Sponsoring your spouse or partner in Québec.

Sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner in Québec involves two governments. You first submit an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), then, if you're found eligible as a sponsor, an undertaking application to Québec's immigration ministry (MIFI).

Visa Canada Rouge helps couples assess their eligibility, prepare the evidence of their relationship and organize the federal and Québec applications. The process also requires a clear understanding of the three-year financial undertaking and Québec's cap on applications.

Who can sponsor?

You must be at least 18 and a Canadian citizen, a person registered as an Indian, or a permanent resident of Canada.

• Permanent resident: you must live in Canada to sponsor; a permanent resident living abroad can't submit this type of application.
• Canadian citizen living abroad: you must show you plan to live in Canada when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.
• You were sponsored as a spouse or partner yourself: you can't sponsor if you became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago.
• You already sponsored a spouse or partner: you can't sponsor if that undertaking is still in effect or ended less than 3 years ago.

IRCC lists other grounds of ineligibility, for example a prison sentence, a removal order, social assistance received for a reason other than disability, or certain convictions. IRCC specifies that some of its grounds (unpaid support payments, a previous undertaking not respected, an undischarged bankruptcy) don't apply to a sponsorship in Québec, where the undertaking falls under Québec's rules. See IRCC's page to check if you're eligible.

Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner?

The category must match your real situation and IRCC's definitions:

• Spouse: a person legally married to you, at least 18 years old.
• Common-law partner (de facto spouse): a person who has lived with you in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months, without long periods apart.
• Conjugal partner: an exclusive relationship of at least 1 year with a person who lives outside Canada and can't live with you or marry you for legal, immigration, social, cultural or religious reasons. A long-distance relationship alone doesn't establish this category.

In every case, the relationship must be genuine and not mainly for the purpose of obtaining status, and the person must not be inadmissible to Canada. Dependent children accompanying the sponsored person must be included in the application. Our guide who can sponsor and who can be sponsored covers each category, and IRCC's page lists who you can sponsor.

Showing your relationship is genuine

More than the forms, it's the evidence of the relationship that convinces the officer. The point isn't to pile up documents but to choose the ones that tell a consistent story and fit your category. Depending on your situation:

• the marriage certificate, for a spouse;
• leases, bills or official documents showing a shared address and the period you lived together;
• evidence of shared responsibilities: joint accounts, insurance, beneficiary designations;
• photos taken at different times or at important events;
• travel documents showing visits between partners;
• messages selected to show the relationship's continuity, rather than a large volume with no context;
• for a conjugal partner, documents explaining the barriers to living together or marrying.

Dates, addresses, family information and periods apart must match across the forms and documents. Explain any discrepancy yourself rather than leaving the officer to discover it.

The steps in Québec

1. Federal eligibility: you first submit the sponsorship application to IRCC, together with the sponsored person's permanent residence application.
2. Québec undertaking: with IRCC's eligibility letter, you submit an undertaking application to the MIFI, under its rules for receiving applications.
3. Permanent residence: the sponsored person completes their permanent residence application with the federal government, which carries out its checks.

The federal and Québec steps are linked but not interchangeable: a decision by one doesn't replace the other's. Our guide to the Québec spousal sponsorship process goes through each step.

This cap makes timing decisive: the Québec file must be ready as soon as IRCC's letter arrives. A file returned as incomplete costs time, and potentially a place. See Québec's rules governing the reception of applications.

What you commit to

In Québec, the undertaking for a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner lasts 3 years, starting when the person obtains permanent residence. During this period, you commit to meeting their essential needs.

• The undertaking doesn't end with separation, divorce, the sponsored person becoming a citizen, or moving to another province.
• If the sponsored person receives social assistance during the undertaking, you will have to repay it.
• For accompanying dependent children, the period is longer and depends on their age.

A financial capacity assessment is not required to sponsor only a spouse or partner. It is required, for example, when a dependent child of the sponsored person has a dependent child of their own. See Québec's page on the responsibilities and obligations of the undertaking and our guide to the undertaking.

An open work permit for the sponsored spouse

A spouse or partner who is in Canada can, in some situations, apply for an open work permit while their permanent residence application is processed. It isn't automatic: eligibility depends on the category, whether the couple lives together in Canada, IRCC's receipt of the application and the sponsored person's status. Submitting the permanent residence application doesn't, on its own, give the right to work. See IRCC's page on the open work permit in Canada for a spouse or partner.

If your partner wants to come to Canada temporarily during the process, their visitor application is separate from the sponsorship: see our visitor visa page.

Documents to prepare

The exact list depends on your category and on what the authorities request. Gather identity and civil-status documents, proof of the sponsor's status, the federal forms, the relationship evidence and information on dependent children, then the documents the MIFI asks for the undertaking. Documents that aren't in English or French may need a translation in the required format. Check each form against its current version and checklist, and keep a complete copy of everything you send.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Choosing a category without checking its criteria. Marriage, 12 months of living together and a conjugal partner's barriers are different situations.
• Thin or disorganized relationship evidence. A few photos don't show a relationship's continuity.
• Leaving out a separation or a previous address. Gaps and contradictions call for explanations.
• Sending the application to the MIFI before IRCC's letter.
• Ignoring the cap. An application received once the maximum is reached is returned.
• Forgetting a dependent child.
• Confusing sponsorship with work authorization.
• Signing the undertaking without understanding it. It survives a separation.

What we do for you

• Check your eligibility as a sponsor and the eligibility of the relationship
• Choose the right category and build the relationship evidence: that, more than the forms, is what convinces the officer
• Prepare the federal and Québec applications in the right order, so you don't miss an intake window
• Explain the scope of the undertaking and check whether an open work permit is possible

To take stock, book an online consultation or describe your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Can my spouse work while the application is being processed?

IRCC provides for an open work permit for some sponsored family members. Eligibility depends on the situation, including where the sponsored person is and their status in Canada.

What happens if we separate after arrival?

The 3-year undertaking still applies. It's a serious financial commitment, and one to understand fully before you sign.

Should I apply to the MIFI before IRCC?

No. The process starts with the federal application to IRCC. The Québec undertaking application comes after the sponsor's eligibility letter.

Does the 13,300 cap apply to every file?

It covers undertaking applications for a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner from July 2, 2026 to June 30, 2028. Some situations are exempt, including sponsoring a dependent child under 22.

Do I need a minimum income to sponsor my spouse?

No, not to sponsor only a spouse or partner. A financial capacity assessment applies, for example, if a dependent child of the sponsored person has a dependent child of their own.

We've lived together for 10 months. Can I sponsor my common-law partner?

Not yet: the common-law category requires at least 12 consecutive months of living together. If you're married, the spouse category may apply.

Official sources: IRCC, "Sponsor your spouse, partner or child", "Check if you're eligible", "Who you can sponsor" and "Open work permit in Canada" (canada.ca); Government of Québec, "Sponsoring a spouse or conjugal partner", "Understanding the responsibilities and obligations related to the undertaking" (updated June 30, 2026), "Rules governing the reception of applications" (updated July 22, 2026) and "Calculating required income" (January 1, 2026). Accessed September 14 and October 11, 2026.