Can I Leave Canada During Spousal Sponsorship? (26 Months)

As of September 3, 2026, IRCC's processing time for a spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada, outside Quebec, is about 26 months with about 54,700 people waiting, according to the processing times tool on canada.ca, and IRCC's own sponsorship guide IMM 5289 on canada.ca warns that "if your spouse or common-law partner leaves Canada before becoming a permanent resident, they may not be allowed to come back." Twenty-six months is a long time to go without seeing your family abroad, so this is one of the most common questions I get from couples who applied from inside Canada. The short answer is that nothing forbids the trip, but the law that created the inland class assumes you are living here, and the border is where that assumption gets tested.

Can I leave Canada while my inland spousal sponsorship is being processed?

You can physically leave, but IRCC does not promise you can come back, and the inland class only exists for people who live in Canada with their sponsor. Section 124 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, published on laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, says a foreign national is a member of the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class if they "are the spouse or common-law partner of a sponsor and cohabit with that sponsor in Canada," "have temporary resident status in Canada," and "are the subject of a sponsorship application." Cohabitation in Canada is a legal condition of the class, not a preference. The IMM 5289 guide on canada.ca puts the practical consequence in one line: "If your spouse or partner can't return to Canada, you must submit a new overseas sponsorship application." In my practice, the short vacation is rarely the problem. The problem is the trip that turns into a refused boarding, a refused entry, or a family emergency that keeps you abroad for months.

The same guide is explicit about who is most exposed: the risk of not being allowed back "is especially true if they need a Temporary Resident Visa or an eTA to enter Canada." In plain terms, if your passport is from a visa-required country and your visitor visa has expired, you are not just taking a trip: you are applying to enter Canada again from scratch. For a broader look at staying in Canada while a spouse sponsors you, see my earlier post on whether you can stay in Canada while your spouse sponsors you.

What happens to my status if I leave Canada during sponsorship?

According to the IMM 5289 guide on canada.ca, "leaving Canada can automatically cancel temporary resident status as a visitor, student or worker." A valid document in your passport does not settle the question either: the same guide says that if your spouse leaves while the application is being processed, "there is no guarantee that they'll be allowed to re-enter Canada. This is especially true if they need a visitor visa." In practice, entry is decided by the officer at the port of entry, every time.

The open work permit tied to inland sponsorship follows the same logic. The open work permit page on canada.ca says you can apply if you are "a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner living in Canada who's being sponsored for permanent residence," and that you must be "living in Canada with your sponsor." The page also lists who cannot apply: you cannot use this public policy if "you plan to apply for your work permit at a port of entry." If your plan was to sort out the work permit at the border on the way back, that door is closed in writing. One more point that matters if things go wrong: canada.ca's after you apply page states, "You can't appeal our decision if you're sponsoring them under the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class."

Inland or outland: which class fits a couple that needs to travel?

IRCC answers this one itself. The IMM 5289 guide on canada.ca says to apply under the Family Class if "the person you want to sponsor currently lives with you in Canada but doesn't plan to stay in Canada while the application is being processed" or if "you plan to appeal if the application is refused." Here is how the two routes compare on the figures canada.ca publishes.

Two things in that table surprise most couples. First, the outland route is currently about eight months faster than the inland one, so applying from inside Canada is no longer the quick option. Second, the outland route does not force you apart: canada.ca's after you apply page says that after the PR application is submitted, a spouse outside Canada "has the option to apply for a visitor visa," may get faster processing on it if the sponsor has the acknowledgement of receipt and they meet the visitor visa requirements, and once in Canada "can apply for an OWP" if the sponsor received the AOR and they are living together. For the full picture of how the two streams differ, start with my spousal and family sponsorship service page.

The mistake I see most often

The mistake is booking the flight first and checking the documents after. People assume that because they entered Canada once, they can enter again, or that a pending PR application is itself a travel document. It is not. IRCC's guide says plainly that leaving "can automatically cancel temporary resident status" and that re-entry is not guaranteed. The second mistake is quieter: couples who travel constantly for work or family file inland anyway because a friend did, then spend two years afraid of every trip, when the guide already spells out which class was written for their situation.

What should you do now?

Before any trip, answer three questions with documents in hand. First, do you need a Temporary Resident Visa or an eTA to enter Canada, and is it valid for the date you plan to return, because canada.ca's guide singles out exactly these people as the ones most likely to be refused re-entry. Second, what status document do you hold right now, and does it stay valid through the trip, since the guide says leaving can cancel visitor, student or worker status. Third, if you are still choosing between inland and outland, read IRCC's own test: does the sponsored person plan to stay in Canada for the whole process, and do you want a right of appeal. If the honest answer is no to either, the Family Class is the route canada.ca names for you, and it is currently the faster one. Every situation is different. The options that are available to you depend on your specific history, timeline, and case details. Do not guess, do not rely on online forums, and do not board a plane before you understand your risks. A consultation with a licensed RCIC-IRB takes one session and gives you a clear action plan.