How do I sponsor my fiancé to come to Canada?

If you are wondering, “Does Canada offer a fiancé visa and how does it work?”
The short answer is: Canada does not have a fiancé visa, and you cannot sponsor someone simply because they are your fiancé. Canadian immigration requirements only recognize 3 partnership categories for sponsorship:

• Spouse (legally married)
• Common-law partner (lived together 12 full months)
• Conjugal partner (long-term relationship with real barriers to living together or marrying—rare and hard to prove)

Being engaged alone does not qualify someone for permanent residence.

So how do you bring your fiancé to Canada?
Think of it as a two-step plan:

Step 1: Getting your fiancé to Canada temporarily (optional)

Your fiancé may try to come as a visitor, student, or worker, but they must qualify for that permit on their own. Officers will check ties to home, funds, travel history, and whether they will follow the rules.
Canada allows dual intent, meaning they can visit while also planning future PR, but they must still show they will leave if required.

To learn more about whether your fiancé can visit Canada to get married, see our FAQ explaining it. 

Step 2: Becoming eligible for sponsorship

Once you are:

• Legally married, or
• Common-law, or
• Conjugal partners

…you can submit a spousal or partner sponsorship.

You choose inland (if living together in Canada with a valid status) or outland (if your spouse lives mostly abroad).

Only the sponsorship application can lead to permanent residence. Engagement by itself cannot.

For assistance with Canadian immigration, book a consultation with licensed consultants and get to know more about spouse sponsorship Canada. You can also check our Immigration Consultant Fees.