Spousal sponsorship immigration dipped yet again in February with 21.7 per cent fewer spouses and common-law partners becoming new permanent residents of Canada than in January, the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals.
And January this year was already a slower month for spousal sponsorship immigration than the comparable month last year.
In January, the spousal sponsorship program had helped 6,990 spouses and common-law partners become new permanent residents, down 30.8 per cent over the 10,080 new permanent residents who immigrated to Canada under the program during the first month of last year.
Then, in February this year, the number of spouses and common-law partners becoming new permanent residents in Canada dipped to 5,470, far short of the 8,235 who immigrated here through that program during the comparable month last year.
By the end of February this year, spousal sponsorship immigration to Canada had seen 12,465 foreign nationals become new permanent residents, a drop of 32.1 per cent compared to the same two months in 2023.
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Projecting out to the rest of the year, Canada’s spousal sponsorship immigration program could welcome 74,790 new permanent residents if the immigration levels in the first two months were to continue throughout 2024.
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, once again saw the greatest number of arrivals under the spousal sponsorship program in January and February with 6,930 spouses making it their during the first two months of this year.
But that was a drop of 25.9 per cent in the number of new permanent residents under that program in in the first two months of this year compared to the same period last year.
BC Welcomed 2,060 Spouses And Common-Law Partners
The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program during January and February this year:
- Newfoundland and Labrador – 25
- Prince Edward Island – 30
- Nova Scotia – 150
- New Brunswick – 120
- Quebec – 860
- Manitoba – 350
- Saskatchewan – 195
- Alberta – 1,715
- British Columbia – 2,060
- Yukon – 10
- Northwest Territories – 20
- Nunavut – 0
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 1 or more children of their own.
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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.
EI Payments Considered Income For Sponsor Of Spouse
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 12 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.
