Canada to Accelerate Spousal Sponsorship with New Processing Tools
Canada is set to improve the processing time for overseas spousal sponsorship applications, including common-law partners, by introducing two new automation tools. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to streamline the eligibility approval process for sponsors and principal applicants within the family-class category.
The primary objective is to clear the existing backlog of applications and enhance future processing efficiency. Currently, IRCC uses similar automation tools for handling post-graduation work permits (PGWPs), International Experience Canada (IEC) applications, and Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-based applications. These tools have also been used for super visas and visitor visas.
The new initiative will categorize routine and standard Family Class overseas spouse and partner applications by grouping them according to common attributes. This method will help in reducing the processing times, which currently can take around 12 months or more.
The automation tools are designed to assist immigration officers in making eligibility decisions without taking away their final decision-making authority. The tools will not reject applications but will help in faster processing by automating routine approvals.
One of the new tools focuses on automating the review of the sponsorship section of applications. This tool identifies common examples for immediate acceptance. If an application’s sponsorship section is not automatically authorized, it is then manually reviewed by an officer. This allows officers to concentrate on more complex cases, thus speeding up the overall decision-making process.
The second tool is aimed at the primary applicant section of the application. It identifies routine applications for faster processing. The automation tool can determine the eligibility of the primary applicant and forward the case to an officer for final approval.
Processing times for spousal sponsorship vary:
Spousal sponsorship allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner for permanent residency in Canada.
The new automation tools are expected to shorten the active eligibility processing time, directly benefiting applicants. "Active eligibility processing" refers to the time spent by decision-makers in determining an applicant’s eligibility. Indirectly, these tools will help by speeding up the overall processing of information.
The automation tools will not reject spousal applications. They are designed to triage applications, automate certain positive sponsorship approvals, and make some positive eligibility decisions for primary applicants. All rejections will still be conducted by immigration officers after a thorough, personalized evaluation of applications that cannot be approved by the system.
Having an 'Identity Verified' badge or being 'Identity Verified' simply indicates that an individual has submitted information to complete our identity verification process or we have conducted internal verification using various authorized websites. While this process includes safeguards, it does not guarantee that the person is who they claim to be.
If you encounter any issues with this profile, please report them here. While all consultants who are verified have RCIC ID, we may not have the latest data in terms of their renewal/cancellation/discontinuation of their RCIC ID.