My Husband Sponsored Me and We Have Now Separated

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Canadian citizens and permanent residents who live in Canada can apply to sponsor (bring) certain family members to live with them in Canada. If your spouse sponsored you and you later separate, your right to remain in Canada depends on:

  • whether you are a permanent resident, and
  • whether that 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 must live with your spouse for at least two years after you arrive in Canada. If you separate from your spouse before the two years are completed, you may be required to leave Canada. The only exceptions are if your sponsor dies within the two year period or you can show there has been abuse or neglect in the relationship.

Permanent resident status is conditional if:

  • your sponsorship application 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.

If you are not a permanent resident and want to remain in Canada, you may either: apply for refugee status (see the section "I want to claim refugee status in Canada"), or apply for permanent resident status based on humanitarian and compassionate considerations.

If you are not a permanent resident and want to remain in Canada, you may either:

First steps[edit]

  1. You should try to get help from a lawyer or a settlement or community agency:
  2. If you are a conditional permanent resident and you separate from your spouse because of abuse or neglect, you can apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada to request that you be granted full permanent resident status without the two-year waiting period. You need to gather documents to prove the abuse or neglect. You should try to get help from a lawyer.
  3. If you have a child, you should also obtain legal advice regarding the custody of your child. See "I just separated from the other parent of my children" in this Guide.
  4. If you fear returning to your country of nationality, you may want to seek legal advice about applying for refugee status. See the section "I want to claim refugee status in Canada."
  5. If you were sponsored by your husband and the sponsorship application is not completed at the time of the separation, and you wish to apply to stay in Canada, you should obtain legal advice. Your sponsorship application may be converted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to an application to remain in Canada on humanitarian or compassionate grounds (an "H&C application") or you may have to make a new H&C application.
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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." Obtaining income assistance may have a negative impact on an H&C application.

What happens next[edit]

When you complete an H&C application, you must show Citizenship and Immigration Canada that you can become established in Canada on your own or that your removal to your country will cause you or your children unusual or undeserved hardship. It is important to provide information concerning the strength of your connections to Canada, the impact leaving Canada will have on you and your children, how you have supported yourself in Canada, whether you were the victim of domestic violence, and the hardship you will face if returned to your home country. It is very helpful to obtain letters of support and other documents to support your application.

H&C applications take a long time to process, typically between one and half and two years.

If your application is denied, you may be removed from Canada. Prior to removal you may receive an application for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA). At this stage Canada Border Services Agency will consider whether you are at risk of torture, death or persecution if removed from Canada.

It may be possible to review a negative H&C decision or a negative PRRA decision to the Federal Court of Canada.

Where to get help[edit]

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

Before meeting with a lawyer or advocate, complete the form Preparing for Your Interview included in this Guide. Make sure you bring copies of all documents relating to your case.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Rochelle Appleby, January 2013.


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