The income requirements apply equally to spouses and to common-law partners. In what follows, for the sake of convenience, we use the term "spouse", but we use it interchangeably with the term "common-law partner".
The Province of Quebec has its own immigration system. If you are sponsoring your spouse to Canada and intend to live together in Quebec, you will need to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate("CSQ") in addition to a permanent resident visa for your spouse from the Federal Government. Quebec requires you to have a minimum income to sponsor. your spouse
If you are sponsoring your spouse to Canada but intend to live together in any other Province or Territory of Canada, in many cases there is no specific income required to sponsor a spouse. An exception applies if your spouse has dependent grandchildren - in this case the Low Income Cut Off ("LICO") tables provided by the Federal Government state the income required.
It may still be possible for you to show your income meets the LICO threshold in some instances. Alternatively, you may be able to submit your application regardless, and then successfully appeal the refusal to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board.
For further advice, you may wish to Contact us or pay for an initial consultation before you initiate the sponsorship process.