Quebecers! How Are You Dealing With This Spousal Sponsorship Plot Twist? Roll for Initiative…

[Keyjoe23]

If you are factually/substantively living in Quebec, then you will have to continue paying the 'additional' taxes (adjust) in Quebec. Which will be admitting that you reside there.

And if you don't - you're not paying the taxes due in Quebec. And Quebec won't get the adjustment taxes they are due from Ontario, because you didn't declare it properly. (Yes, the provinces adjust between each other afterwards)

That's is true but if I move tomorrow to Ontario, I'll be paying taxes in Ontario starting August 2025 which is a prove that I reside in Ontario or at least moved.

I have to submit the application before October so I have to make a move within August/Sept max.

 

[YVR123]

That's is true but if I move tomorrow to Ontario, I'll be paying taxes in Ontario starting August 2025 which is a prove that I reside in Ontario or at least moved.

I have to submit the application before October so I have to make a move within August/Sept max.

why do you need to submit the application before October?

 

[Keyjoe23]

why do you need to submit the application before October?

That's as per the deadline in the invitation PDF.

 

[armoured]

That's is true but if I move tomorrow to Ontario, I'll be paying taxes in Ontario starting August 2025 which is a prove that I reside in Ontario or at least moved.

I have to submit the application before October so I have to make a move within August/Sept max.

Again, my point is only that you should completely move and not fart about with 'renting a room' and that as your 'friend' had suggested. Any games you play run risks for you. Not worth it - IMO.

The rest is up to you.

 

[Keyjoe23]

Again, my point is only that you should completely move and not fart about with 'renting a room' and that as your 'friend' had suggested. Any games you play run risks for you. Not worth it - IMO.

The rest is up to you.

That's what I intend to do I don't mind moving, I'm already remote employee so I don't have restrictions with locations.
so basically I need to have a lease in ontario, transfer my driving license from Quebec to Ontario (and def. my car plate), apply for health card in Ontario and changes addresses here and there + Phone number).

Issue is that some of these things may take more than 2 months which is the timeframe I've got to apply for the sponsorship.

 

[armoured]

That's what I intend to do I don't mind moving, I'm already remote employee so I don't have restrictions with locations.
so basically I need to have a lease in ontario, transfer my driving license from Quebec to Ontario (and def. my car plate), apply for health card in Ontario and changes addresses here and there + Phone number).

Issue is that some of these things may take more than 2 months which is the timeframe I've got to apply for the sponsorship.

You're avoiding recognizing the part of your statement before: "A friend of mine told me that I can rent even a small room on Ottawa or something and change my driving license to be in Ontario."

Which clearly meant a fake move.

You shouldn't need to have all of these things done at the point you apply. And providing evidence that you've applied for the parts you haven't completed should be sufficient.

 

[YVR123]

You're avoiding recognizing the part of your statement before: "A friend of mine told me that I can rent even a small room on Ottawa or something and change my driving license to be in Ontario."

Which clearly meant a fake move.

You shouldn't need to have all of these things done at the point you apply. And providing evidence that you've applied for the parts you haven't completed should be sufficient.

This is the part that I got confused. I think he only needs to be living in Ontario when he applies to sponsor his spouse. And that's months from now.

In terms of the economic stream, I am not familiar enough to comment.

 

[armoured]

This is the part that I got confused. I think he only needs to be living in Ontario when he applies to sponsor his spouse. And that's months from now.

In terms of the economic stream, I am not familiar enough to comment.

I had assumed it was due to the new round of PGP invitations - which I gather are going out now.

And that's why I think there's a deadline in October to submit.

 

[Keyjoe23]

You're avoiding recognizing the part of your statement before: "A friend of mine told me that I can rent even a small room on Ottawa or something and change my driving license to be in Ontario."

Which clearly meant a fake move.

You shouldn't need to have all of these things done at the point you apply. And providing evidence that you've applied for the parts you haven't completed should be sufficient.

Not sure I understand your comment.

I'm not avoiding anything, I just said what someone told me I can do because him when he applied for this PR, he applied through Ontario, was renting a room in Ottawa as primary address and was living in Quebec all the time and got his PR.

