Canadian Citizens by Descent Can Sponsor Their Spouses

Learning that you are a Canadian citizen by descent can bring important rights, including the ability to live and work in Canada. For married Canadians, however, citizenship does not automatically extend to a spouse.

Canadian citizenship by descent follows family lineage rather than marriage. A spouse keeps their existing immigration status after their partner receives proof of citizenship. However, the Canadian citizen can generally sponsor an eligible spouse or partner for permanent residence.

Sponsorship leads to permanent residence

Spousal sponsorship does not immediately make a husband, wife or partner a Canadian citizen. Instead, it provides a route to permanent residence, allowing a person to live, work and study across Canada.

A permanent resident may later apply for citizenship after meeting the required conditions, generally including three years of physical presence in Canada within a five-year period.

Sponsorship is available for legally married spouses, common-law partners and conjugal partners. Common-law partners must normally have lived together continuously in a marriage-like relationship for at least 12 months. Conjugal sponsorship may apply when a couple has been together for at least one year but cannot marry or live together because of barriers outside their control.

Who can sponsor a partner?

A sponsor must be at least 18. Canadian citizens living outside Canada can sponsor a partner but must show plans to return when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.

Sponsors generally cannot receive social assistance other than for a disability. They must also be able to provide basic needs for their partner and dependent children included in the application. Certain criminal convictions can also affect a person’s ability to sponsor.

Criminal history can also affect the sponsored spouse. A conviction such as impaired driving may make someone inadmissible to Canada, although criminal rehabilitation may be available in some cases.

Inland and outland applications

The process depends partly on where the couple lives. If the spouse is outside Canada, the application generally proceeds through the Family Class, often called outland sponsorship. Canadian citizens may also use outland sponsorship while living in Canada, and conjugal partners must use this route.

Couples living together in Canada may usually apply through the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class, known as inland sponsorship. An eligible spouse may also be able to seek an open work permit while the permanent residence application is processed.

A marriage must be legally recognized in Canada and in the country where it took place.

Quebec adds another step

Couples planning to settle in Quebec face an additional provincial process after federal authorities confirm the sponsor’s eligibility. Quebec applies its own requirements involving residency, finances and criminal history.

Applicants must provide supporting documents, and family members who are not already Canadian citizens or permanent residents generally need medical examinations when instructed.

Citizenship rules for children differ. Biological children may qualify through the same line of descent, while adopted children can face extra steps. For children born or adopted on or after December 15, 2025, the Canadian parent generally must show at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption to pass on citizenship.