本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Spouse
You are a spouse if you are married to your sponsor and your marriage is legally valid.

If you were married in Canada:

You must have a Certificate of Marriage issued by the province or territory where the marriage took place.
If you were married outside Canada:

The marriage must be valid under the law of the country where it took place and under Canadian law.
A marriage performed in an embassy or consulate must comply with the law of the country where it took place, not the country of nationality of the embassy or consulate.
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Common-law partner
You are a common-law partner—either of opposite sex or same-sex—if you have been living with your sponsor in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. The year of living together must be a continuous 12-month period and cannot be intermittent periods that add up to one year. However, you are allowed temporary absences for short periods of time for business travel or family reasons.

You will have to provide documents that prove that you and your common-law partner have combined your affairs and have set up your household together in one home. This could include:

joint bank accounts or credit cards;
joint ownership of a home;
joint residential leases;
joint rental receipts;
joint utilities (electricity, gas, telephone);
joint management of household expenses;
proof of joint purchases, especially for household items; or
correspondence addressed to either person or both people at the same address
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Conjugal partner
The conjugal partner category is for partners—either of opposite sex or same sex—in exceptional circumstances beyond their control that prevent them from qualifying as common-law partners or spouses. A conjugal relationship is more than a physical relationship. It is a mutually dependent relationship, and it has some permanence and the same level of commitment as a marriage or a common-law union.

You may apply as a conjugal partner if:

you have maintained a conjugal relationship with your sponsor for at least one year;
you have been prevented from living together or marrying because of:
an immigration barrier;
your marital status (e.g., you are married to someone else and living in a country where divorce is not possible); or
your sexual orientation (e.g., you are in a same-sex relationship and same-sex marriage is not permitted where you live);
you can provide evidence of an impediment to living together (e.g., evidence of refused long-term stays in each other’s country).
You should not apply as a conjugal partner if:

you could have lived together but chose not to, indicating that you did not have the level of commitment required of a conjugal relationship (e.g., you did not want to give up a job or a course of study, or your relationship was not yet at the point where you were ready to live together); or
you are unable to provide evidence of an impediment that prevented you from living together; or
you are engaged to be married. In this case, you should either apply as a spouse once the marriage has taken place or apply as a common-law partner if you have lived together continuously for at least 12 months.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net