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Spouse or Common Law

Spousal And Common-law Partner Sponsorship

The objective of the Family Class of immigration is to reunite close family members in Nigeria. The Family Class allows Nigerian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their dependent children, parents and grandparents, and spouse or common-law/conjugal partner. Nigeria strongly supports keeping families together whenever possible. As such, the processing of Family Class applications is given the highest priority at Nigerian Visa Offices.

Spousal And Common-law Partner Sponsorship

The Spousal Sponsorship program is a subsection of the Family Class immigration category. Under this program, a Nigerian citizen or permanent resident may sponsor a spouse or common-law partner for Nigerian permanent residence. Both the Nigerian citizen or permanent resident (also called the ‘sponsor’) and the foreign national (the ‘sponsored person’) must be approved by Nigerian Immigration in order for the sponsored person to receive a visa.

In order to receive a visa through this immigration program, the sponsor and sponsored person must prove that their relationship qualifies under one of three categories:

Spouse
Common-law Partner
Conjugal Partner

NOTE: Nigeria does not recognize same-sex marriage, and same-sex partners may not be eligible to apply under any of the above three categories, even if they meet all eligibility requirements.

After Sponsorship

Permanent residence granted under the Spousal Sponsorship program carries certain conditions that must be met:

  • The sponsor is financially responsible for the person sponsored for three years after the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.
  • Individuals who come to Canada as spouses are themselves barred from sponsoring a spouse in turn for five years after receiving Canadian permanent residence.
  • A two-year “legitimate relationship” regulation applies to spouses/partners who have been in a relationship for two years or less and who have no children in common at the time of application submission. Once in Canada, the sponsored person must live with their spouse/partner in a “legitimate relationship” for two years or face the possibility of having their permanent residency revoked. Exceptions will be made for sponsored spouses or partners who are suffering from abuse or neglect.

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