He told me I can do that but I'm not going to risk something. But even if you do a fake move, having a primary address (lease + utilities) in Ontario + Job in Ontario should be enough. Anything "extra" such as driving license changes, bank statements etc is just to be risk free. Otherwise there is no way they prove you were not living in this province you claim you are living in especially if you avoid doing any charged in your bank account from that other province.

 

[armoured]

Not sure I understand your comment.

I'm not avoiding anything, I just said what someone told me I can do because him when he applied for this PR, he applied through Ontario, was renting a room in Ottawa as primary address and was living in Quebec all the time and got his PR.

My comment is: don't do this. It's misrepresentation.

He told me I can do that but I'm not going to risk something.

I disagree that this is zero risk.

But even if you do a fake move, having a primary address (lease + utilities) in Ontario + Job in Ontario should be enough. Anything "extra" such as driving license changes, bank statements etc is just to be risk free. Otherwise there is no way they prove you were not living in this province you claim you are living in especially if you avoid doing any charged in your bank account from that other province.

Up to you. I think it's a bad idea, and claims that there is no way to prove are ... stupid.

 

[YVR123]

I had assumed it was due to the new round of PGP invitations - which I gather are going out now.

And that's why I think there's a deadline in October to submit.

OIC! Thanks for pointing it out. That member needs to really move to Ontario before submission then.

 

[canuck78]

Not sure I understand your comment.

I'm not avoiding anything, I just said what someone told me I can do because him when he applied for this PR, he applied through Ontario, was renting a room in Ottawa as primary address and was living in Quebec all the time and got his PR.

He told me I can do that but I'm not going to risk something. But even if you do a fake move, having a primary address (lease + utilities) in Ontario + Job in Ontario should be enough. Anything "extra" such as driving license changes, bank statements etc is just to be risk free. Otherwise there is no way they prove you were not living in this province you claim you are living in especially if you avoid doing any charged in your bank account from that other province.

This is fraud and misrepresentation on many levels. Your friend may also run into issues when he applies for citizenship if he lied that he was an Ontario resident when actually living in Quebec the whole time. IRCC is much stricter when it comes to misrepresentation these days. Good luck if you get into a car accident for example and the insurance company discovers you aren’t actually living in Ontario. Access healthcare and if either Quebec or Ontario realize you are not living in Ontario they could bill you for any healthcare you receive. You’d be committing tax fraud if you continue living in Quebec but are declaring yourself as an Ontario resident. There are significant longterm potential consequences including for your parents if you misrepresent your address on their PGP application. Getting selected for PGP is literally winning the lottery these days so it boggles my mind why anyone would risk losing this opportunity. Given Quebec has closed family sponsored there will be many cases like yours that will likely receive additional scrutiny to ensure you actually permanently moved outside Quebec.

 

[Keyjoe23]

This is fraud and misrepresentation on many levels. Your friend may also run into issues when he applies for citizenship if he lied that he was an Ontario resident when actually living in Quebec the whole time. IRCC is much stricter when it comes to misrepresentation these days. Good luck if you get into a car accident for example and the insurance company discovers you aren’t actually living in Ontario. Access healthcare and if either Quebec or Ontario realize you are not living in Ontario they could bill you for any healthcare you receive. You’d be committing tax fraud if you continue living in Quebec but are declaring yourself as an Ontario resident. There are significant longterm potential consequences including for your parents if you misrepresent your address on their PGP application. Getting selected for PGP is literally winning the lottery these days so it boggles my mind why anyone would risk losing this opportunity. Given Quebec has closed family sponsored there will be many cases like yours that will likely receive additional scrutiny to ensure you actually permanently moved outside Quebec.

Not a fraud and not misrepresentation. I said I'll move completely what is your issue here?
I mentioned what a friend did and on papers he is doing everything legally.
Also when you apply for citizenship it will not matter where you lived, oh yes you sign an intend to reside here or there but guess what, any court will rule that you are free to live where you want as a PR citizen that's why there is barely any case where someone got rejected citizenship for not living in the province he applied the PR from. Life changes, job changes and people move. It's freedom of moving.

When I move to Ontario I'll change my driving license and hence I'll also need to change my car registration since it's tied to my current driving license and in this case I'll need to also change insurance, that's all kept in mind.
And I'll apply for Ontario Health Care Card and use it going forward if I need to, but I've got private insurance already from my employer and I never even used Quebec Health Card.

