You're a spouse or family member of someone working or studying temporarily in Canada
You may be eligible for an open work permit if you’re:
- a spouse of a skilled worker in an occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0, A or B approved to work in Canada six months or longer
- a spouse of someone applying for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program in a job under NOC 0, A, B or C
- a spouse of a foreign student at a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university or collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec
- a family member of a foreign representative, or
- a family member of a foreign military member who is working in Canada
Apply for a marriage licence
You and your partner need a licence to get married in BC. To apply, one of you has to go in person with primary identification for both individuals (e.g. birth certificate, citizenship card) to a Vital Statistics Agency office. The license is ~$100 and is valid for three months.
Get married in a religious or civil ceremony
You can choose either a religious or civil ceremony. The person performing the ceremony must be licensed under the B.C. Marriage Act.
Not all religious officials are licensed. They must register with Vital Statistics.
For civil ceremonies, this person is known as a marriage commissioner. The base fee for a marriage commissioner is $78.75 and they may charge additional fees.
The marriage ceremony must be held in the presence of at least two witnesses, in addition to the marriage commissioner or religious official.