Spousal Sponsorship Immigration: Fewer spouses and common-law partners became new permanent residents of Canada in March than in February as spousal sponsorship immigration dropped for the second consecutive month.
Numbers fell 12.8 per cent, the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals. in the third
After falling 21.7 per cent in February to 5,515 spouses and common-law partners, this immigration program saw another drop with only 4,810 such loved ones becoming new permanent residents of Canada in March.
By the end of the first quarter of this year, Canada had welcomed only 17,235 new permanent residents under this sponsorship immigration program, 31.6 per cent less than during the comparable quarter last year when 25,345 spouses and common-law partners gained their permanent residency.
Based on the current rate of spousal sponsorship immigration, Canada could see only 69,300 new permanent residents through this program by the end of this year, about 7.9 per cent fewer than the 75,26 spouses and common-law partners who became permanent residents through it last year.
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, once again saw the greatest number of arrivals under the spousal sponsorship program in the first quarter of this year with 9,405 spouses or common-law partners making it their home during the first three months.Even Ontario, though, is not immune to the trend of declining spousal sponsorship immigration. In February, monthly spousal sponsorship immigration fell by 25.9 per cent in the central Canadian province and another 12.7 per cent in March.
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 – 45
Prince Edward Island – 40
Nova Scotia – 200
New Brunswick – 160
Quebec – 1,415
Manitoba – 510
Saskatchewan – 295
Alberta – 2,365
British Columbia – 2,845
Yukon – 20
Northwest Territories – 25
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 one or more children of their own.
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;
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.
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.
