IRCC Update on Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship: Processing Times now Less Than 12 Months for Many Applicants

With the summer wedding season about to get underway, the government of Canada has revealed that processing times for the Outland Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship Canadian immigration program have, in many cases, been significantly reduced.

Until the end of 2015, application processing times for this program were listed by visa office. Around the New Year, however, the way in which processing times were listed changed. Instead of being listed by visa office, a single figure (in months) was given. Now, processing times are listed by individual countries where the application is being made.

This modification allows couples in a relationship to make better decisions on which sponsorship program to apply to: Inland or Outland. Moreover, in many cases it may allow sponsored persons to obtain Canadian permanent residence sooner than was previously the case — a factor that will come as a great relief to many Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and their foreign spouses and common-law partners who wish to be reunited in Canada as quickly as possible.

The processing times for certain countries, including the time it takes to make the initial assessment of the sponsor, are now less than one year. These countries include France, Australia, Spain, Tunisia, Belgium, Algeria, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, Brazil, Iran, Israel, Portugal, Poland, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, and Switzerland. For many other countries, the processing time is around one year or slightly longer. A full list can be found at the end of this article.

In March of this year, the new Liberal government of Canada announced in its Immigration Levels Plan that it intends to increase the number of new permanent residents who arrive in Canada through the Family Class category, including spouses and common-law partners. This factor may have the effect of further reducing application processing times.

About Outland Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship

An Outland application is generally pursued when the sponsored partner is living outside of Canada. However, Outland applicants can still be in Canada and apply through the Outland program, and may be permitted to travel in and out of Canada throughout the application process. However, in such an instance it is at the discretion of Canadian immigration authorities as to whether the sponsored person may re-enter Canada during the process; it is also at their discretion as to whether the application may continue to be processed if the sponsored person leaves Canada during the process.

Outland applications are processed through the visa office that serves the applicant’s country of origin, or where they have been lawfully admitted for at least one year.

It should be noted that, though the processing times are now published in a different way (by country), eligibility criteria for the program remains the same. In order to be a sponsor, an individual must:

• be 18 years of age or older;
• be a Canadian citizen, Registered Indian or permanent resident;
• be sponsoring a member of the family Class;
• live in Canada or provide evidence, if a Canadian citizen living outside of Canada, that he or she will live in Canada once the person he or she is sponsoring becomes a permanent resident;
• sign an agreement with his or her spouse or common-law partner confirming that each partner understands their obligations and responsibilities;
• sign an undertaking promising to provide for the spouse or common-law partner’s basic requirements and, if applicable, those of his or her dependent children; and
• prove that he or she has sufficient income to provide basic requirements for the spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children, if applicable.

The person being sponsored (and their family members, if applicable) must:

• complete and sign the appropriate forms;
• undergo a medical examination prior to submitting the application (results are valid for 12 months);
• pass criminal and security verifications;
• obtain a passport and, in some countries, an exit visa; and
• attend an interview at a Canadian visa office, if required.

The other option: Inland Sponsorship

The other potential option for Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship is the Inland route. Inland sponsorship is when the couple is together in Canada and the foreign spouse/common-law partner has temporary status in Canada, either as a worker, student, or visitor. The downside to the Inland route is that applications typically take longer to process.

However, the person being sponsored may be eligible for a much-coveted open work permit while the sponsorship application is being processed. In December, 2014, the government of Canada launched a pilot program through which sponsored persons through the Inland route may be issued open work permits before the ‘approval in principle’ decision has been made on their application. This pilot program was extended in December, 2015, and remains in place today.

At the time of writing, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly CIC), total processing times for Inland Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship is 26 months.

Both options now have advantages

“For individuals who have the option of choosing the Outland or Inland route, both options now present more advantages than previously. On the one hand, reduced Outland processing times means that couples may be reunited with permanent resident status sooner, allowing them to build their lives, careers, and families in Canada with more confidence that their long-term future here is secure. On the other hand, the open work permit pilot program through the Inland route has, by and large, been a great success,” says Attorney David Cohen.

“For most individuals and couples who realistically only have the Outland option, reduced processing times are a huge bonus. As we know from history, however, sponsorship processing times may fluctuate over the long term. Therefore, I would advise Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and their spouses and common-law partners, to prepare an application sooner rather than later. In doing so, they could be reunited in Canada, living and working here, well before the end of 2017 and, in many cases, much sooner than that.”

