Conjugal Partner

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada interested in sponsoring a spouse to Canada, our immigration team can help you bring your loved one to Canada within 12 months! This process is part of our Spousal Sponsorship to Canada. If you are in a relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, our immigration team can help you become a permanent resident.

This category is for partners—either of the opposite sex or same sex—in situations beyond their control that keep them from living together so they would count as common-law partners or spouses. A conjugal relationship is more than a physical relationship. It means you depend on each other, there is some permanence to the relationship, and there is the same level of commitment as a marriage or a common-law partnership.

You may apply as a conjugal partner if:

• you have had a conjugal relationship with your sponsor for at least one year and you could not live together or marry because of
  • an immigration barrier,
  • your marital status (for example, you are married to someone else and living in a country where divorce is not possible) or
  • your sexual orientation (for example, you are in a same-sex relationship and same-sex marriage is not permitted where you live) and
• you can prove there was a reason you could not live together (for example, you were refused long-term stays in each other’s country).

You should not apply as a conjugal partner if:

• you could have lived together but chose not to, as this shows that you did not have the level of commitment needed for a conjugal relationship (for example, one of you may not have wanted to give up a job or a course of study, or your relationship was not yet at the point where you were ready to live together),
• you cannot prove there was a reason that kept you from living together,
• you are engaged to be married (in this case, you should either apply as a spouse once the marriage has taken place or apply as a common-law partner if you have lived together continuously for at least 12 months).