Overview of Canada’s Reduced Immigration Targets
The Government of Canada has decided to reduce the number of new immigrants entering the country over the next three years. Those Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who intend to sponsor a spouse or partner in the near future should be mindful of the impact of the immigration department’s reduction plans on the family sponsorship program.
2026 Quota for Spousal and Partner Sponsorship
In its immigration plan released in November 2025, the Department of Citizenship, Immigration and Refugees Canada set out a 2026 quota of 66,500 spouses, partners, and children to be admitted through the Family Sponsorship Program. This is 3,500 fewer people than the 2025 quota, which was 70,000. A further reduction to 61,000 is planned for 2027.
How Lower Quotas Affect Processing Times
The expected result of this is longer wait times for those whose applications fall outside the quota. If an application to sponsor is made after the immigration department has met its quota, that application will be put on hold until the next year. This will have a cumulative effect over time if the number of new applications greatly exceeds the quota.
See If You Qualify For Spousal or Partner Sponsorship
Fill out our FREE Family Sponsorship Assessment form to see if you qualify to sponsor your spouse or partner to Canada.
Current Processing Times for Spousal Sponsorship
At the time of the writing of this article, a new in-Canada spouse or partner application has a processing time of 20 months, with 49,900 people waiting for their applications to be processed. An outside of Canada application has a waiting time of 14 months with 42,500 people waiting.
Comparison to Previous Years and Future Outlook
In 2024, Canada admitted 78,655 people under the spouse, partner and child sponsorship category. As the program was geared to admit up to 88,000 individuals, those who entered in 2024 did not have to be concerned about quotas and their applications would have proceeded at optimal speed. This is unlikely to be the case going forward. The number of spouse or partner applications is likely to increase over time, and as the quota for admissions gets lower, the number of people stuck in queue will get higher.
Potential Return to Longer Processing Delays
This brings us to the prospect of a return to the “bad old days” when the processing times for spousal sponsorship applications exceeded two years at some visa offices. While we aren’t there yet, all the indications are that processing times are going to get longer for spouse and partner sponsorships in 2026 and beyond.
How to Minimize Spousal Sponsorship Delays
What can be done to reduce the processing time of an application? It is important to ensure that your application is properly prepared, as any lack of required information may lead to delays in the processing of the application. If an application is seriously deficient and is missing necessary information, it could be returned, leading to delay. Even if the application is not returned, if an immigration officer has to write to an applicant asking for more information, this will likely delay the process by months. And if an immigration officer has serious concerns about the genuine nature of the relationship, and schedules an interview, this will also lead to a significant delay in the processing of the application.
Professional Help With Spouse and Partner Sponsorship Applications
The Law Office of Matthew Jeffery has over 20 years of experience preparing and processing spouse and partner sponsorship applications and can assist you to ensure that your application is properly prepared and processes as quickly as possible. Please contact us for more information, or fill out the Free Family Sponsorship Assessment Form on our website.
