Spousal Sponsorship Appeals

If you have been denied on your application to sponsor your spouse or partner, your path to challenging that decision depends on whether you submitted a sponsorship application pursuant to the Family Class, or whether you submitted an application pursuant to the Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada Class.

Shory Law can assist with your appeal of a spousal sponsorship refusal to the Immigration Appeal Division, or make an Application for Leave and Judicial Review with the Federal Court of Canada.

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What Happens When Your Spousal Sponsorship Application is Refused?

If you sponsored your partner pursuant to the Family Class (also known as overseas spousal sponsorship), then you have an option to appeal a spousal sponsorship refusal to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. You typically have 30 days from the date you receive the notice of refusal to file your Notice of Appeal.

If you sponsored your partner pursuant to the Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada Class (also known as an in-land spousal sponsorship), then you have the option to pursue an Application for Leave and Judicial Review at the Federal Court of Canada. You typically have 15 days from the date you receive the notice of refusal to file your Application as these decisions are often rendered in Canada.

What Can I Expect to Happen if I Got to the Immigration Appeal Division or Federal Court of Canada?

Spousal sponsorship applications are assessed on the basis of the bona fides of the relationship as outlined in section 4 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations:

• 4 (1) For the purposes of these Regulations, a foreign national shall not be considered a spouse, a common-law partner or a conjugal partner of a person if the marriage, common-law partnership or conjugal partnership
  • (a) was entered into primarily for the purpose of acquiring any status or privilege under the Act; or
  • (b) is not genuine.

When you are before a hearing at the Immigration Appeal Division, you are being granted an opportunity to fill in any gaps or issues raised at any interviews conducted, as well as with any documentation that may or may not have been provided. You are allowed to present new evidence that may have been missed with the original application or that arose after the application was submitted. At the Immigration Appeal Division, a successful outcome often means that your partner can continue with the processing of their permanent residency application to success.

At the Federal Court of Canada, however, you are not allowed to bring in new evidence, except in very exceptional circumstances. Instead, you are often bound to whatever materials and evidence was provided in the original application. If you win at the Federal Court of Canada, your application will be sent back to a new officer for reconsideration.

Alternate Dispute Resolution

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a pathway for more efficient resolution of files before the Immigration Appeal Division. Sometimes, your lawyer can ask that a file be considered for ADR if it is found that certain issues can be addressed early on in the entire process. However, the IAD also has a system in place to select files that qualify for the same. If the Minister’s Counsel does not consent to allow the appeal at the end of the ADR meeting, the file will continue to the Immigration Appeal Division for a full hearing

Shory Law’s Experience with the Immigration Appeal Division and Federal Court

Our legal team has studied and succeeded with a variety of appeals, including spousal sponsorship appeals. We also have litigation experience at the Federal Court of Canada. Contact us regarding your situation to discuss your appeal options further.