Spousal sponsorship eligibility checker
Answer a few quick questions and this free tool reads your spousal sponsorship eligibility against the current IRCC rules: whether you can sponsor your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner to Canada, and which route fits. Built by a licensed RCIC. Your first call is free.
To sponsor a spouse or partner to Canada, both you and your partner must meet eligibility requirements set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. As the sponsor you must be at least 18, be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act, and live in Canada. The person you sponsor must be at least 18, be your legally married spouse, your common-law partner of 12 continuous months or your conjugal partner, and be admissible to Canada. There is no minimum income requirement in most cases. This free checker reads both sides in about two minutes and points you to the inland or outland route; only IRCC decides your application.
Are you a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered under the Canadian Indian Act?
Key takeaways
Spousal sponsorship eligibility rests on three things: the sponsor (18 or older, a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person registered under the Indian Act, with no sponsorship bars), the relationship (married spouse, common-law partner with 12 months of continuous cohabitation, or conjugal partner), and the partner's admissibility to Canada. There is usually no minimum income requirement, unlike parent and grandparent sponsorship. This free checker reads all three in about two minutes and suggests an inland or outland route; only IRCC decides.
- A free spousal sponsorship eligibility check for spouses, common-law and conjugal partners.
- It tests the sponsor rules, your relationship, and your partner's situation in a few questions.
- There is usually no minimum income to sponsor a spouse or partner, unlike parents or grandparents.
- It flags the common blockers: the five-year partner bar, defaults, social assistance and inadmissibility.
- It suggests the likely inland or outland route and routes you to a free first call.
- It is a guide using current IRCC rules, not an official decision; only IRCC decides.
Spousal sponsorship eligibility: who can sponsor a spouse or partner?
To sponsor a spouse or partner you must be at least 18, be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act, live in Canada, and be able to meet your own basic needs and your partner's. Time in Canada on a work permit, study permit or visitor status does not count: status, not residence, is what creates spousal sponsorship eligibility. The sponsor side is where most applications are won or lost before a single document is gathered, so the checker walks through each rule in turn. IRCC's own list is on its Check if you're eligible page.
| Requirement | What IRCC expects |
|---|---|
| Age | You are 18 or older when you sign the sponsorship application (IMM 1344). |
| Status | Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act. A work or study permit is not enough. |
| Residency | You must live in Canada. A permanent resident living outside Canada cannot sponsor. A Canadian citizen abroad can sponsor by showing they will live in Canada once their partner becomes a permanent resident. |
| Financial support | You can meet basic needs for both of you, and you are not on social assistance for a reason other than a disability. |
| The undertaking | You sign a binding undertaking to support your partner's basic needs, including food, clothing, shelter, and dental, eye and other health needs not covered by public health insurance. Outside Quebec it runs 3 years from the day your partner becomes a permanent resident, and a dependent child included in the application carries a longer term. |
| Disqualifications | No default on a previous undertaking or immigration loan, no undischarged bankruptcy, no removal order, no bar from certain serious offences, and no five-year partner bar. |
Requirements for the person you are sponsoring
IRCC assesses the person you sponsor on four things: their age, the relationship category, whether the relationship is genuine, and their admissibility to Canada.
| Requirement | What IRCC expects |
|---|---|
| Age | The person you sponsor must be at least 18 years old. That applies to a spouse, a common-law partner and a conjugal partner alike. |
| Relationship | A legally married spouse, a common-law partner you have lived with continuously for at least 12 months, or a conjugal partner kept from marrying or living with you by a barrier beyond your control. |
| Genuineness | The relationship must be genuine, and not entered into primarily so that your partner can obtain permanent resident status. |
| Admissibility | Your partner must pass background, security and medical checks, and must not be inadmissible to Canada. |
Taking those in turn: first, the relationship has to fit one of three categories. A spouse is a legally married partner, with a marriage that is valid both where it took place and under Canadian law. A common-law partner is someone you have lived with continuously in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months, documented with a shared address, joint bills and the statutory declaration on form IMM 5409. A conjugal partner is a narrow category for couples kept apart by a genuine barrier beyond their control, such as an immigration obstacle, marital status, or the risk attached to their relationship in their home country. Being engaged, or dating at a distance by choice, does not fit any of the three.
| Category | Core test | Key evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse | Legally married, and the marriage is valid where it happened and in Canada. | Marriage certificate, plus the usual proof the relationship is genuine. |
| Common-law partner | At least 12 months of continuous cohabitation in a conjugal relationship. | Shared address history, joint bills or lease, and form IMM 5409. |
| Conjugal partner | A genuine, marriage-like relationship with a real barrier to marrying or living together. | Proof of the barrier itself, alongside full relationship evidence. |
Second, your partner must be admissible to Canada. Criminal history, a serious medical condition, a previous refusal or removal, or a misrepresentation finding can all create an inadmissibility issue that has to be addressed rather than hoped away. And whichever category you fall into, IRCC assesses whether the relationship is genuine and was not entered into primarily for immigration, which is why the relationship questionnaire, form IMM 5532, carries so much weight in a spousal sponsorship application.
