Sponsor your foreign spouse or common-law partner for permanent residency in Canada through the Outland Spousal Sponsorship Canada. This guide has you covered with essential information on eligibility, the application process, and benefits.
Many Canadian permanent residents and citizens are married to non-Canadians. Such marriages can be difficult to maintain because each person lives in a different country. Luckily, Canada offers a special immigration route known as Outland Spousal Sponsorship for married couples who want to reunite and settle in the country.
The main purpose of the Outland Spousal Sponsorship program is to provide a pathway for married couples to be together and start a new life in Canada, without the need for the sponsored individual to be physically present in Canada during the application process.
In this guide, we’ll focus on Outland Spousal Sponsorship Canada, who is eligible for it, and how to apply for it in detail.
Canadian citizens and Canada permanent residents can sponsor their non-Canadian spouses who live outside Canada for permanent residence through Outland Spousal Sponsorship.
The Canadian Government set up this immigration route to help couples reunite in Canada and settle down together. This immigration route is especially useful if the spouse in question isn’t eligible to apply for any of the other Canadian immigration programs.
Spouses residing in Canada can also apply for Outland Spousal Sponsorship if they need to temporarily leave Canada for work or other reasons.
The Outland spousal sponsorship method is broken down into two primary stages:
The Canadian sponsor and their spouse must meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for the Outland Spousal Sponsorship program.
Learn how to bring your spouse to Canada by applying for a Spousal Open Work Permit, and start your journey towards permanent residency together.
The Outland Spousal Sponsorship Canada step-by-step process is summarized below.
The Canadian sponsor and their spouse should first determine if they both meet the Outland Spousal Sponsorship’s eligibility requirements. They can then download the application package for this immigration route on the Government of Canada website.
The application package will list the various documents the Canadian sponsor and their spouse must submit with their application. It is vital to start gathering these documents early, as the process could take several weeks to complete.
The Canadian sponsor must fill out the sponsorship application forms and pay the application processing fees. They should then submit the complete forms and supporting documents to the appropriate visa office in Canada.
IRCC will then confirm whether the Canadian citizen or Canadian permanent resident is eligible to be a sponsor for Outland Spousal Sponsorship.
The spouse must fill out their permanent resident application forms and pay the application processing fees. They should then submit the complete forms and supporting documents to the appropriate visa office in Canada.
IRCC will then ask the spouse to complete a medical exam and background checks while their application is processing.
IRCC will then reach a decision once they are done processing the application. If approved, the spouse will receive a permanent residence visa that allows them to come to Canada and be reunited with their partner.
Discover how the Outland Spousal Sponsorship program can help you reunite with your spouse and start a new chapter of your life together in Canada.
The Outland Spousal Sponsorship immigration process typically takes 12 months to complete. This includes the 4 to 5 months it takes to complete the Sponsorship application and receive a decision, and the 6 to 7 months it takes to complete the permanent residence application and receive a decision.
This process is fairly quick, and many people may prefer using this immigration route over the other Federal or Provincial programs.
One of the significant benefits of Outland Spousal Sponsorship is that it helps couples to reunite and live together in Canada. The program allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents to sponsor their non-Canadian spouse or common-law partner to obtain permanent residency in Canada.
The processing time for the Outland Spousal Sponsorship program is generally faster than other sponsorship programs, such as Inland Spousal Sponsorship. The application can be processed within 12 months or less, depending on the case’s complexity.
During the processing of the permanent residency application, the non-Canadian spouse can apply for an open work permit. This allows the spouse to work in Canada while waiting for their permanent residency application to be processed.
Once the non-Canadian spouse obtains permanent residency in Canada, they are eligible for the same health care and social benefits as Canadian citizens.
After obtaining permanent residency, the sponsored spouse can apply for Canadian citizenship after fulfilling the required residency obligations. This allows the spouse to become a Canadian citizen and enjoy all the benefits of citizenship.
We have answered some of the most common questions related to Outland Spousal Sponsorship below:
You are permitted to leave Canada while your application is processed. However, it is vital to note that you won’t be guaranteed re-entry to Canada, even if you hold valid temporary resident status. This is because your entry into Canada will still be subject to the border officer’s decision.
The Outland Spousal Sponsorship route Quebec follows is different from the one described earlier. To use this route, you will need to do the following:
Yes, Outland Spousal Sponsorship applications are typically processed faster than Inland Spousal Sponsorship applications. This is because Outland applications are processed through Canadian visa offices located outside of Canada, which generally have shorter processing times compared to the immigration offices inside Canada that process Inland applications.
However, the Inland and Outland Spousal Sponsorship Canada processing times are approximately the same in 2023.
You can sponsor your non-Canadian spouse if you are a Canadian citizen residing outside Canada. However, you will need to prove that you intend to return to Canada and live with your spouse once they receive permanent residence. If you’re a Canadian permanent resident, you won’t be able to sponsor your spouse while you are outside the country.
Ready to reunite with your spouse or common-law partner in Canada through Outland Spousal Sponsorship? Contact us today for expert guidance.
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