Sponsor Spouse Inside Canada: The Inland Process Explained
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
If your spouse or common-law partner already lives with you in Canada, you may be able to sponsor them under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class, commonly called inland sponsorship. It's the stream most couples choose when they're already living together here, largely because it comes bundled with the option to work while waiting. Here's how it actually works.
Sponsor Spouse Inside Canada
This is general information, not legal advice. If you'd like a case-specific assessment, our team at Brace Law is happy to help.
Who Qualifies for Inland Sponsorship
To apply under this class, your spouse or common-law partner must:
Live with you in Canada, and
Hold valid temporary resident status (visitor, worker, or student), or
Be exempt from needing that status under a specific 2005 public policy, which covers people who are inadmissible only because they overstayed a visa or permit, worked or studied without authorization, or entered Canada without the required visa or valid travel document (as long as they have valid documents by the time permanent residence is granted)
If your spouse is inadmissible for other reasons, reasons not covered by that public policy, they need to resolve that issue before applying.
Common-law partners need at least 12 consecutive months of cohabitation in a marriage-like relationship. Married spouses need a legally valid civil marriage, recognized both where it took place and under Canadian law. Conjugal partners aren't eligible for inland sponsorship, that category is reserved for partners living outside Canada.
Why Couples Choose Inland
The headline advantage is the Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP). Your spouse can apply for it alongside the sponsorship application, and it's typically processed well ahead of the permanent residence decision, often within about four months, so they can start working in Canada without waiting for the full PR process to finish.
The Trade-Off: Appeal Rights
This is the piece couples sometimes overlook. If your inland application is refused, your only recourse is judicial review at the Federal Court, a narrow process that checks whether the original officer made a legal error, using only the record that was already before them. You can't introduce new evidence or call witnesses. Compare that to outland refusals, which go to the Immigration Appeal Division, a full tribunal where new evidence and witness testimony are allowed.
If there's meaningful complexity in your file, a shorter relationship history, a prior marriage, gaps in documentation, that difference in appeal rights is worth weighing seriously before choosing inland over outland.
What Happens If Your Spouse Leaves Canada Mid-Process
This is important: leaving Canada can automatically cancel temporary resident status as a visitor, student, or worker. If your spouse leaves before becoming a permanent resident, there's no guarantee they'll be allowed back in, especially if they'd need a new Temporary Resident Visa or eTA to re-enter. If they can't return, you'd need to submit an entirely new overseas (outland) sponsorship application. If your spouse needs to travel while an inland application is in process, this is worth discussing carefully before booking anything.
How the Inland Process Works
Confirm eligibility for both of you, and confirm your spouse's Canadian address and status situation fits the inland class.
Gather your documents, identity documents, proof of relationship, proof of your Canadian status, and (for your spouse) police certificates from any country lived in for 6+ months since age 18.
Complete the forms, some online in the IRCC portal (IMM 0008, IMM 5669, IMM 5406, IMM 5562), others as signed PDFs (IMM 1344, IMM 5532).
Pay the fees and keep your receipt.
Submit online through the IRCC portal, online submission has been mandatory since September 23, 2022, apart from specific accommodation cases.
Apply for the Spousal Open Work Permit, if your spouse wants to work during processing, this is a separate application submitted alongside the sponsorship.
Give biometrics, if required, at a designated Service Canada location.
Complete the immigration medical exam once IRCC sends instructions.
Respond to any requests for more information within the given deadline.
Eligibility review. IRCC processes your spouse's application, conducts medical, security, and background checks, and eventually schedules a confirmation of permanent residence step to finalize status, all without your spouse needing to leave Canada.
Documents You'll Need
Identity documents for both sponsor and sponsored person
Marriage certificate, or proof of 12 months' continuous cohabitation for common-law partners
Ongoing relationship evidence, photos, communication history, joint finances, shared leases or bills, letters of support
Proof of your Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
Proof of your spouse's current temporary status (or documentation supporting the public policy exemption, if applicable)
Police certificates and the immigration medical exam for your spouse
As with any sponsorship stream, IRCC's completeness check is strict, a missing form or signature means the whole package is returned to you unprocessed, and you lose your place in the queue.
Fees
Government fees are identical whether you apply inland or outland:
Item | Fee (CAD) |
Sponsor your spouse or partner (with RPRF) | $1,260.00 |
Sponsor your spouse or partner (without RPRF) | $660.00 |
Include a dependent child | $180.00 per child |
Biometrics (individual / family) | $85.00 / $170.00 |
The Spousal Open Work Permit is a separate application with its own fee. Confirm current amounts on IRCC's official fee list before paying, since fees can change.
Processing Times
Inland spousal sponsorship has generally been processing in a similar range to outland applications, roughly 10 to 14 months for a majority of files heading into late 2026, though this shifts monthly based on IRCC's inventory. The Spousal Open Work Permit typically comes through much sooner, which is the main practical benefit of choosing this stream. Always check IRCC's live processing time tool for the current estimate.
If Your Sponsorship Is Refused
Your spouse would need to leave Canada at the end of their period of temporary stay. As noted above, your only path to challenge the refusal is judicial review at the Federal Court, there's no automatic right to appeal to a tribunal the way there is with outland refusals.
Considering Inland Sponsorship? Sponsor Spouse Inside Canada?
Inland sponsorship is often the right fit for couples already settled together in Canada, especially when the work permit timeline matters. But it's worth going in with a clear picture of the appeal-rights trade-off and the travel restrictions that come with it. Our immigration team at Brace Law works with couples across Oakville, Vaughan, and the greater GTA–Hamilton corridor to choose the right stream and build a complete application from the start.
