In an ongoing effort to deter people from using marriages of convenience to cheat their way into Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada introduced a new regulation that requires certain sponsored spouses to live in a legitimate relationship with their sponsor for two years or risk losing their permanent resident status.
These regulations bring Canadian policy in line with that of many other countries including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, all of whom use a form of conditional status as a deterrent against marriage fraud.
The regulations include an exception for sponsored spouses or partners suffering abuse or neglect. The exception would also apply in the event of the death of the sponsor.