Preparation

• 1). Apply as a family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. You can choose to apply as spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner.
  
  If you choose to go with a spousal visa, you will have to get married and obtain a marriage certificate before applying.
  
  To qualify as common-law partners, you will have to have lived together for a period of at least 12 months.
  
  You can only apply as a conjugal partner if you have maintained the relationship for at least one year and there are circumstances that prevent you from marrying or living together.
  
  
• 2). Decide if you would like the application processed in Canada or outside Canada.
  
  An inland application processed in Canada usually takes a longer. You can choose this route if you are already in Canada, or can be in Canada when you send in the application. The downside to this is that you need to maintain legal status by extending your visa while the application is being processed. If you leave Canada, you might not be allowed back in, which will result in an automatic rejection of your application. Also, you will not be able to work unless you already have a visa that allows you to do so.
  
  An outland application will be processed more quickly. However, it might be difficult to obtain a visa to visit your beloved in Canada during the processing. For Filipinos, the outland application can be processed in Manila or other visa offices in countries to which they have been admitted for at least one year.
  
  
• 3). Download an application kit from the CIC website or contact CIC and have them mail it to you. Read the guides thoroughly before doing anything else, as the processing fee is not refundable if your application is rejected.
  
  

Apply

• 1). Complete the application forms and compile the required documents. This could take a while because you might have to go through medical examinations and obtain police certificates from all the countries you has ever lived in since the age of 18. You will also need to gather proofs of your relationship, such as letters and photos.
  
  
• 2). Pay the fees and print the receipt. As of May 2010, the fees you need to pay before sending the application include: $75 for the sponsorship application, $475 for the principal applicant, $150 for any dependent child and $550 for any adult dependent.
  
  You can choose to pay the right of permanent residence fee at a later stage when requested by CIC, but doing so might cause delays.
  
  
• 3). Mail your forms, documents, proofs of relationship and fee payment receipt to the Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Vegreville, Alberta for an inland application. Otherwise, send them to the CPC in Mississauga, Ontario.
  
  

Wait

• 1). Check your mailbox regularly for a letter from CIC, which might arrive a few weeks after you send out your application. This would state that CIC has received and started processing the application.
  
  
• 2). Look out for another notification from CIC, which you will receive when CIC has finished assessing the eligibility of you as a Canadian to sponsor your spouse or partner. It should state whether CIC approves or rejects your sponsorship.
  
  If CIC rejects your case, look into getting an appeal.
  
  If you are approved at this stage, find a number in the letter or email that you can use to check your application status online using the electronic Client Application Status (e-CAS) system that you can access from the CIC website.
  
  
• 3). Check e-CAS regularly for updates on your application. In this stage, CIC examines the eligibility of the sponsored person. This is the stage done outside Canada for outland applications. Once this is finished, CIC will notify you of the decision.
  
  If rejected, you might be able to appeal your case.
  
  If approved, read and follow the instructions on the letter or e-mail from CIC. They could differ depending on which visa office handles your case. But when you have received an approval, it's only a matter of time until you get permanent residence and the right to join your Canadian sweetheart in Canada.