No, but whether they are accompanying the Sponsored person or not, all of the Sponsored person's dependents are required to pass applicable police and security clearances, and medical examinations.

The sponsor and the sponsor's co-signer, if applicable, are obliged to sign an undertaking with the Government of Canada promising to provide for the essential needs of the sponsored person(s) for a period of time following the arrival of the sponsored person(s) in Canada. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure that the sponsored family members do not become dependent on Canadian public welfare assistance. A similar provincial undertaking is required for sponsors who reside in Quebec.

Besides the obvious documents like your marriage certificate or statutory declaration of common law relationship, you will also need to prove the genuineness of your relationship. Often, couples have been together so long but lack the appropriate documentation to prove this. This can be a common hurdle with sponsorship applications. Documents to demonstrate genuineness can range from correspondence to gift receipts.

These days the spousal sponsorship applications outside and within Canada are processed at Case Processing Centre located in Mississauga, Ontario. In the past the within Canada spousal sponsorship applications were processed at Case Processing Centre located in Vegreville, Alberta.

Processing times for Spousal Sponsorships are lengthy: 12 months. It is important to have your application completed correctly and efficiently, otherwise the application will be returned to you and you will need to add another 3 months to the processing times. By hiring AKM Law we take the time to customize your application and make it stand out with faster processing times and no need to a spousal interview.

Current processing times are 12 months, but your application may move faster with less complicated cases and complete efficient applications.

Yes – you are required to provide a police clearance from each country you have spend 6 months or more since turning 18 years old. These clearances are required upfront when you submit your application, without the clearance your application will be returned as incomplete.