Spouses and common-law partners became new permanent residents of Canada in greater numbers in April than in March as spousal sponsorship immigration rebounded, the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals.
The uptick in spousal sponsorships almost completely reverses to the downturn of 12.8 per cent in the number of new permanent residents under the program in March.
By the end of April this year, Canada had welcomed 22,800 new permanent residents under this sponsorship immigration program.
Due to the lower numbers in February and March, that’s still 24.8 per cent less than during the comparable four-month period last year when 30,335 spouses and common-law partners gained their permanent residency.
Based on the current rate of spousal sponsorship immigration, Canada could see 68,400 new permanent residents through this program by the end of this year, about 9.1 per cent fewer than the 75,260 spouses and common-law partners who became permanent residents through it last year.
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Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, once again saw the greatest number of arrivals under the spousal sponsorship program in the first third of this year with 12,365 spouses or common-law partners making it their home during the first four months of this year.
The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program during the first quarter of this year:
- Newfoundland and Labrador – 50
- Prince Edward Island – 60
- Nova Scotia – 265
- New Brunswick – 195
- Quebec – 2,245
- Manitoba – 645
- Saskatchewan – 360
- Alberta – 3,000
- British Columbia – 3,550
- Yukon – 25
- Northwest Territories – 30
- Nunavut – 10
The francophone province of Quebec saw the greatest percentage increase in the number of new permanent residents through the spousal sponsorship program in April with the number of new arrivals there increasing by 50 per cent month over month.
The biggest percentage drop in spousal sponsorships among the provinces was in Newfoundland and Labrador where these fell by 66.7 per cent in April compared to the previous month.
In most cases, there is no income requirement to sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner.
Sponsors only need to show they meet income requirements if sponsoring a spouse or partner that has a dependent child, and their dependent child has one or more children of their own.
EI Payments Considered Income For Sponsor Of Spouse
When a Canadian citizen or permanent resident chooses to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner to immigrate to Canada, the sponsor must sign an undertaking, promising to give financial support for the sponsored person’s basic needs, including:
- food, clothing, shelter and their needs for everyday living, and;
- dental care, eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services.
- This agreement cannot be cancelled, even if:
- the person sponsored becomes a Canadian citizen;
- the couple divorces, separates or the relationship breaks down;
- either the sponsor or the sponsored spouse or common-law partner moves to another province or country, or;
- the sponsor experiences financial problems.
Maternity, parental and sickness benefits paid under the Employment Insurance Act in Canada are all considered income and contribute to allowing a person to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner but other payments from the government, such as employment insurance and federal training allowances, are not considered income.
On its website, IRCC provides estimates of the current processing times for various types of applications, including spousal sponsorships.
According to that website, the current processing time for sponsorship applications for spouses or common-law partners currently outside the country and planning to live outside of Quebec is now down to 13 months, a considerable improvement over the 20-month processing time in 2022.
That estimated processing time includes:
- the time needed to provide biometrics;
- the assessment of the sponsor and the person being sponsored, and;
- the time immigration officials need to ensure the sponsor and his or her spouse or common-law partner meet the eligibility requirements.
