My spouse was previously refused a visitor visa to Canada. Will that affect the sponsorship?

A prior visitor visa refusal does not automatically prevent your spouse from being sponsored for permanent residence, but it will be noted by the officer reviewing your sponsorship application. IRCC can see prior refusals on file and will consider them as part of the overall assessment.

The reason for the prior refusal matters. A visitor visa is refused on temporary resident grounds — typically because the officer was not satisfied your spouse would return home after the visit. A spousal sponsorship, by contrast, is based on different grounds: your spouse is applying to immigrate permanently as a family member. The legal basis for the two applications is different.

However, if the prior refusal was based on concerns about the genuineness of the relationship with Canada or about past misrepresentation, those concerns can carry over and affect the sponsorship. It is important to understand why the visa was refused and, if possible, address those reasons in your sponsorship evidence. If misrepresentation was alleged in a prior application, this can cause admissibility problems independent of the sponsorship. Legal advice before submitting is highly advisable in these circumstances.