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Indians constituted the highest number of new immigrants to Canada who came on their spouse and partner visas in recent years. Up until 2015, these numbers were dominated by those who had come from the Philippines, according to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). But Indians became dominant after 2015. In 2021, a total of 10705 Indians became permanent residents in Canada with spouse and partner visa. They constituted almost 17 per cent of the total number, which was 64340. US immigrants came second with 4805 spouse and partners visas, followed by the Philippines, China and Pakistan.
As per Canada’s latest Immigration Levels Plan, the country is planning to welcome 80000 new permanent residents through streams for spouses, partners and children in 2022. It forms the majority of the target for family class migration. The remaining immigrants out of 105000 in the family class immigration target would come through the Parents and Grandparents Program. As Canada sees family reunification a major factor in their immigration policies, there are many options for immigrants to bring their families to Canada. The country is planning to welcome 81000 new immigrants through immigration categories for spouses, partners and children in 2023 and another 81000 new immigrants through the same categories in 2024.
In the past one or two years, there has been a significant increase in the processing times for spouse visas, owing to the impact of the pandemic. However, in January this year, Canada’ Immigration Minister Sean Fraser informed that the stream was one of the first to return to the 12-month service standard. Canada has also launched an online tracker for family sponsorship candidates to track the status of their applications.
Spouse visa for Canada
To be eligible to sponsor your spouse for a Canadian permanent visa, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Be living in Canada
- Not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability
- Be able to provide for the basic needs of the person being sponsored.
To be eligible to sponsored, a person must be legally married to a sponsor and be at least 18 years of age. They must also pass background, security and medical checks.
Do you wish to know more about migrating to Canada with family? Contact us now!
