Outland - Canadian Citizen + Aussie sponsorship

[ANZ2026]

Hi everyone,

I’m a Canadian citizen currently living in Australia with my fiancé, who is Australian. We are in a common-law relationship, and I’m in the final months of processing my Australian permanent residency through Sustralian spousal sponsorship. We’ve recently decided we want to move to Canada for better job prospects/life and plan to do so as soon as possible — likely in early 2026, or whenever my fiancé’s Canadian spousal PR is granted.

I have a few questions:

1. We probably can’t have a full ceremonial wedding anytime soon due to finances and are thinking of doing a simple court marriage. Will this be acceptable for Canadian immigration purposes?
2. Are there specific financial cut-offs for being eligible to sponsor a spouse? My fiancé graduates from university this December, and at the moment we live on my income alone. We are both veterinarians (she will be) and expect salaries of around $100K each in Canada.
3. As my Australian PR is still processing, will this cause issues if we apply for her Canadian spousal PR now? Should we wait until my Australian PR application is decided before applying? I anticipate that the approval should be in the next few months

 

[canuck78]

Hi everyone,

I’m a Canadian citizen currently living in Australia with my fiancé, who is Australian. We are in a common-law relationship, and I’m in the final months of processing my Australian permanent residency through Sustralian spousal sponsorship. We’ve recently decided we want to move to Canada for better job prospects/life and plan to do so as soon as possible — likely in early 2026, or whenever my fiancé’s Canadian spousal PR is granted.

I have a few questions:

1. We probably can’t have a full ceremonial wedding anytime soon due to finances and are thinking of doing a simple court marriage. Will this be acceptable for Canadian immigration purposes?
2. Are there specific financial cut-offs for being eligible to sponsor a spouse? My fiancé graduates from university this December, and at the moment we live on my income alone. We are both veterinarians (she will be) and expect salaries of around $100K each in Canada.
3. As my Australian PR is still processing, will this cause issues if we apply for her Canadian spousal PR now? Should we wait until my Australian PR application is decided before applying? I anticipate that the approval should be in the next few months

1. No need to get married if you are common law.
2. You need to show you have the funds to survive without government help and/or have a plan to be able to support yourself in Canada. Very easy to get a job as a vet in Canada so ability to secure work on arrival could be mentioned if funds are limited.
3. No need to wait. You will need to show concrete proof that you plan on relocating to Canada to get approved.

 

[armoured]

I'd add only: if you do decide to get married, it does make sense to do it before applying - only because it makes the officer's job easier (common law requires a bit of judgment/subjective analysis). That said, not a big difference.

And shouldn't make any difference to speak of in your case whether a big or small marriage, or just city hall.