Originally published February 6, 2006
The lack of an income should not prevent a Canadian citizen or permanent resident from sponsoring their foreign spouse, common law partner, or conjugal partner.
Many mistakenly delay the sponsorship process believing that they have to have a job or "sufficient" income.
The fact is that this delay, and consequent separation, is quite unnecessary since Canadian citizens and permanent residents do not have to have any income whatsoever in order to sponsor their life partners.
While it is true that, generally speaking, a Canadian sponsor must have a certain amount of income to sponsor a "member of the family class" there is an exception for spouses, common law partners and conjugal partners. This also applies where the foreign partner has dependent children provided that no such child has dependent children of their own.
