Getting married after AOR – How to add spouse to PR application?

[ilyess]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in Canada with a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

My fiancée is also on a PGWP and she is the principal applicant for permanent residence (application already submitted, AOR received, waiting for a decision).

We are planning to get married soon, but we are not sure what happens next.

My main questions are:

1. Once we get married, should my fiancée inform IRCC through the webform or directly in her online account?


2. What documents do I need to prepare as the new spouse (passport, marriage certificate, police certificate, medical exam, etc.)?


3. Will this delay her PR application significantly?


4. Has anyone here gone through the same process and can share how long it took after adding a spouse?



We want to make sure we do the right thing.

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[Miss bee]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in Canada with a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

My fiancée is also on a PGWP and she is the principal applicant for permanent residence (application already submitted, AOR received, waiting for a decision).

We are planning to get married soon, but we are not sure what happens next.

My main questions are:

1. Once we get married, should my fiancée inform IRCC through the webform or directly in her online account?


2. What documents do I need to prepare as the new spouse (passport, marriage certificate, police certificate, medical exam, etc.)?


3. Will this delay her PR application significantly?


4. Has anyone here gone through the same process and can share how long it took after adding a spouse?



We want to make sure we do the right thing.

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance

1. How to inform IRCC after marriage
Yes, your fiancée (the principal applicant) must inform IRCC as soon as you are married.

• She should use the IRCC webform and also upload the update in her online PR application account (if possible). The webform is the official channel to report changes in family composition (marriage, divorce, birth, etc.).
• IRCC will then respond with instructions and a request for documents to add you to the application.

2. Documents you will need as the new spouse
Typically, IRCC requests the following (they will send a checklist once notified):
Marriage certificate (official document, not just a license).

• Passport bio-data page (clear copy).
• Digital photos (meeting IRCC photo specifications).
• Police certificates for every country where you’ve lived 6+ months since age 18 (including Canada, if requested).
• Medical exam (they usually send instructions for an “upfront medical” or a medical request letter).
• Forms: You’ll likely be asked to complete your own set of forms, such as IMM 5406 (Additional Family Information) and possibly IMM 5669 (Schedule A – Background/Declaration).

3. Impact on processing time
Yes, this can delay the final decision, because IRCC cannot finalize your fiancée’s PR until your eligibility and admissibility (medical, criminal, security) are assessed.

• The length of the delay depends on the visa office workload and whether your documents are straightforward (e.g., no missing police certificates).
• Often, people report delays of a few months (sometimes 3–8 months), but it varies.

4.Experiences from others
Many applicants have gone through this. Common experiences:

• Once notified, IRCC usually sends spouse-document requests within a few weeks.
• If police certificates or medical exams take longer, that becomes the bottleneck.
• After submission, some people get final approval within 3–6 months, while others wait longer depending on office and background checks.
• 
  
• It rarely resets the whole application to “day 1,” but it does add processing steps.

Key advice
Do not wait—inform IRCC as soon as you’re legally married. Hiding a marriage or waiting until after approval can cause serious issues (misrepresentation, future sponsorship complications).

• Start preparing police certificates and other documents now, so you can respond quickly when IRCC requests them.
• Keep copies of everything you submit.