Canada recognizes same-sex marriages for immigration purposes

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has adopted a new policy recognizing same-sex marriages for all immigration purposes.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in many Canadian provinces as a result of court decisions beginning in 2003. On July 20, 2005, a new law made same-sex marriage legal everywhere in Canada.

Canada will now recognize a same sex marriage performed anywhere in the world where such marriages are legal.

Before adoption of this policy, it was already possible for a same-sex partner to sponsor another person as a Canadian permanent resident. However, this would be done as a common-law partner or conjugal partner, rather than as spouse. So what has changed? A common-law partnership must have lasted for at least one year when the application is filed. There is no such requirement for a marriage. The new policy makes it simpler and faster to sponsor a same-sex spouse.

For more information, see our article on this subject.