My Husband Sponsored Me and We Have Now Separated

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If your spouse sponsored you and you have separated, your right to remain in Canada depends on:

  • whether you are a permanent resident, and
  • whether your status is conditional.


If you are a permanent resident, and your status is is not conditional, immigration officials cannot ask you to leave Canada if you separate from your spouse.


If you are a permanent resident and your status is conditional:

  • you have to live with your spouse for at least two years after you arrive in Canada. But if your spouse abused or neglected you, you can apply for full permanent resident status without the two-year waiting period. See a lawyer as soon as possible. Look at Where to get help. You will need to gather documents to prove the abuse or neglect.


You do not have to remain in an abusive situation. See Information for Sponsored Spouse or Partners and the resource titled Sponsorship Breakdown, written for permanent residents and conditional permanent residents who need help when the person sponsoring them in Canada is no longer supporting them.


How do I know if my permanent resident status is conditional?

Permanent resident status is conditional if:

  • your sponsorship was filed after October 25, 2012, and
  • at the time of your sponsorship application, you and your spouse did not have a child together, and
  • you had not been married or in a marriage-like relationship for at least two years.

If you and your spouse have a child together after the sponsorship application is filed, then your permanent resident status will still be conditional. NOTE: The government of Canada is reviewing the "conditional" permanent resident program. The law in this area may change.


What if I'm not a permanent resident?

If you are not a permanent resident and you want to remain in Canada, you may do one of two things:

OR


First steps[edit]

  1. Get help from a lawyer or a settlement or community agency:
  2. If you have a child, get legal advice. See I just separated from the other parent of my children.
  3. If you fear returning to your country, get legal advice about how to apply for refugee status. See the section I want to claim refugee status in Canada.
  4. If you were sponsored by your husband and the sponsorship application was not completed when you separated, get legal advice. You may be able to apply to stay in Canada on humanitarian or compassionate grounds. For information, see A Guide to Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications (H&C Applications).
  5. If your spouse is no longer supporting you see the resource titled Sponsorship Breakdown.


Unless you already have a work permit, you are not entitled to work in Canada while an H&C application is under consideration until you have been "approved in principle."

Where to get help[edit]

See the Resource List in this guide for a list of helpful resources. Your best bets are:


This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Rochelle Appleby, March 2017.


Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence Legal Help for British Columbians © Cliff Thorstenson and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.