[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ccording to the data, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec welcomed 64,200 immigrants under the spouse and partner immigration and sponsorship programs which is more than 80% of the total immigrants that came to Canada in 2021. The figures by Open Government show that, among these three, Ontario served as the preferred choice among immigrants which welcomed 45% of the entire immigrant population in 2021, close to 29,000 spouses and partner immigrants.
The second in line was British Columbia which welcomed 12,000 immigrants or 18.5% and the last was Quebec which was just short of a thousand immigrants from British Columbia sharing 17.3% of the total number. In 2022, Canada has planned to welcome 80,000 immigrants under its latest Immigration Leveeles plans through the permanent residence streams for partners, spouses, and children.
Immigration Levels Plans for Spouses, Partners, and Children in Canada
At first glance, Canada’s latest immigration plan for spouses, partners, and children (S&P) doesn’t seem so ambitious. Compared to previous plans, it has a lower number of spaces—15,000 for 2019 versus 22,000 for 2018—and covers just two years instead of three.
But on closer inspection, it actually represents quite an impressive step forward. For one thing, although most of those 15,000 spaces are reserved for people who are currently living outside Canada or who will be joining their family members abroad as part of a global visa application pool process known as Express Entry, there are also 1,750 visas allocated specifically to S&P applications submitted by individuals who are already inside Canada but whose relationship is less than two years old at the time of application filing.
According to the predictions of the Immigration Levels Plans for Spouses Partners and Children, Canada will be welcoming 80,000 immigrants in 2022, 81,000 in 2023, and 81,000 in 2024.
The main immigration stream that saw a significant rise in pose COVID-19 pandemic was the spousal reunification plan. Close one to follow was Federal High Skilled workers.
Family Sponsorship Applicants Can Check Application Status
If you’re a permanent resident or citizen of Canada looking to bring your spouse, partner or dependent children to live with you here in Canada, there are some good reasons to apply through what’s known as family sponsorship. One of these is that family sponsorship applications can be processed more quickly than other immigration categories with the help of Toronto Immigration Lawyer. Unlike some other application processes, which take an average of one year just to get a decision on an application, family sponsorship cases can be processed more quickly—depending on your circumstances.
The country has also launched a new application tracker that helps you track your application and check your status for immigration. The tracker is now available to use for permanent residence applicants in the program.
“This new tool will allow people to easily check their application status online, and is available for spousal, partners or dependent children categories,” tweeted Fraser at the time. “We’re also working to provide a similar tracker for other programs.”
Who is Eligible to Sponsor Their Spouses, Common-law or Conjugal Partner
As a sponsor, you must be:
- 18 years of age or older
- Be a permanent resident, or citizen of the country. You can also be a person registered in Canada as an Indian as per the Canadian India Act.
- If you are living outside the country, you must show proof that you plan to live in the country before the sponsored person become a permanent resident
- If you are a permanent resident living outside Canada, you are ineligible to be a sponsor
- You should be able to provide for the basic living expenses and needs of the sponsored person
Who Can Be Sponsored?
Other than being able to pass medical, background and security check, you should be able to fulfill below requirements:
Spouse
A spouse can be of either sex and must be:
- Legally married to the sponsor.
- At least 18 years old.
- Common-Law Partner
A common-law partner can be either sex and must:
- Be not legally married to the sponsor.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have been living with the sponsor for at least 12 consecutive months in a conjugal relationship without any long periods apart.
- Proof of a common-law relationship includes:
- Shared ownership of residential property.
- Joint leases or rental agreements.
- Bills for shared utility accounts.
- Important documents showing the same address, such as driver’s licenses or insurance policies.
- Identification documents.
Conjugal Partner
A conjugal partner can be either sex and must:
- Be not legally married or in a common-law relationship with the sponsor.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have been in a relationship with the sponsor for at least 1 year.
- Live outside Canada.
- Be not able to live with the sponsor in their country of residence or marry the sponsor because of significant legal and immigration reasons, such as marital status, sexual orientation or persecution.