Why do you call someone who intend to move out of the province to be misrepresenting or committing a fraud?

Btw I asked few lawyers about this and all of them told me there is no issue but just make sure you have a robust proofs that you reside in Ontario before you even submit the application. And many of them told me that almost 50% of people getting PRs and citizenships are not even residing where they mention and that the system has too many flaws people use "legally". And when I saw legally is because if IRCC catches you, a court will rule in your favor because of the charters and freedom of displacement.

 

[canuck78]

Not a fraud and not misrepresentation. I said I'll move completely what is your issue here?
I mentioned what a friend did and on papers he is doing everything legally.
Also when you apply for citizenship it will not matter where you lived, oh yes you sign an intend to reside here or there but guess what, any court will rule that you are free to live where you want as a PR citizen that's why there is barely any case where someone got rejected citizenship for not living in the province he applied the PR from. Life changes, job changes and people move. It's freedom of moving.

When I move to Ontario I'll change my driving license and hence I'll also need to change my car registration since it's tied to my current driving license and in this case I'll need to also change insurance, that's all kept in mind.
And I'll apply for Ontario Health Care Card and use it going forward if I need to, but I've got private insurance already from my employer and I never even used Quebec Health Card.

Why do you call someone who intend to move out of the province to be misrepresenting or committing a fraud?

Btw I asked few lawyers about this and all of them told me there is no issue but just make sure you have a robust proofs that you reside in Ontario before you even submit the application. And many of them told me that almost 50% of people getting PRs and citizenships are not even residing where they mention and that the system has too many flaws people use "legally". And when I saw legally is because if IRCC catches you, a court will rule in your favor because of the charters and freedom of displacement.

“A friend of mine told me that I can rent even a small room on Ottawa or something and change my driving license to be in Ontario.” Not exactly a clear statement of intent to relocate to Ontario.

Although there is freedom of movement in Canada after you receive PR if you declare you will not settle in Quebec and apply to a PR program that excludes Quebec yet never leave Quebec that could be considered misrepresentation. If you also declared an Ontario address that was never your residence that could be also be considered misrepresentation. You would have obtained PR under false pretences so not a freedom of movement issue it is a misrepresentation on I assume CEC. This is especially an issue when Quebec is in involved. Both Quebec and IRCC will likely be looking very carefully at the applicants who leave Quebec to sponsor and move right across the border. Who knows if IRCC will actually target people when they apply for citizenship for misrepresentation (or before when fraud is involved). Partially depends on sentiment in Canada and pressure from Quebec. Provinces have indicated they want ways to ensure people at least attempt to settle in the province(s) they get PR through. Quebec also uses CSQ to try to prevent people returning soon after obtaining PR because without CSQ new PRs don’t get access to certain services.

 

[wedness]

Hey fellow immigration warriors,

So I just saw the news that Quebec has basically hit “Pause” on new spousal sponsorship applications until June 2026. Like… excuse me?!

Is anyone else feeling like they accidentally selected “Hard Mode” on this immigration game?

Seriously though, to my Quebec folks:

Are you thinking of packing your bags for Ontario or New Brunswick to dodge this madness?

Were you just about to apply and now feel totally derailed?

Has anyone successfully moved their plans to another province before? How complicated was it?

And for those mid-process… how does it feel to have just applied before this madness?

I’m in total shock because I’ve never seen something like this happen in Canada before. It feels surreal, and honestly, I feel awful for everyone caught in the middle.

Drop your timelines, your rants, your memes link, or your master plans for escaping this bureaucratic black hole. Let’s crowdsource some survival strategies.

Wishing you all some natural 20s on your immigration rolls.

My timeline (living in BC, commonlaw inland sponsorship)

My timeline;
Applied Feb 4 2025
AOR Feb 27 2025
BIL & Pre arrival services letter - June 9th 2025
BIL Completed: June 10th 2025
PA Eligibility (APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE) & sponsor eligibility - June 13

I can't imagine planning to apply and then seeing this announcement. If I were in Quebec, I'd definitely be looking into whether relocating to another province is actually worth it or if it just creates more delays. Has anyone here already decided to move because of this?