Canada allows for sponsorship of common-law partners

The pandemic has led countries all around the world to issue travel restrictions. Canada took the same route but left room for some exceptions. Canadians will still be able to sponsor their common-law partners if they want to apply for permanent residence. The travel restrictions imposed by Canada in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus are not applicable to immediate family members. Common-law partners fall under this category. When a couple has lived together for a year, bound by a “conjugal relationship,” the Canadian government terms it as a common-law partnership. Permanent residents and Canadian citizens will be allowed to offer sponsorship to their common-law partners when they apply for immigration.

What is the procedure?

In order to prove that they have lived together for a minimum of one year, couples show their lease or mortgage that is registered to both the names. If they do not have the option to do, they can also show their bank statements, utility bills, phone bills, credit card bills, and other such documents that prove they have lived together for 12 months at a stretch.

Since the coronavirus measures are in place, partners who are arriving at Canada will have to produce these documents at the Port of Entry so as to prove their relationship status. Couples can apply for both Inland and Outland sponsorship within Canada.

Outland sponsorship means that the application will be processed via the visa office, which functions as the applicant’s country of origin. Outland applicants might be granted permission to travel in and out of the country, but they will have to abide by all the compulsory rules for travelers. Ideally, nobody should leave Canada at the moment for non-essential purposes. Inland sponsorship is a good choice when both partners live together in Canada. In such cases, the foreign common-law partner usually holds temporary status in the country as a worker, visitor, or student.