Eu Member moving to Canada for Common Law (Inland) - August 2026

[MDudas96]

Hey guys,
So I am an Eu citizen who is exempt from having to get a visitor visa as I can enter the country for 6 months with just an eTA. Once we are there we are looking to commence the application for a Common Law Visa as my partner is Canadian and can sponsor me to then eventually get PR. The pathway we found on the official websites does not include information about entering and then settling from a country that does not need a Visa. What is the process like? Has anyone had experience with this? I am aware that due to how long it can take to process the CLV I may need to apply for a Visitor extension which is fine but what is the process like from this angle ? Any advice or additional information is suer useful !

 

[Naturgrl]

There is no common law visa. Partner is sponsoring you for Permanent Residency. So if you are common law then you have proof that you have lived together continuously for at least 12 months (leases, bank statements, utilities, taxes etc.). Partner is taking on a financial obligation to support you for a minimum of 3 years.

Once in Canada, apply for sponsorship. You can stay up to 6 months on your eTA so before the 6 months is up then apply for a visitor record to extend stay. Once you get AOR (around 4-6 months after PR application is submitted) then you can apply for a work permit. Processing is another 6-8 months. You don't leave during the process except for a short visit.

 

[MDudas96]

Awesome, thanks for clarifying that. Just to be clear we are not married yet hence why thinking of applying for the common law route. I'm guessing it makes sense to do it and just apply for permanent residence with him as my sponsor then once we have the licence?