No. Except under exceptional circumstances, the Family Class program only allows citizens and permanent residents to sponsor spouses or common-law partners, dependent children, parents, and grandparents. You may sponsor any non-immediate family member (e.g. niece, nephew) if you have legally adopted them and they meet the definition of a dependent child.

If your spouse or common-law partner is living in Canada with a valid work permit, they may continue to work, without interruption, until their visa expires. If they are living in Canada with a valid study or visitor visa, they may be eligible to apply for an open work permit that allows them to work while their application is being processed.

If your spouse or common-law partner is not living in Canada, they are not eligible to apply for a spousal open work permit. However, if they meet the eligibility criteria for a Canadian work permit, they may apply for a regular work permit while their sponsorship application is processed. Be aware that having an ongoing application for permanent residence may affect an application for temporary residence, such as a work permit.

Spousal sponsorship applications are typically processed within 12 months.

No. You can begin sponsorship if the adoption is in the final stages.

Spousal sponsorships do not require the sponsor to meet a low income threshold to be eligible to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner, as long as they do not have any dependents with children of their own.

A marriage of convenience is a marriage or common-law relationship whose sole purpose is to let the sponsored spouse or partner immigrate to Canada. If the visa officer reviewing your file determines that your relationship is a marriage of convenience, your spousal sponsorship application will likely be refused. Marriages of convenience constitute marriage fraud and may result in criminal charges.