What can block your eligibility to sponsor a partner
A blocker is not always obvious, and it is usually cheaper to find one now than after a refusal. The most common are the five-year partner bar, which means that if you were yourself sponsored as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner you generally cannot sponsor a new partner until five years after you became a permanent resident; a three-year undertaking still running for a previous partner; a default on a past undertaking, an immigration loan or a court-ordered support payment; an undischarged bankruptcy; and social assistance received for a reason other than a disability. Certain convictions for serious offences against a relative can also bar a sponsor. None of these are guesses on the form: each has a defined test, and a licensed RCIC can tell you whether it genuinely applies to you or only looks as though it does.
Quebec runs its own sponsorship undertaking and selection rules, and we do not advise on Quebec-destined applications. If you plan to live in Quebec, use the provincial process and take advice there.
Is there a minimum income to sponsor a spouse?
There is no minimum income requirement to sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner in most cases, so there is no LICO table to meet and spousal sponsorship eligibility does not usually turn on what you earn. The narrow exception is where your partner has a dependent child who has a child of their own, in which case an income test can apply. No income requirement is not the same as no financial requirement: you still sign the undertaking, a binding promise to support your partner and repay any social assistance they receive, you must not be receiving social assistance yourself for a reason other than a disability, and a previous undertaking still in default bars you whatever you earn. Our guide to the minimum income to sponsor a spouse sets out how the exception works and what IRCC actually looks at.
Inland or outland: which spousal sponsorship route fits?
Choose inland if your partner is already in Canada with valid status and will stay here throughout processing, and outland if your partner is abroad or needs to travel. Inland spousal sponsorship in Canada is for when your partner is already here with valid status, and it can come with a spousal open work permit so they can work while you wait. Outland spousal sponsorship is processed through a visa office, usually fits when your partner is outside Canada, and it often keeps more travel flexibility and a faster published timeline. The checker suggests the route that matches where your partner is now; a licensed RCIC then confirms the safest choice, because the right answer depends on status, travel plans and how close your partner is to running out of time in Canada. If you want the full comparison, read inland vs outland spousal sponsorship.
How the free eligibility checker works
- 01
Answer the sponsor questions
Status, age, where you live, social assistance and the bars, including the five-year partner bar and any undertaking still running.
- 02
Describe the relationship
Married, common-law with 12 months of cohabitation, or conjugal with a genuine barrier, plus the evidence you can already show.
- 03
Add your partner's situation
Where they are living now, their status in Canada if they are here, and any inadmissibility issue such as a record or a past refusal.
- 04
Read your result
You get a plain-English read on whether you can sponsor, the likely inland or outland route, and what to confirm on a free first call.
What the checker looks at
The tool asks about three things: you (status, age, residence and any sponsorship bars), your relationship (married, common-law with at least 12 months together and an IMM 5409 declaration, or a conjugal partnership with a genuine barrier to marrying or living together), and your partner (where they are now, and any inadmissibility issues such as a criminal record or a past refusal). It never asks you to prove anything here, it simply flags where the rules look met and where a detail needs a closer look. For the relationship itself, strong applications show it is genuine in several ways at once, which is where our spousal sponsorship Canada guide goes deeper.
A guide, not a guarantee
What comes after the eligibility check: forms, fees and timelines
Once the eligibility side is settled, spousal sponsorship becomes a documentation exercise. The core package is the sponsorship application (IMM 1344), the generic application form for permanent residence (IMM 0008), the relationship information and sponsorship evaluation (IMM 5532), the background declaration (IMM 5669), and IMM 5409 for common-law couples, alongside police certificates, an immigration medical exam, biometrics and translations of anything not in English or French. Our spousal sponsorship checklist tracks every piece.
On money and time: the usual government total is $1,260, made up of the $85 sponsorship fee, the $575 processing fee and the $600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee, or $660 if you defer the RPRF and pay it before permanent residence is granted. As of September 2026, IRCC publishes about 26 months for an inland sponsorship outside Quebec and about 18 months for an outland one, against a 12-month service standard that is a target rather than a current wait. Check the live IRCC processing times tracker before you plan around a date, and read our spousal sponsorship processing time guide for what actually moves the queue. Both figures come from IRCC's fee list and its processing-times tool, checked on 8 September 2026, and IRCC revises both.
