Canada IRCC Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced the backlog of immigrants wanting to sponsor their spouses from abroad has dropped to 15,000 from 75,000 in 2016.

For applicants who filed after December 2016, the wait time is about 12 months; applicants prior to December 2016 have an average 26 month wait time. Canada's Liberal government has made family reunification a key immigration priority, in 2018, sponsored spouse admissions are projected to hit about 66,000.

In April 2017, Canada ended the regulation that some sponsored spouses or partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents were required to live with their sponsor in order to keep their permanent resident status.

The Family Class Application (Spousal Sponsorship path) is a way for a permanent resident or citizen of Canada to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner (including same-sex partner) to immigrate to Canada.

As of December 2014, the Canadian government has decided that any eligible spouses or partners in Canada who are applying through sponsorship of their spouse would be permitted to work while they wait for the processing to be completed. The IRCC issues "open work permits" to those who have applied for permanent residency from within Canadian borders.

This application is best done with the help of a knowledgeable and experienced professional. They can help you to understand any points of confusion or overcome any issues that may pose a challenge to the application process. You can find the application packages at the IRCC web pages for spouses in Canada and those outside of the country.