Bringing your spouse to the country is a dream for everyone, what if we told you there is an easier way to have your partner by your side.
While sponsoring your spouse you need to meet these requirements:
- Over the age of 18
- Canadian Citizen
- Permanent Resident
- Financially stable
You can’t sponsor your spouse from outside the country, however, if you are a citizen of the country, you can sponsor your spouse.
Let’s say that you are living in Quebec, the eligibility criteria have to be met at their province level. The Quebec website has all the information you will need when sponsoring your partner.
The income requirement has to be met; you can’t expect to receive assistance for anything unless of a disability. But, in the event of you being pregnant, sick or you need parental assistance than you may still be eligible for sponsoring. Other benefits like employment insurance and federal training allowances don’t qualify for eligibility.
In some cases, the minimum income cut for sponsoring your spouses, common-law-sponsors, and children is not required. Sometimes in some circumstances where meeting the low-income cut is necessary, is managed by the government manually. This usually only implies when you’re sponsoring a partner who has a family dependent (child or grandchild).
Ineligibility in sponsoring your partner
Some situations could make you ineligible for sponsorship. Besides the violent crime offenses, you could be proven not eligible for non-criminal reasons. For instance, you missed the chance to pay your immigration loan, or are going through a financial knot, and don’t have any financial support, or you sponsored your ex-spouse within three years of the application.
One more thing, in the event of you being sponsored by a spouse and are now a permanent resident of Canada, you can’t sponsor your current spouse before 5 years of your arrival in the country.
Once you are sure you are eligible the next step is to know if your partner is admissible to the country.
Eligibility for your spouse
Your spouse should be older than 18, they should qualify for the background, security, and medical check.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, the department that processes applications will enquire whether or not your spouse is allowed via the medical and background security checks. An individual with criminal records is usually deemed from entering the country, but there are options for overcoming criminal inadmissibility.
Your immigration officer will be keeping a tab on you and your partner and your relationship. This is just to avoid admitting couples who are only together for the sake of getting a permanent residency.
Outland vs Inland Sponsorship
If your partner is living outside the country at the time of processing, you will be counted as outland applicants. Even though it is a possibility that you and your partner are living in Nigeria at the time of the process is taken place you need to show proof that you and your partner will move to the country once the process is complete.
But if you are living in the country itself at the time of processing you will be considered as an inland applicant. Your partner might qualify for open work permit if you are applying from the country itself.
What documents do you need from Nigeria?
IRCC keeps changing the guidelines or regulations occasionally. Documents that are required for the foreign nationals might depend on the residency status, the place you are applying from, and also maybe your travel history. The government gives a guide for the application that is specified with the latest information.
In addition to the application guide, IRCC also gives a checklist for your documents, which guides you through the forms and rules you need for your application. The checklist keeps changing, so you need to make sure you double-check before you send in the application,
This is what the checklist should sound like:
There are two additional forms that Nigerian residents have to fill out travel history, and military service.
The candidate and the family members are above the age of 18 years and have to fill in the IMM 5562 form with details about their travel in the past 10 years.
The military service- IMM 5546 is for those who are in the service or have served for the country. When you fill out the form a copy of your ID and booklet is required.
IRCC has a separate set of rules for people with a Nigerian birth certificate. Suppose your partner’s or children’s birth certificate wasn’t made at the time of birth then you will be required to send in an extra judgment.
- Document that has the name of the parents (official)
- Documents from school that show the name of your parents
- Reason to why the documents are not provided
- A copy of the registry for your house
The aftermath of submission
The processing will commence once the IRCC receives your complete application. However, if the officer finds that your application is updated, it will be returned to you for re-uploading.
IRCC processes your application over 12 months, but sometimes it takes longer than usual.
At the time of processing, IRCC may request biometrics and a clinical test from your spouse. You will be given a span of 30 days to send them in. IRCC may likewise request more data or an in-person interview if required.
Till the time IRCC makes a decision on your application you can track and update your application. IRCC will hand out the instructions for the finals steps that have to be taken by your spouse for PR.
The final step is to complete and hand in the application for the landing process, once this is done you are officially a part of Canada.
