If you’re applying for Canadian permanent residence (PR) through Express Entry and you’re part of a couple, you can list your spouse or common-law partner (“partner”) as accompanying or non-accompanying on your application.
This article will cover
- When to list a partner as non-accompanying;
- When listing a partner as non-accompanying can raise concerns;
- Best practices and common mistakes; and
- How couples can increase their chances of getting an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR.
Accompanying vs non-accompanying
You must include your spouse or common-law partner (“partner”) in any immigration application – to omit a partner on your expression of interest or application would be misrepresentation, and can lead to a refusal or an immigration ban.
In listing your partner, you have the option of designating your partner as accompanying or non-accompanying.
If you list your partner as accompanying, then you can include them on your application for permanent residency, and they can be granted permanent residency at the same time as you are, if your application is successful.
If you list your partner as non-accompanying, you must include them on your PR application and state that your partner is currently not accompanying you. If your PR application is successful, you will receive PR, but your partner will not.
The following table summarizes the implications of listing a partner as accompanying vs non-accompanying:
| Partner can get PR along with you | Partner must be admissible | Partner affects CRS Score for Express Entry | Partner is included in calculation of family size for settlement funds purposes | |
| Accompanying | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Non-accompanying | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Listing a partner as non-accompanying
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) allows applicants to designate a partner as non-accompanying in an Express Entry profile.
If you list a partner as non-accompanying, you are claiming that they will not be settling in Canada at the same time as you.
There are valid reasons why you and your partner might choose not to settle in Canada at the same time. For example, if your partner has a thriving career abroad or family obligations that do not allow them to accompany you to Canada.
If you intend to settle in Canada together, you must not list your spouse as non-accompanying — doing so constitutes misrepresentation, and can lead to refusal of your PR application and potentially a five-year ban on Canadian immigration.
Scoring of candidate profiles with an accompanying partner
Listing a partner as accompanying or non-accompanying may affect your chances of receiving an invitation to apply for PR through Express Entry, because your profile score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) will be calculated differently.
In both cases, the maximum points your profile can score in the core human capital + spousal factors is 500.
Depending on your partner’s language skills, education, and Canadian work experience, including your partner as accompanying may result in either a higher or a lower score than listing them as non-accompanying.
Example
Let’s take the case of Shannon and her husband Jeff. Shannon is seeking permanent residency as a candidate under the Canadian Experience Class.
Shannon is 27 years old and has a master’s degree in biology, which she completed in Canada. She has one year of Canadian work experience, one year of foreign work experience, and Canadian Language Benchmark level 9+.
Jeff is 32 years old and does not have any Canadian work experience. He has completed secondary school education and has a CLB level of 6.
If Shannon creates an Express Entry profile as a sole applicant, listing Jeff as her accompanying spouse, her CRS score is 539—high enough to have qualified for several recent Canadian Experience Class draws.
But if Shannon lists Jeff as an accompanying spouse, her profile’s CRS score would be 513 points. This is beneath the cut-off scores all of all CEC draws in 2025, as of the time of writing.
If your profile scores higher by listing your partner as non-accompanying, you may be tempted to list them as such to maximize your chances of receiving an ITA when submitting your Express Entry profile. It is possible to list a partner as non-accompanying, and to initiate spousal sponsorship after having become a permanent resident.
But you should only list your partner as non-accompanying if you truly intend for them not to accompany you to Canada; you should not list your partner as non-accompanying disingenuously as a strategy for maximizing your profile’s CRS score.
To list a partner as non-accompanying, you must have a legitimate reason for an intention for your partner not to accompany you to Canada.
If your decision to submit your EOI with a partner as non-accompanying is only to maximize your score, and you are in fact planning on settling in Canada with your partner immediately (i.e., they will in fact be accompanying you), this constitutes misrepresentation, and could lead to your application being refused and even a five-year ban on Canadian immigration.
IRCC may request full transparency regarding the motivations for listing a partner as non-accompanying, and you must have a legitimate reason for having done so.
Problematic scenarios for listing a partner as non-accompanying
If your partner is already in Canada with you: Living together and residing in the same address contradicts the definition of non-accompanying. So, if a declared non-accompanying partner is already in Canada with the you, the officer reviewing your application is likely to issue you a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL) due to inconsistency.
Adding a partner after submission: If an applicant initially designates their partner as non-accompanying, and later attempts to add them as an accompanying family member to the application after submission, this will trigger a reassessment, including a review of the partner’s eligibility and a recalculation of the CRS, in addition to raising concerns of misrepresentation.* This could jeopardize the PR application.
*If you do add a partner after submission, there should be a legitimate reason for having done so, such as a change in your marital status during the application process.
Dos and don’ts applying through Express Entry as a couple
Don’ts
Failure to disclose a partner: Applicants should always disclose their partner, whether they are accompanying or non-accompanying. Failure to disclose a partner is considered misrepresentation, which can result in application refusal, a five-year re-application ban, or even the revocation of PR status.
Try to circumvent inadmissibility: If a partner is, at the time of application, deemed ineligible or inadmissible (e.g., due to medical, criminal, or immigration grounds), the entire application will be rendered inadmissible. Declaring a partner as non-accompanying is not a means to circumvent inadmissibility issues.
Inconsistencies in the application: Applicants should ensure that the information provided is consistent. Claiming to be married in one application and single in another will raise concerns.
Submitting misleading or incomplete documentation about a relationship may lead to scrutiny as IRCC routinely cross-checks information for discrepancies.
Making changes after receiving an ITA (unless necessary): Applicants should not attempt to add their partner as accompanying after receiving an ITA, unless their marital status changed post-submission (e.g., a marriage occurred after the application was submitted post ITA receipt).
Omitting information or submitting misleading information: Doing so will constitute misrepresentation.
Dos
Submit accurate documentation: Applicants must have supporting documentation such as a marriage certificate, evidence of an ongoing relationship, and a well-articulated Letter of Explanation (LoE) ready.
Research family class sponsorship: If the plan is for the partner to be sponsored post-landing, understanding the requirements of the Family Class sponsorship process is a must. For example, this route includes a condition that the sponsor (as a permanent resident) must remain physically present in Canada throughout the process.
Can both partners in a couple submit separate Express Entry profiles?
Each partner can create their own Express Entry profile with themself as the primary applicant while designating their partner as accompanying.
Example:
Take the case of a married couple, Mary and Bob.
Mary may be the principal applicant in one profile, with Bob listed as her spouse. Meanwhile, Bob can submit a separate profile with himself as the principal applicant, listing Mary as his spouse.
This strategy is valid under the following conditions:
- Both profiles are complete and factually accurate.
- There is no misrepresentation or conflicting information.
Only one application moves forward once an Invitation to Apply (ITA) is issued, typically for the spouse with the higher Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score or better eligibility under a targeted draw. The other profile can then be withdrawn or allowed to expire.
This approach can be especially useful when the lower-scoring of the two profiles qualifies for draw types that the higher-scoring profile would not, such as category-base selection for French-language proficiency or in-demand occupations..