To find out if you and/or your spouse/common-law partner are eligible for sponsorship, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Outland Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship Processing Times

Country	Processing time (in months)
Afghanistan	36
Albania	9
Algeria	8
Angola	17
Antigua and Barbuda	17
Argentina	17
Armenia	17
Aruba	17
Australia	11
Austria	17
Azerbaijan	17
Bahamas	17
Bahrain	17
Bangladesh	26
Barbados	17
Belarus	17
Belgium	10
Belize	17
Benin	17
Bermuda	17
Bolivia	17
Bosnia and Herzegovina	13
Botswana	17
Brazil	8
Brunei	17
Bulgaria	13
Burkina Faso	17
Burma (Myanmar)	17
Burundi	17
Cambodia	26
Cameroon	14
Canada	16
Cape Verde	17
Cayman Islands	17
Central African Republic	17
Chad	17
Chile	17
China (People`s Republic of)	14
Colombia	15
Comoros Island	17
Congo	17
Costa Rica	16
Côte d’Ivoire	13
Croatia	17
Cuba	14
Cyprus	17
Czech Republic	17
Democratic Republic of the Congo	25
Denmark	17
Djibouti	17
Dominica	17
Dominican Republic	15
Ecuador	17
Egypt	14
El Salvador	15
Equatorial Guinea	17
Eritrea	17
Estonia	17
Ethiopia	20
Fiji	14
Finland	17
France	10
Estonia	17
Gabon	17
Gambia	17
Georgia	17
Germany	13
Ghana	14
Greece	12
Grenada	17
Guatelama	17
Guinea	17
Guinea-Bissau	17
Guyana	14
Haiti	21
Honduras	17
Hong Kong SAR	13
Hungary	17
Iceland	17
India	20
Indonesia	17
Iran	10
Iraq	23
Ireland	13
Israel	11
Italy	12
Jamaica	20
Japan	12
Jordan	23
Kazakhstan	17
Kenya	20
Kosovo	17
Kuwait	14
Kyrgyzstan	17
Laos	17
Latvia	17
Lebanon	15
Lesotho	17
Liberia	17
Libya	17
Lithuania	17
Luxembourg	17
Macao SAR	17
Madagascar	17
Malaysia	17
Maldives	17
Mali	17
Malta	17
Martinique	17
Mauritania	17
Mauritius	17
Mexico	17
Moldova	16
Mongolia	17
Montenegro	17
Morocco	9
Mozambique	17
Namibia	17
Nepal	14
Netherlands	16
New Caledonia	17
New Zealand	11
Nicaragua	17
Niger	17
Nigeria	14
Norway	17
Oman	17
Pakistan	28
Palestinian Authority (Gaza)	13
Palestinian Authority (West Bank)	13
Panama	17
Papua New Guinea	17
Paraguay	17
Peru	9
Philippines	13
Poland	11
Portugal	9
Puerto Rico	17
Qatar	13
Romania	13
Russia	13
Rwanda	17
Saudi Arabia	17
Senegal	18
Serbia	13
Seychelles	17
Sierra Leone	17
Singapore	13
Slovakia	17
Slovenia	17
Somalia	17
South Africa	15
South Korea	14
South Sudan	17
Spain	9
Sri Lanka	13
St. Kitts and Nevis	17
St. Lucia	16
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	41
Sudan	17
Suriname	17
Sweden	18
Switzerland	11
Syria	12
Taiwan	11
Tajikistan	17
Tanzania	17
Thailand	29
Timor-Leste (Timor oriental)	17
Togo	17
Trinidad and Tobago	11
Tunisia	8
Turkey	12
Turks and Caicos Islands	17
Uganda	26
Ukraine	10
United Arab Emirates	13
United Kingdom	14
United States of America	15
Uruguay	17
Uzbekistan	17
Venezuela	17
Vietnam	24
Yemen	17
Zambia	17
Zimbabwe	17

There is currently not enough data to provide information on the following countries: Andorra, Anguilla, Bhutan, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Holy See, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, North Korea, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tahiti, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, US Virgin Islands, Vanuatu.

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