Spousal sponsorship put in simple terms refers to a Canadian immigration program that enables loved ones to be together.
That is to say, if one is married or legally bound to a citizen of Canada or a permanent resident in Canada he or she can sponsor the application of their partner although before this is completely possible certain criteria has to be met.
Outland spousal sponsorship as the name implies refers to an immigration application where the beneficiaries are spouses living outside Canada.
Here, the spouse residing in Canada is responsible for the wellbeing of the migrating spouse for a minimum of three years.
The outland spousal sponsorship is a part of the family sponsorship program. This type of sponsorship differs from the inland spousal sponsorship only in terms of the location of the benefiting spouse.
What Qualifies One to be a Sponsor?
In order to be a sponsor, certain requirements have to be met to ensure the smooth processing of your application.
- Age; before any other criteria are taken into consideration, the sponsor has to be an adult, which means he or she has to be at least 18 years old.
- Citizenship; to be an eligible sponsor, you must be a citizen of Canada or a permanent resident in Canada. Even if you are not currently in the state, you can process your partner’s application so long as you are planning on returning to the country with them.
- Financial Capability; as the sponsoring partner, you have to be willing to cater for the financial needs of your migrating partner for a minimum of three years and nothing less. An undertaking would be signed to this effect to ensure strict adherence. It is important to note that this undertaking would not be canceled even in the event of a breakdown of the relationship, the sponsor becoming financially incapable probably due to loss of job, the principal applicant becoming a Canadian citizen or you or the principal applicant relocating to another province.
- Proof of Relationship; before the immigration office would begin processing such an application, you have to tender proper documents that provide proof of your relationship with your spouse. These documents include
- Proof of registration of marriage with a government authority.
- Birth certificate or adoption certificate of any child or children you must have had together.
- Wedding invitations and photographs
- Relationship information and sponsorship evaluation questionnaire.
You should also possess any two of the following documents in addition to the ones listed above.
- Any utility bill that has both your names on it
- A proof of a joint bank account
- A tax form that shows you live or lived in the same house
- Government-issued means of identification
- Car insurance.
What Qualifies one to be a Beneficiary
It really doesn’t take much to qualify as a principal applicant for the outland spousal sponsorship. You only need to ensure you are married to the sponsoring spouse and do not be inadmissible. Being inadmissible here means there’s probably a fault that could be a criminal record that prevents you from being granted free passage into Canada.
Application Process for Outland Spousal Sponsorship
Application Package; your application package includes your checklist which in turn contains information on all the forms you need, a list of all the documents you must submit, and links to instructions you would need to follow when filling out each form.
This checklist should be placed at the top as the cover of your application. It must be printed, filled out, and submitted.
Fill Out Your Forms; fill out your forms correctly and if a section does not apply to you, you can indicate that by writing Not Applicable or N/A.
Country-Specific Instruction; applicants should look out for country-specific instructions before filling out forms as they vary amongst countries. The country in question here refers to the country where the principal applicant currently resides.
Police Report; the principal applicant must provide a report from the police in the area where they reside and also the area where they spent the most time since they clocked 18 years. Failure to do so would cause a delay in the processing of your application, although an explanation could be provided, it would cause a delay nonetheless.
Crosscheck Your Document; ensure none of your documents are missing as this would definitely cause a delay in the processing of your application. Pick them out one after the other and arrange them accordingly.
Having listed the requirements and guide to proper application for the outland spousal sponsorship program, it is important to note that it takes a minimum of 4 months for your application to be processed.
