Understanding Marriage Fraud – Canadian Immigration

Before deciding to marry someone from another country and sponsor them to come to Canada, it is important to consider the following: if you have just met them, if they are wanting to get married quickly, if they have been married or in a common-law relationship many times before, and if they have not provided much information about their background or family. If you do choose to sponsor your spouse, you must provide them with financial support for 3 years, even if the marriage or relationship fails. This is a legal contract with the Government of Canada and you must meet the terms of it. If your spouse uses social assistance then you will have to repay the money and can’t sponsor anyone else until the debt is repaid. It is a crime for a foreign national to marry a Canadian citizen or permanent resident only to gain entry to Canada.

Please note that some information in this video is out of date and is in the process of being updated. Specifically, sponsored spouses or partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents do not need to live with their sponsor to keep their permanent resident status. The Government of Canada removed the condition requiring spouses and partners to live with their sponsor for 2 years in April 2017.

Marriages of convenience

A marriage of convenience is a marriage in which the couple are primarily motivated by benefits other than romantic love. These benefits might include social status, economic security, or immigration advantages. Such arrangements have often been used historically as a way for individuals or families to gain social standing or financial stability.