The Canadian government has been accepting the wife, the husband or spouse of their citizens or permanent residents. The government of Canada is passionate about proper family upbringing and promoting family love, unity, and cooperation. A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can now bring in their common-law legal partner or spouse to the country if they both meet the criteria and requirements for a spousal visa. In this article, we will delve more into the topic, including all the eligibility criteria and requirements, and other important information needed to successfully apply for your spouse visa.
Eligibility Criteria and Requirements of a Spousal visa in Canada
To be eligible for a spousal visa in Canada for your partner who is living outside the country, some eligibility criteria and requirements must be fulfilled by both the sponsor (i.e permanent resident or Canada citizens) and the sponsored person. These requirements are:
Sponsor Eligibility Criteria
General requirements
- Permanent resident/Canadian citizen: You must be a holder of a citizenship, or a permanent resident card.
- Age: You must be at least 18 years of age to qualify for this program.
- Financial capability: You must be financially capable to take care of our needs and family members.
- Place of Residency: The sponsor must live in Canada or show intention that you will live in the country when your spouse or wife/husbands get his/her permanent resident status.
Beneficiary Eligibility criteria (Spouse)
General requirements
- Proof of relationship: You must be able to prove your relationship with the Canada citizen or permanent resident if he is your spouse or wife via certificates like marriage certificates, proof of Cohabitation with photographs taken together or any documents showing that your relationship is real and genuine.
- Documents for Identity: You will need some documents to prove your identity. These documents include: valid ID passports, birth certificate, or other government IDs, etc.
- Police clearance report/certificate: You will need to obtain a clearance report or certificate from the police department of your home country or any country you have lived in for the past 6 months.
- Medical certificate: You will need to undergo a medical exam to get a medical certificate for proof of good health.
- Biometric information: You will need to provide your biometric information like your passport, fingerprints, etc.
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Who Cannot Sponsor A Partner?
The following are the criteria of an individual who cannot sponsor his/her spouse into Canada:
- You have not paid for child support even after being ordered by the court of Canada.
- You have been convicted of serious crimes like murder, sexual offence, bodily harm against a family member, etc.
- You are still in prison.
- You have failed to pay back your immigration loan or pay up before the deadline.
- You have failed severally to meet the terms of a past sponsorship agreement.
- You have been declared bankrupt and still in loan during the time of application.
How to apply for a Spousal Visa in Canada
The application process for a spousal visa can be long and complex, every applicant must have access to the right information and understanding of the whole process. Below are the step-by-step guides to apply for a spousal visa in Canada:
1. Before you apply for a spouse visa, ensure that you meet all the requirements. Check all the criteria and be sure you are eligible to qualify.
2. You will need to get your documents ready i.e the requested documents by the IRCC website. Examples of these documents are: proof of relationship documents (marriage certificate), ID passport, birth certificate, permanent resident/ Citizenship card etc.
3. When you have the required documents, you can proceed with your application either via the paper or online. When you are using the online application, you will have to create an account on the IRCC website i.e the Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada.
4. After the successful creation of your account, you will need to download the application form, fill out the form and ensure you leave no pages unturned.
5. You will proceed to submit your application when you have ensure these three things:
- Uploading all the required documents
- Complete application form
- Pay the application fee and biometric fee.
6. The processing time for your spouse visa can be checked on the IRCC website via these steps:
- Visit the IRCC website via this link.
- Select the application type and your location (i.e your place of application) on the page
- Select the desired place you want to live in Canada i.e In Quebec or Outside Quebec.
- Apply the above and click on “Get the processing time” to know the exact period required for the total application process.
- You must also note that the standard processing times for a spousal application is 12 months and it may change anytime due government interference or any other factors.
7. In some situations, you may have to attend an interview to confirm the validity of your application.
8. If your application is successful, you will receive a confirmation message that your visa is ready for collection as a permanent resident of the country. How to Get a Canada Open Work Permit
Top tips for a Successful Spousal visa Application in Canada
To achieve success when applying for a spousal visa application in Canada, you can apply the following tips to increase your chances of success. These tips include:
- Hire a Immigration Lawyer: The knowledge and vast experience of an immigration lawyer cannot be overemphasized. He/she will provide exclusive hints and methods that would ensure success in your application process. They can also represent you and resolve all immigration issues and complaints. Hiring an immigration lawyer will be a lot of advantage and increase your chances of success.
- Do it online: It is highly recommended that you apply for your spouse visa online via the IRCC website. You don’t have to be scared of anything because the online application is fair and trusted by so many people around the world due to the incredible performance of the method over the years.
- Follow-up your application: It is recommended that you track the progress path of your application by regular visitation of your portal on the IRCC website, checking your emails and messages. But if you apply via the paper application, you have to put a tracker on the courier service to regularly check the progress rate.
- Double-check your information: Before you submit your documents finally, review your application twice and ensure that the information submitted are correct and valid.
- Sign-in all the required documents: Ensure that you sign-in all your documents, the correct signatures are signed and check again before submission.
- Pay the required fees: Some fees are necessary and must be paid to process your application. Examples are the application processing fee, sponsorship fee, and also the biometric fee.
- Plan your move: You must ensure that you plan your move immediately after you have received your visa.
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Benefits of a Spousal Visa in Canada
The benefits of a spousal visa in Canada include:
- Family reunion: The main goal put forwar by the Canadian government when the spousal visa is approved, is to reunite family members together who have been away from each other for a long time. A spousal visa will bring both partners together and forever in the same country.
- Road to Permanent residency and Citizenship: A spousal visa can lead to permanent residency then to citizenship. The first step is to achieve a spousal visa then you can apply for programs like express entry, provincial nominee programs for permanent residency and applying for citizenship afterwards.
- Quality Healthcare services: Canada has one of the most sophisticated healthcare systems that provides modern quality healthcare services with modern healthcare technology and skills. When you live in Canada, you will benefit from these services.
- Economic opportunities: Canada offers a strong economic growth which has been maintaining a good trend from the past few years. These economic opportunities include job opportunities across all various sectors of the economy, modern infrastructures, etc. This will give you and your spouse the chance to pursue their career goal and professional developments.
- Build a Life together: A spousal visa will unite you and your spouse together to build a life together i.e starting a family together, growing a family business or firms, and pursuing their professional goals.
- Travel opportunities: Canada permanent residents have the chance to enter every nook and cranny of the country with no limit to access to facilities and infrastructures.
- Cultural Diversity: Canada is blessed with a lot of different cultures, norms, and ethics. You will gain a lot of knowledge and insight from different cultures around the world.
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Conclusion
The Canadian government has made it possible for anyone whose family members, spouse, wife/husband are living outside the country to bring them into Canada. This type of movement by the government is to encourage family cooperation, improve and increase family love, union and ensure growth among family members. To achieve this success, both sponsors i.e the Canada permanent resident, citizen, and the sponsored person must meet the requirements and eligibility criteria of the visa. The process of application has been explained above, which has been proven to be the best and it is the best move if you can hire an immigration lawyer, it will increase your chances of success.