Can I get a divorce right away?

Not usually. Under Canadian law, to be entitled to get a divorce there must be a “breakdown” of your marriage. This threshold is met once you and your spouse have lived separate and apart for at least one year. However — less commonly — a marriage breakdown can also occur where either:

These days it is very rare for couples to apply for divorce under these two less common grounds, since proving either of them can be time-consuming and therefore more costly. It is easier to simply rely on the one-year separation period.