Sponsorship agreement question…

[AngeniMai]

I was wondering if anybody would happen to know the answer to this - if a spouse returned to their home country for a year and then returned to Canada, would it add another year to the financial aspect of the agreement? My wife (citizen) and I (PR) were together in Canada for 2 years after I immigrated before separation. Now we are planning for me to return to Canada to reconcile, but I’m unsure of if our relationship broke down again if it would mean her still having to support me as it’s not clear if the sponsorship agreement covers only the three years immediately following PR being granted once landed or if it only covers time physically spent in Canada. I don’t want to be forced to make the decision I had to make the last time around (return to my home country or be a financial burden on her). Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[AngeniMai]

Anybody?

 

[armoured]

I was wondering if anybody would happen to know the answer to this - if a spouse returned to their home country for a year and then returned to Canada, would it add another year to the financial aspect of the agreement? My wife (citizen) and I (PR) were together in Canada for 2 years after I immigrated before separation. Now we are planning for me to return to Canada to reconcile, but I’m unsure of if our relationship broke down again if it would mean her still having to support me as it’s not clear if the sponsorship agreement covers only the three years immediately following PR being granted once landed or if it only covers time physically spent in Canada. I don’t want to be forced to make the decision I had to make the last time around (return to my home country or be a financial burden on her). Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA

First, no, it's for the number of years from the time of landing.

But more importantly, the sponsorship agreement only covers and refers to the sponsor reimbursing the government for certain types of social assistance (if the sponsored-PR happens to make recourse to those forms of social assistance).

So, don't want to be a burden? Then ... don't be a burden on the government either.

Note, though, the sponsorship only covers what I described above: if you and your spouse have any financial entanglements or if a court in separation/divorce finds that one spouse owes the other support of any kind, that's still on the table. But up to you and your spouse to work out before getting the courts involved.

 

[Ponga]

Note, though, the sponsorship only covers what I described above: if you and your spouse have any financial entanglements or if a court in separation/divorce finds that one spouse owes the other support of any kind, that's still on the table. But up to you and your spouse to work out before getting the courts involved.

Are you sure? My understanding is/was that the sponsor is responsible for supporting the sponsored spouse/partner for 3 years, even if not reimbursing the government:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/spouse-partner-children/eligibility.html

Who is eligible to sponsor their spouse, partner or child

You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child if:

you can provide for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor.



And, this:

https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=1355&top=14

 

[armoured]

Are you sure? My understanding is/was that the sponsor is responsible for supporting the sponsored spouse/partner for 3 years, even if not reimbursing the government:

I think the way to look at this in terms of what's going on:
-yes, sponsor is responsible for 'basic needs';
-government can step in to provide something like/something government considers to be basic needs via social assistance (usually / mostly on a needs basis);
-government can, on basis of the sponsorship agreement, (attempt to) recover any funds paid to support the sponsored PRs;
-sponsors/spouses remain responsible for each other to whatever degree provided for under local/civil/contract means (i.e. prenuptial and other agreements, regular divorce/separation procedures, etc).

Put differently, the sponsor and sponsored spouse are responsible for each other the way any married/common law couple is - the one can sue the other. Government can't do much about that (xcept via the courts and etc, alimony and child support requirements to extent there are any). It's almost all a provincial matter.

The rest: govt doesn't make PRs (the sponsored ones) ineligible for social assistance - they still have access to the social safety net (however minimal). And a wee bit of stick in terms of the threat of recovery / ineligiblity for subsequent sponsorships.

They can attempt to check the sponsor has some minimal capacity to support a sposue but that's contingent on work, the market, health., etc - and willingness to actually do so. Or put differently, to some degree what government's doing is mostly about that last, the willingness - to ensure the sponsor has some incentive to not just abandon the spouse they sponsored.

Anyway 'why' it's like this is my interpretation, but I think in the main on the simple mechanics part it's accurate. If it helps anyway.