohibitions — The person must not be barred from sponsorship or entry where the law applies (for example certain criminality or security findings).

How to apply

1. Check eligibility — Confirm that both the sponsor and the sponsored person meet IRCC requirements for common-law sponsorship.
2. Gather documents for the sponsor — Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, identity documents, and relationship evidence (leases, accounts, shared finances, affidavits, and other credible proof).
3. Gather documents for the sponsored person — Identity documents, proof of the relationship, birth certificates where needed, police certificates if required, and medical exam instructions when IRCC sends them.
4. Complete the forms — Use the current application kit from the IRCC website or directions from a visa application centre (VAC). Answer accurately and consistently across all forms.
5. Pay fees — Pay processing fees and biometrics (if applicable) according to the fee list in effect when you apply.
6. Submit the application — Send the complete package through your IRCC online account where online filing is available, or follow paper mailing instructions if you apply on paper.
7. Biometrics — If required, the sponsored person (and sometimes the sponsor) must give fingerprints and a photo at an authorized collection point.
8. Processing — IRCC may take many months. You may receive requests for more information or documents — respond by the deadline given.
9. Interview — In some cases IRCC will invite one or both partners to an interview. Review your forms and evidence beforehand so answers match the file.
10. Decision and landing — If approved, IRCC will confirm next steps. The sponsored person may receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) or electronic instructions, then complete landing requirements to become a permanent resident.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Program rules, forms, and fees change — rely on official IRCC (and Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration for Quebec) for your application.