Confirm your spousal sponsorship eligibility with a licensed RCIC
Wild Mountain Immigration is a CICC-regulated practice in Canmore, Alberta, led by a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC, CICC #R706497), working with couples across Canada and abroad. Partner cases are the work we love most, and your first call is free for spousal and partner sponsorship. Once you have your result from the checker, tell us your details and we will confirm your spousal sponsorship eligibility, choose inland or outland, and map the forms, fees and timeline; you can also start wider with family sponsorship Canada if a parent or child may follow later. The official rules come from IRCC on canada.ca, and only IRCC can decide your application.
Frequently asked questions
Who can sponsor a spouse to Canada?
To sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner you generally must be at least 18, a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act, and able to meet your basic needs and your partner's. You cannot be in default of a previous sponsorship undertaking or an immigration loan, an undischarged bankrupt, under a removal order, or barred for certain other reasons. If you were yourself sponsored as a partner, you usually cannot sponsor a new partner until five years after you became a permanent resident.
Am I eligible to sponsor my spouse if I am on a work or study permit?
No. Spousal sponsorship eligibility starts with your own status in Canada: you must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act. A work permit, study permit or visitor status does not let you sponsor, no matter how long you have lived here. If you are a permanent resident applicant yourself, you have to wait until permanent residence is granted before you can file a sponsorship application (IMM 1344).
Is there a minimum income to sponsor a spouse?
Usually no. Unlike sponsoring parents or grandparents, sponsoring a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner does not normally have a minimum income requirement, so there is no LICO table to meet. The main exception is if your partner has a dependent child who has their own dependent children, in which case an income test can apply. You still sign an undertaking to support your partner financially, which runs 3 years from the day they become a permanent resident outside Quebec, and no income requirement is not the same as no financial requirement: a previous undertaking in default, or social assistance received for a reason other than a disability, still bars a sponsor.
Can I sponsor my spouse if I live outside Canada?
A Canadian citizen can sponsor a spouse or partner from outside Canada, but only by showing they plan to live in Canada when their partner becomes a permanent resident. A permanent resident living outside Canada cannot sponsor at all (IRCC, Check if you're eligible, checked September 2026). If you are the sponsor and you are currently abroad, this is the first thing to settle, because it decides whether you can file, and the route you then choose (usually outland) also depends on where each of you is living.
What is the 5-year partner sponsorship bar?
If you became a permanent resident by being sponsored as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, you generally cannot sponsor a new partner until five years have passed since you became a permanent resident. The rule is meant to discourage relationships of convenience, and it runs from the date you landed as a permanent resident, not from the date you applied or separated.
Do common-law partners need to live together for 12 months?
Yes. To qualify as common-law partners you normally must have lived together continuously in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months. Short, justified absences for work or family can be acceptable if the relationship continued. If you have not reached 12 months you may need to marry or wait before applying, or you may fit the conjugal partner category if a genuine barrier prevents marriage or living together. Common-law couples also file a statutory declaration of common-law union, form IMM 5409.
Does a criminal record affect spousal sponsorship eligibility?
It can, on both sides. A conviction for certain serious offences against a relative can bar you from sponsoring, and your partner has to be admissible to Canada, so a criminal record, a serious medical condition, a past refusal or a misrepresentation finding can create a problem on their side of the application. Many of these issues can be addressed, for example through rehabilitation or a properly argued explanation, but they need to be identified before you file rather than after a refusal.
How long does spousal sponsorship take once I am eligible?
As of September 2026, IRCC publishes about 26 months for an inland (in-Canada) spouse or common-law sponsorship outside Quebec and about 18 months for an outland one, updated monthly. IRCC's 12-month service standard is the target it aims at rather than the current wait, so plan around the published figure. An incomplete package that gets returned effectively restarts your wait, which is why accuracy at submission matters more than speed.
What does it cost to sponsor a spouse or partner?
The usual government total is $1,260: an $85 sponsorship fee, a $575 processing fee and the $600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). You can defer the RPRF and pay $660 upfront, then pay the $600 before permanent residence is granted, although paying it early avoids a delay at the end. Biometrics are $85 per person, to a family maximum of $170, and medicals, police certificates and translations are extra, as are professional fees (IRCC fee list, checked 8 September 2026).
Is this an official IRCC eligibility tool?
No. This is a free spousal sponsorship eligibility checker from Wild Mountain Immigration, a CICC-regulated practice. It is not affiliated with IRCC or the Government of Canada, it does not submit anything, and it does not make a decision. Only IRCC can decide your application. A licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497) can confirm your real eligibility, and spousal sponsorship enquiries get a free first call.
Ready to sponsor your partner?
Book a free first call with a licensed RCIC. We'll confirm your spousal sponsorship eligibility, pick the right route, and build your strongest application.