How to Prove Your Relationship is Real for Canada Spousal Sponsorship?

IRCC states family reunification as one of the pillars of Canadian immigration. When you apply for a spouse visa Canada, it becomes extremely crucial to prove your relationship is genuine. The IRCC must be satisfied, otherwise there is a high chance your application might get rejected.

Why is this so important?

Well, foreign nationals might attempt to pursue a non-genuine relationship with a permanent resident or citizen of Canada to gain PR status - while the sponsor believes they are genuinely committed to this marriage or partnership.

When this is not true, it can take a toll on the emotional and financial conditions of the sponsor as they might be signing an undertaking to support their partner financially for three years from the day, they receive PR status in Canada regardless of if the relationship doesn’t work out.

This also happens vice-versa, where a PR or citizen of Canada try to create a fake business arrangement with a foreign national just to get the fee.

TO AVOID ALL OF THIS, IRCC asks the applicants to include a comprehensive list of documents from the sponsor. If they require more proof to see if their relationship between spouses or common-law partners is genuine, you will be notified about the same. You and your partner may also be asked to visit the IRCC office for an interview, separately.

Still, if the officer is not convinced about your relationship, your partner may not be eligible for spousal sponsorship.

How couples can prove their relationship is genuine?

IRCC asks all couples, whether they are same-sex couples, to present documents proving their genuine relationship. The types of documents may vary as per your situation - married or common-law in Canada.

Documents required for spouses

If you are married, then you need to provide the following documents with your spousal sponsorship application:

• A completed Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation questionnaire (IMM 5532) - including the application package.

• A marriage certificate.

• Proof of your marriage registration with a government (local, provincial, state, or country) authority.

• Proof of divorce, if either of the two was previously married.

• If you both have kids in common, long-form birth certificates or adoption papers listing the names of both of you.

• Wedding invitations and photographs.

If you are a same-sex couple and your partner’s home county does not recognize your marriage, you can apply for a common-law relationship. If you are unable to live together due to an inability to get long-stay visas, you may apply as conjugal partners.

Documents required for common-law partners

A common-law relationship is when an unmarried couple has been living together in a conjugal partnership for one year minimum. If you are in a common-law relationship, you need to submit the same documents as married couples (minus the wedding photographs and invitations):

• Proof of financial support between the principal applicant and sponsor, and/or shared expenses.

• Proof that your relationship is known to friends and/or family.

Further, couples who are married or in a common-law relationship have to provide two of the following set of documents:

• Proof of residential property bought together.

• The rental agreement mentions both of you as occupants of a rental property.

• Evidence of joint utility accounts like electricity, gas, telephone, or internet bills, or joint credit card accounts, or joint bank accounts.

• Vehicle insurance stating that both the lead applicant and the sponsor have been declared to the insurance company as residents of the insured’s address.

• Copies of documents issued by the government for the principal applicant and sponsor displaying the same address like a driver’s license.

• Other documents given to the lead applicant and sponsor mentioning the same address, whether the accounts are held together or not.

If you are unable to provide the above-listed documents, you need to submit a detailed written explanation.

Documents required to prove cohabitation

To prove that you both are living together as conjugal partners in Canada, submit these documents with your Canada spousal sponsorship application:

• Joint bank accounts or credit cards

• Ownership of residential property together

• Joint residential leases

• Joint rental receipts

• Joint utilities accounts like electricity, gas, telephone

• Household expenditures are managed together

• Proof of joint purchases, especially for household items

• Correspondence addressed to either or both parties at the same address

• Significant documents of both of you show the same address. For instance, identification documents, driver’s licenses, and insurance policies

• shared responsibility for household management, household chores

• record of telephone calls

If you don’t live together in Canada, you need to provide proof that you have lived together in the past for at least one year by submitting:

• Letters, text messages that have been printed, email, social media, or other documents – showing you both have been in contact. These should be a maximum of 10 pages.

• Proof that the citizen or permanent resident has visited their partner via flight tickets or boarding passes, passport photocopies with stamps. If not, an explanation for the same has to be included by the sponsored person in the IMM 5532 questionnaire.

What’s next?

Navigating through the complex procedure of applying for a Canada spouse visa can be daunting, especially for first-timers. Therefore, you must connect with the best immigration consultants in Ludhiana, Nationwide Visas. They have a team of highly qualified immigration consultants who will assist you right from the consultation till you move to Canada and settle comfortably.

Get your free consultation today!

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