The Outland sponsorship program is designed to be chosen for the sponsorship seekers outside the country. Similarly, a spouse or common-law partner living in Canada can also apply under the outland sponsorship program. Adding the option to the kitty permits the sponsorship seeker to travel inside and outside the nation, during the application process. However, the immigration authorities have the last say in the matter and decide whether to grant entry to sponsored person or not.
Further, the outland sponsorship program is processed through the visa office of Canadian government at country of origin. The case of common law partner or spouse visa are routed through IRCC, which overlooks the immigration process of reuniting the families.
For Inland sponsorship program, the foreign partner of Canadian citizen should have entered legally to the nation. Similarly, if the foreign partner possesses a work or study visa then the stay can be extended till the duration of the permit.
The process of inland approval is long but allows the sponsored person to be eligible for an open work permit. In case of interview, IRCC notifies of the schedule for the process and the documents through mail.
It is important to note that the eligibility for the process decides the actual eligibility for the application process.