Sponsor my common law partner inland

[ottzen12]

Hi there!

I’ve held Permanent Resident (PR) status since November 2024. My girlfriend and I became common-law partners in January 2025.

She is currently on a Study Permit, which is set to expire at the end of the summer. She plans to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) in August after completing her program.

We are considering applying for her PR through spousal sponsorship. My question is:

Would it be better to apply for PR now while she is still on her valid Study Permit (and later apply for her PGWP), or should we wait until she applies for her PGWP and is on maintained status?


Additionally:

1. Is it acceptable to apply for PR while she is under maintained status (i.e., waiting for PGWP approval)?
2. Would either of these scenarios (applying now vs. after PGWP application) affect her ability to work while the PR application is being processed?

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

 

[Ponga]

Hi there!

I’ve held Permanent Resident (PR) status since November 2024. My girlfriend and I became common-law partners in January 2025.

She is currently on a Study Permit, which is set to expire at the end of the summer. She plans to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) in August after completing her program.

We are considering applying for her PR through spousal sponsorship. My question is:

Would it be better to apply for PR now while she is still on her valid Study Permit (and later apply for her PGWP), or should we wait until she applies for her PGWP and is on maintained status?


Additionally:

1. Is it acceptable to apply for PR while she is under maintained status (i.e., waiting for PGWP approval)?
2. Would either of these scenarios (applying now vs. after PGWP application) affect her ability to work while the PR application is being processed?

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

If you have solid evidence of cohabiting together for at least 365 days, there's no reason to wait, IMHO.

It is always recommended that legal status is maintained, although the Inland application for spousal sponsorship waives that requirement. Having said that...

1. It is acceptable.
2. Possibly. If you submit the sponsorship application package (while she still has status, including Maintained Status), she would be eligible for an Open Work Permit once the AOR has been received (Acknowledgement of Receipt), meaning that IRCC has `received' that application(s). She may not even need the PGWP, dependng on the processing time for the sponsorship application.

 

[MJSPARV]

Do you mean you started living together in January 2025, or that you reached 12 months of continuous cohabitation in January 2025?