The universal document checklist
Whichever country you're applying to, a spouse or partner visa officer is checking for two things: that your relationship is genuine, and that your sponsor can support you once you arrive. These ten categories cover almost every requirement across Canada, Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and the USA.
Relationship & identity
Marriage certificate — or proof of de facto/common-law relationship where applicable
Relationship evidence — joint bank accounts, joint leases, photographs, travel history together, and communication records spanning your relationship
Statutory declarations / statements from the couple and, where required, from family and friends who know your relationship
Valid passports for the applicant and any dependent children being included
Sponsor's proof of status — citizenship, permanent residence, or settled status documents
Sponsor & eligibility
Sponsor's income evidence — payslips, employment letter, or tax returns meeting the destination country's minimum income rule
Police clearance certificates for the applicant, from India and any other country of long-term residence
Medical examination results from an authorised panel physician, where required by the destination country
Dependent children's documents — birth certificates and, if applicable, the other parent's consent
Sponsorship undertaking / declaration forms specific to your destination country's spouse visa programme
What's different by country
The categories above are universal, but each country layers on its own specific quirks — usually around income thresholds, evidence formats, and how long the sponsor's undertaking lasts.
Sponsorship undertaking, 3 years
The sponsor commits to supporting the applicant for a set period after arrival. Federal government fees for spouse sponsorship total roughly CAD $1,205, covering sponsor processing, principal applicant processing, and the right of permanent residence fee.
12 months of relationship evidence, minimum
Partner visa applications generally expect at least 12 months of a registered or de facto relationship, with detailed evidence across four categories: financial, social, household, and commitment.
Minimum income requirement
The sponsor must meet a minimum income threshold, which has changed in recent years and continues to be reviewed by the Home Office — we confirm the current figure before you apply.
Living together, or a strong long-distance case
Partnership visas generally expect evidence the couple has lived together for at least 12 months, though long-distance relationships can qualify with stronger supporting evidence.
Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)
The sponsor must file a binding Affidavit of Support committing to financial responsibility for the applicant, backed by income evidence meeting federal poverty guideline thresholds.
What actually convinces an officer
Volume isn't the goal — consistency is. Ten years of chat logs won't help if your stated timeline of the relationship doesn't match your travel history, or if the story you tell in your statutory declaration doesn't match your partner's. Officers are looking for a relationship that reads as ordinary and lived-in: joint financial commitments, evidence you've told friends and family about each other, and a timeline that holds together under scrutiny.
A tip that matters: submit a curated, well-organised set of evidence rather than everything you have. A clear, chronological file is easier for an officer to trust than a folder of a thousand screenshots.
Common document mistakes that cause refusals
- Inconsistent timelines — dates in your statutory declaration that don't match your passport stamps or travel records
- Thin financial evidence — a sponsor's income that technically meets the threshold but isn't well documented or verifiable
- Missing translations — documents not in English (or the required language) without a certified translation attached
- Outdated forms — using an old version of a sponsorship or declaration form after the immigration authority has updated it
- Unexplained gaps — periods where the couple lived apart with no context provided for why
Frequently asked questions
Not exactly — the specific evidence period varies by country. Australia and New Zealand generally expect around 12 months of a de facto relationship or cohabitation, while married couples in most countries have more flexibility since the marriage certificate itself is strong evidence.
Options vary by country — some allow a joint sponsor or additional assets to make up a shortfall, while others require the income threshold to be met independently. We assess your specific situation against the current rule for your destination country.
In most countries, yes — dependent children can generally be included, provided you submit their birth certificates and, where the other biological parent isn't part of the application, their consent or an explanation for its absence.
Processing times vary considerably by country and by how complete your application is at submission — a well-documented file with consistent evidence is processed noticeably faster than one that prompts follow-up requests.