SPOUSE OR COMMON-LAW PARTNER IN CANADA
Starting from February 18, 2005 Canadian sponsors are allowed to bring sponsorship applications for their spouses or common-law partners who are in Canada (whether legally or illegally) within the country.
This type of applications allows the families to stay united in Canada throughout the duration of the processing of the in -Canada sponsorship application and subsequent application for permanent rersidence of sponsor's spouse or common-law spouse.
The length of the sponsorship application for such category is three years.
The children of such sponsored spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian sponsor might be included into the in-Canada application for permanent residence and in case of its' approval, their cases will be finalized by the Canadian Visa Mission responsible for the country of such dependent children citizenship or legal permanent residence.
Please note that the children of such applicants, who reside in Canada during their sponsorship process, are allowed to join the Canadian public education system and study in Canada even before the application is processed and receives an approval. The average processing time of such applications is 10-12 months, after which the applicant receives the so-called “approval in principal” and is eligible to apply for a Canadian work permit, study permit, and, in the province of Ontario, OHIP (medical insurance coverage) even prior to the factual receipt of the status of a Canadian Permanent Resident.