Required Document Checklist For Spousal Sponsorship

The opportunity to sponsor your spouse, common-law partner and/or dependent children to join you in Canada is an exciting one. But, for your spousal sponsorship application package to be complete and successful, you must submit all of the required documentation in the correct order.

It is so crucial that you complete the application process correctly, the Government of Canada lets you generate your own personal document checklist for spousal sponsorship.  If you choose to use the document generator, you must ensure that the information you enter about yourself, the person you are sponsoring and their current place of permanent residence is correct. If not, the checklist you generate may include documents you don’t need or exclude those that you do need.    

Checklist of Required Documents for Spousal Sponsorship

The government’s checklist is in two parts. The first part (Part A – Forms Required) outlines the documents that must be included with the application forms. The second part (Part B – Supporting Documents Required) outlines the documents that may need to be included, depending on the additional family information required.

The Document Checklist – Another sign of the importance of correctly submitting your application is that the first item on the government’s checklist is: the checklist. You must include the Government’s checklist, both Part A and Part B, as the first document in your application package.

For the Sponsor

Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking – This form must be signed by both you (the sponsor) and the person you are sponsoring (the principal applicant). If you have any time constraints on your application, you must allow for the time needed to send the document to the applicant and have them return it to you.

Application Fee Receipts – You must prove that you have paid all application fees for the sponsorship, the principal applicant’s fee, and application fees for all other family members you are sponsoring. You’ll also see an option to include a receipt if you’ve paid the Right of Permanent Residence fee. This is not mandatory, but can speed up your application processing time.

For the Sponsored Persons (Principal Applicant and Family Members)

Class of Application – This is simply a checkbox where the principal applicant indicates where you are currently living and the class of your application (Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class or Family Class).

Generic Application Form for Canada – This form must be completed by principal applicants for themselves and any dependents included in the application (up to five dependents are allowed per application).

Country-Specific Requirements – You must indicate if there are any required documents specific to the country from which you are applying, and include those documents with your application.

Additional Family Information – Principal applicants and family members who are 18 years or older and included in the application must each fill out the Additional Family Members form.

For Both the Sponsor and the Principal Applicant

Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation – Both the sponsor and principal applicant must complete this form and sign it in the places indicated on the form.

Use of Representative – You only need to include this form if the sponsor and the principal applicant want to be represented during the sponsorship application process. Representatives can include immigration consultants, lawyers, family members or friends. Both the sponsor and principal applicant can sign the same form if they are using the same representative. If not, the must include separate forms for each separate representative. In submitting this form, you authorize Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to share your case information with your representative.

Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual – If you want the information from your case file to be shared with someone other than you or your representative, you must use this form to authorize IRCC to do so.

Check out our spousal sponsorship services to find out more about immigrating to Canada. Get in touch with us so we can help you!