What is a Common-Law Relationship?
A common-law partnership is a legally recognized relationship between two people who have lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. This applies to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples. Couples who cannot meet the cohabitation requirement may explore spousal sponsorship (if married) or, where a genuine exceptional barrier exists, conjugal partner sponsorship.
Key Requirement: The 12 months of cohabitation must be continuous. Short absences for business travel or family visits are acceptable, but the relationship must not have been interrupted.
Proving Common-Law Status
You must provide evidence demonstrating that you have lived together for at least 12 months in a marriage-like relationship. Acceptable evidence includes:
Joint Documents
- • Joint lease or mortgage
- • Joint bank accounts
- • Joint utility bills
- • Joint insurance policies
Individual Documents
- • Driver's licenses showing same address
- • Government IDs with same address
- • Correspondence addressed to both
- • Employment records showing same address
Common Refusal Reasons
Insufficient Cohabitation Evidence
Unable to prove 12 consecutive months of living together.
Relationship Not Genuine
IRCC determines the relationship was entered into primarily for immigration purposes.
Previous Undeclared Relationships
Failure to declare a previous common-law relationship.
Quick Facts
- Cohabitation Required:12 months
- Undertaking:3 years
- Processing:10-16 months
- Minimum Age:18 years
Same-Sex Couples
Same-sex common-law relationships are fully recognized for Canadian immigration purposes. All requirements and processes are identical to opposite-sex couples.
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A consultation is required for case-specific advice on your common-law sponsorship.
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