Inland Spousal and Common-Law Partner Sponsorship

Inland sponsorship allows Canadians and permanent residents to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner for permanent resident status if the couple is already living together in Canada.

This page provides a complete overview of Inland sponsorship and its key components to help you determine if this spousal sponsorship category is right for you.

What is Inland sponsorship? 

Inland sponsorship allows Canadians and permanent residents to sponsor their loved one, provided the couple is legally living (cohabiting) together in Canada.

To apply under Inland sponsorship, the foreign spouse or common-law partner must also have valid temporary status in Canada, either as a worker, student, or visitor. During the processing of an Inland sponsorship application the sponsored person will be able to continue to live, work or study in Canada.

In order for the sponsored person to receive a Canadian PR visa through Inland sponsorship, both the Canadian citizen or permanent resident and the foreign national will need to be approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

A key benefit of submitting an Inland sponsorship application is that the spouse or partner may be eligible for an open work permit, which will allow them to work full-time in Canada while their application for permanent residence is being processed.

Having an Open Work Permit (OWP) can help reduce the economic and emotional burden of a potentially lengthy application process, as well as allow your spouse or partner to be professionally active and enter the Canadian labour market.

It is generally expected that Inland sponsorship applicants will remain in Canada while their application is being processed. If the spouse or common-law partner does not plan to stay in Canada or needs to be able to travel outside the country while the application is being processed, Outland sponsorship may be a better option.

Who can apply under Inland sponsorship? 

To be eligible to sponsor a loved one under the Inland application category, you will need to meet these specific conditions:

• your spouse or partner needs to live with you in Canada; and
• your spouse or partner needs to have temporary resident status in Canada.

There are also several basic requirements for immigration to Canada that the sponsor and the sponsored person will also have to meet to be eligible for Inland sponsorship:

• the sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in Canada;
• both the sponsor and sponsored person must be at least 18 years of age;
• the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored person must be one of the following:
  • spouse: you are legally married, and your marriage is valid under the law of the jurisdiction where it was registered and under Canadian law;
  • common-law: you are cohabiting or have cohabited with your partner in a marriage-like relationship for at least 12 consecutive months;
• the sponsored person must not have been sponsored by their spouse in Canada in the five years preceding the submission of their application;
• neither spouse must be in prison, charged with a serious offence or bankrupt.

Conjugal partnerships, i.e. relationships in which two people cannot live together or marry because of religious or marital status barriers, for example, are not eligible for Inland sponsorship.

How does Inland sponsorship work? 

Inland sponsorship is a specific application process used to sponsor a loved one under Canada’s Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class immigration program.

Inland sponsorship applications consist of the following two parts:

• The Canadian citizen or permanent resident will have to apply to become a sponsor;
• The foreign spouse or partner will have to apply for permanent residence.

The application submission process involves several steps, including:

• verifying eligibility for both the sponsor and sponsored person;
• paying required fees online;
• collecting supporting documents;
• completing the required forms and submitting them to the appropriate visa office.

It is generally expected that Inland sponsorship applicants will remain in Canada while their application is being processed. If the spouse or common-law partner does not plan to stay in Canada or needs to be able travel outside the country while the application is being processed, Outland sponsorship may be a better option.

What are the steps to apply for Inland sponsorship?

Applying to sponsor a foreign spouse or partner is a multi-step process. Here is an overview of the different application stages involved:

• Step 1: Obtain the application package found on the government website; it includes a guide, with instructions and forms as well as a checklist that will help you complete the process correctly.
• Step 2: Pay all required application fees online (application fees, right of permanent residence fees, biometric fees).
• Step 3: Complete and sign all required forms.
• Step 4: Send your application to the right visa office and mailing address in Canada by following the instructions provided in the guide you downloaded.
• Step 5: While the application is under review, you may be asked to submit additional supporting documents.

The province of Quebec has its own immigration procedures and additional steps will have to be followed if you reside in that province.

How long does it take to process Inland applications? 

Current processing times for the approval of Inland spousal sponsorship applications are approximately 12 months.

In the past, Inland applications were known to take longer to process than Outland applications, but this is no longer the case today. IRCC is now harmonizing the processing times for Inland and Outland applications.

The current COVID-19 pandemic could have an impact on the processing of spousal applications. IRCC is currently prioritizing applications from:

• Canadians attempting to return to Canada;
• Vulnerable persons;
• Those who provide or support essential services.

Where are Inland applications processed?

Based on the sponsorship option you choose (Inland or Outland), you will need to use a specific mailing address in Canada to submit your spousal sponsorship application. You can refer to the guide that you can download from the IRCC website to find out which address is used to receive Inland sponsorship applications.