Below is a message CIC sent me when I informed them of a change in my marital status being from single to married.
Thank you for informing us of your change in marital status.
If your spouse or common-law partner (CLP) is a Canadian citizen or if they have obtained permanent residence status in Canada, you are required to send us a proof of their status (birth certificate, Permanent Resident Card, etc.).
If your spouse or CLP is NOT a Canadian citizen or has NOT obtained Permanent Residence status in Canada, you will need to complete each of the following steps in order to have them added to your existing application and examined for compliance with admissibility requirements (medical, criminality and security). Unless otherwise stated, the following is mandatory, whether or not your spouse or CLP decides to accompany you to Canada.
so I guess you have to inform them of your status change. The response time was surprisingly fast considering their reputation, lol.. I wrote them 3 emails and received all 3 replies on the following day. hope it helps.