The government is introducing new regulations under the sponsorship immigration class in an attempt to combat marriage fraud.
The major change, announced this month by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, is a two-year residency requirement for all married couples who apply for sponsorship and have been married less than two years, having no children together at the time of application.
Minister Kenney says that too many Canadians are being “duped” into marrying fraudsters who are only looking to attain status in Canada. He hopes the new rules will curb such cases and make it easier for regulators to distinguish the legitimate marriages from the phony ones.
There will be exceptions to the rule, including those sponsored spouses who are victims of abuse and those whose Canadian sponsor passes away.
The new rules go into effect immediately and are part of a larger effort on the part of the government to curb marriage fraud. Earlier this year new regulations were implemented to prevent sponsored spouses from being able to sponsor their own spouse for at least five years.
Source: National Post