Sponsor Spouse Canada Checklist — Full Document Checklist

Use this as a working checklist while you prepare your spousal or partner sponsorship application. It covers the categories IRCC reviews, but always confirm against the official forms, IMM 5287 (sponsor's document checklist) and IMM 5533 (sponsored person's document checklist), downloaded fresh from canada.ca before you submit, since IRCC updates these periodically.

Sponsor Spouse Canada Checklist

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This checklist is for general guidance only and isn't legal advice. Missing or inconsistent documents are the most common reason applications are returned as incomplete, if you'd like a second set of eyes on your file before you submit, our team at Brace Law is happy to review it with you.

1. Identity Documents

Sponsor

·       Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence (passport, citizenship certificate, or PR card)

·       Government-issued photo ID

·       Birth certificate

Sponsored person

·       Valid passport (all pages, including expired ones if they show travel history)

·       Birth certificate

·       National ID card, if applicable

·       Passport-style photos meeting IRCC's specifications

2. Proof of Relationship

·       Marriage certificate (if married), issued by the appropriate civil authority

·       Proof the marriage is legally valid both where it took place and under Canadian law

·       For common-law partners: proof of continuous cohabitation for at least 12 months (joint lease/mortgage, joint bank accounts, utility bills at the same address)

·       For conjugal partners: evidence of a committed relationship of at least 12 months and an explanation of the barrier preventing cohabitation

·       Photos together spanning the relationship timeline (not just the wedding, ongoing photos matter more)

·       Communication history (call logs, message screenshots, email records) showing regular contact

·       Evidence of shared finances, joint accounts, money transfers, shared bills

·       Travel records showing visits between you (flight itineraries, passport stamps, hotel bookings)

·       Letters of support from family and friends who know the relationship is genuine

·       Evidence of joint responsibilities, insurance policies, wills, shared property, children together

3. Sponsor's Supporting Documents

·       Proof of current Canadian address (for inland applications especially), a utility bill, bank statement, or government correspondence dated within the last 3 months

·       Any prior sponsorship undertakings (to confirm you're not in default)

·       Divorce certificate(s) or proof of dissolution of any previous marriage

·       Death certificate of a prior spouse, if applicable

4. Admissibility Documents (Sponsored Person)

·       Police certificates from every country lived in for 6+ months since age 18 (including Canada, if applicable)

·       Immigration Medical Exam (IME) completed by an IRCC-approved panel physician, required for the sponsored person and all dependants, even those not accompanying to Canada

·       Written explanation for any document that genuinely cannot be obtained (e.g., a country that doesn't issue police certificates)

5. Dependent Children (if applicable)

·       Birth certificates for each dependent child

·       Custody documents or written consent from a non-accompanying parent, if relevant

·       Passport-style photos for each child

·       Police certificates and medical exams for dependent children 18+

6. Forms and Fees

·       Sponsorship application form

·       Sponsor's undertaking

·       Sponsored person's application for permanent residence

·       Use of a representative form (if you're working with a lawyer or consultant)

·       Fee payment receipts (sponsorship, processing, RPRF, biometrics, see current amounts on IRCC's fee list)

·       Spousal Open Work Permit application, if applying inland and the sponsored spouse wants to work while the file is processed

7. Quebec Sponsors — Additional Step

·       Confirm MIFI's current intake status for Quebec undertakings before filing

·       Wait for IRCC's instruction before submitting the Quebec undertaking application, submitting early can result in refusal at the provincial level

Before You Hit Submit

·       Double-check every form is signed and dated

·       Confirm every document on IMM 5287 and IMM 5533 has something behind it in your package

·       Make sure translations of foreign-language documents are certified, with the original attached

·       Keep copies of everything you submit

·       Remember: once submitted, you generally can't add more relationship evidence on your own, only in response to a specific IRCC request. Build the strongest package now rather than planning to supplement it later.

Sponsoring your spouse or partner? Sponsor Spouse Canada Checklist?

A returned application means losing your place in the queue and starting over. If you'd like Brace Law to review your document package before you submit, or to prepare the full application with you, reach out to our immigration team.