Same Sex Marriage and Immigration in Canada

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada will recognize a gay marriage in Canada between immigration applicants and Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Canadian residents may also sponsor their gay common-law or civil union partners for family-class immigration. The partners must supply proof of co-habitation for at least one year Canadian immigration law does not recognize same-sex marriages conducted outside Canada. Several court cases have questioned this policy but so far immigration law has not been altered to accept marriages in the Netherlands, Belgium or Spain.