Inland and Overseas Sponsorship

If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada with your spouse or common-law partner who is currently a temporary resident, you may be eligible for inland sponsorship. Through this process, you will sponsor your spouse for permanent residence

Do you want to know your partner's eligibility for Inland Sponsorship?

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Or Call Us: 1-(888)-509-1987

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Or Call Us: 1-(888)-509-1987

Do you want to know your partner's eligibility for Inland Sponsorship?

Call us toll-free or take less than a minute to fill our Online Assessment for Your Visa Options.

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.

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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;
he 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 can 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.

Inland and Overseas Sponsorship FAQs

Yes. A couple may be eligible under Inland and Outland sponsorship if they reside together in Canada.

If the couple is physically present in Canada at the time the application is submitted, but the spouse or partner plans to travel abroad during the processing of the application, an Outland sponsorship application may be a more suitable option. Keep in mind that, Outland sponsorship will not allow your spouse or partner to benefit from an open work permit to work in Canada. If you determine that you are eligible for both sponsorship application categories, it is important you carefully consider and understand the many advantages and disadvantages of each of these two options.

Open work permit processing times are approximately 4 to 5 months.

The province of Quebec has its own immigration rules. And as a Quebec resident, you will have to meet additional eligibility requirements that are specific to that province in order to sponsor your loved one.

Here are the steps of the sponsorship process for those living in the province of Quebec:

You will first have to meet the federal requirements to apply for a sponsorship first send your application to IRCC.
If you meet IRCC's eligibility requirements for sponsorship, you will receive an email or letter with instructions on how to download a Quebec sponsorship undertaking kit.
The next step will be to submit the Quebec Undertaking Kit with which you will need to include the letter or email you received from IRCC.
The Government of Quebec will then review your sponsorship application and let you know if you are eligible for sponsorship.
If Quebec accepts you as a sponsor, you will receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ or Québec Selection Certificate).
Once Quebec delivers your CSQ, IRCC will be able to make a final decision on your application.

As part of the sponsorship process, you will be required to sign an "undertaking", which is a promise to provide financial support for the basic needs (such as food, clothing, shelter and health care not covered by the Canadian health care system) of your spouse or partner and their dependent children.

This undertaking, or promise of support, is mandatory and cannot be canceled, which means that it is your responsibility to support your spouse or partner for the duration of the undertaking, even if your situation changes.

The duration of the undertaking, in all Canadian provinces except Quebec, is 3 years from the day your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner becomes a permanent resident. The length of the undertaking for Quebec residents differs from the length of the undertaking for the rest of Canada.

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Inland and Overseas Sponsorship

Who can apply under Inland sponsorship?

How does Inland sponsorship work?

What are the steps to apply for Inland sponsorship?

Inland and Overseas Sponsorship FAQs

I live in Canada with my partner, am I eligible for both Inland and Outland sponsorship?

I am a Quebec resident, will the Inland sponsorship process be different for me?

Does the sponsor have any obligations under Inland sponsorship?

Why Start with My Visa Source with a Free Online Assessment?

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Planning on entering the United States or Canada this year or in 2026? Avoid potential issues by consulting with a licensed immigration professional. Book a consulation today! Learn More

Inland and Overseas Sponsorship

Who can apply under Inland sponsorship?

How does Inland sponsorship work?

What are the steps to apply for Inland sponsorship?

Inland and Overseas Sponsorship FAQs

I live in Canada with my partner, am I eligible for both Inland and Outland sponsorship?

I am a Quebec resident, will the Inland sponsorship process be different for me?

Does the sponsor have any obligations under Inland sponsorship?

Why Start with My Visa Source with a Free Online Assessment?

Begin Your Application for Temporary Residence Today!

See What Our Clients Are Experiencing

Overall Planned Canadian Permanent Resident Admissions

Your Source For Everything Immigration

Media

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE

Planning on entering the United States or Canada this year or in 2026? Avoid potential issues by consulting with a licensed immigration professional. Book a consulation today!