Family Law Blog

In Edmonton, and everywhere else in Alberta, "we're separated" and "we're divorced" often get used as if they mean the same thing. They don't. Separation is something a couple does — it's a description of how two people are living their lives. Divorce is something a court does — a formal order that legally ends a marriage.

Relationships sometimes end while an immigration process is still underway. For couples where one spouse or partner sponsored the other for permanent residence, separation can create urgent questions: What happens to the sponsorship? Does the sponsor remain financially responsible? What happens to parenting, support, and property issues in Alberta?

Many Edmonton families have international ties. A couple may have married in another country, moved to Alberta years later, and built their life here. When the marriage ends, one of the first questions is practical: do we have to go back to the country where we married to get divorced?

Collaborative divorce resolves family matters through structured negotiation instead of court — with both spouses supported by their own lawyers.

If you're separating in Edmonton and expect to end up in front of a judge, the path into family court changed at the start of this year. On January 2, 2026, the Court of King's Bench of Alberta introduced the Family Focused Protocol, a new set of steps that most people must complete before a judge will hear a contested family law issue.