Can someone help assuage my (probably illogical) fears? Spousal Sponsorship.

[Linda_s74]

Driver's license, any government documents mailed to the same address, joint account showing the same address are the best evidences followed by phone bills, her name listed as a secondary driver on insurance, any mail addressed to her at your address etc.
When did you get married/start living together?
If I were you i would focus on getting a complete and convincing application in CIC's eyes which may mean taking the time to gather all these documents and possibly having to apply outland if the trp is refused. It will save you trouble in the long run.

 

[Amy mouse]

The only advice I can give is to be 100% honest. That always helps in these cases and even if she get denied at first if you are honest then the appeal should be successful. I've read alot of cases on canlil. And they do favor honest people very nicely from what I've seen. Good luck

 

[Amy mouse]

Applying for an owp will give you guys the full 2 years the case may take

 

[PaperLantern]

Driver's license, any government documents mailed to the same address, joint account showing the same address are the best evidences followed by phone bills, her name listed as a secondary driver on insurance, any mail addressed to her at your address etc.
When did you get married/start living together?
If I were you i would focus on getting a complete and convincing application in CIC's eyes which may mean taking the time to gather all these documents and possibly having to apply outland if the trp is refused. It will save you trouble in the long run.

None of those we could get a crossing history document from the border that would show that she only goes to the USA a couple of times per week and always returns at night. She's spent every night here since I came to Canada and the only time she has spent overnight in the USA is when we were both visiting her parents in the states. I could try to get her on my bank account today. We were advised when we got the TRP to make sure we can show she will return to the USA when it expires. So, we covered our bases too well.

We have been together since 2013, living together since 2015, got married in 2016. We lived together in the states until 2017 when I moved back to Canada and she came over on a TRP.

We've been so careful wanting to show that she would return home if necessary so that we wouldn't have problems when crossing the border that we didn't think we would someday need to show that she lives here. The problem is that the rehabilitation took awhile and now we are left with 6-7 days before her TRP expires since getting the rehab letter. If we apply outland and she gets the TRP renewal then that's great. But, the border official said it's up to the judgement of whoever we speak to when we go apply for the renewal.

 

[PaperLantern]

The only advice I can give is to be 100% honest. That always helps in these cases and even if she get denied at first if you are honest then the appeal should be successful. I've read alot of cases on canlil. And they do favor honest people very nicely from what I've seen. Good luck

So, we should just be honest that we were trying to show that she'd return to the USA if necessary so we didn't put her name on anything? Would including a travel history document that shows she only crosses to the USA for brief periods of time and maybe some letters from family be ok? I wish I had thought ahead.

 

[Linda_s74]

None of those we could get a crossing history document from the border that would show that she only goes to the USA a couple of times per week and always returns at night. She's spent every night here since I came to Canada and the only time she has spent overnight in the USA is when we were both visiting her parents in the states. I could try to get her on my bank account today. We were advised when we got the TRP to make sure we can show she will return to the USA when it expires. So, we covered our bases too well.

We have been together since 2013, living together since 2015, got married in 2016. We lived together in the states until 2017 when I moved back to Canada and she came over on a TRP.

We've been so careful wanting to show that she would return home if necessary so that we wouldn't have problems when crossing the border that we didn't think we would someday need to show that she lives here. The problem is that the rehabilitation took awhile and now we are left with 6-7 days before her TRP expires since getting the rehab letter. If we apply outland and she gets the TRP renewal then that's great. But, the border official said it's up to the judgement of whoever we speak to when we go apply for the renewal.

If you've been married for more than 2 years then that's definitely a positive! These applications tend to be processed faster.
I would agree that you should be honest in your application. Mention that you needed to wait for rehabilitation and that you were advised to keep her address history in the states.
Border crossing history doesn't help because it doesn't prove you were living together. *Notarized* letters from family and friends would help a bit but make sure you can at least provide the minimum number of documents requested from the checklist and provide that letter of explanation. You can also show some proof that you were living together in the states.

 

[PaperLantern]

If you've been married for more than 2 years then that's definitely a positive! These applications tend to be processed faster.
I would agree that you should be honest in your application. Mention that you needed to wait for rehabilitation and that you were advised to keep her address history in the states.
Border crossing history doesn't help because it doesn't prove you were living together. *Notarized* letters from family and friends would help a bit but make sure you can at least provide the minimum number of documents requested from the checklist and provide that letter of explanation. You can also show some proof that you were living together in the states.

I have tax returns from the states that show the same address. As for the minimum proof they ask that we reside together here I don't have a single thing. Her name is on my cellphone plan as an authorized user but that's it. I'm trying to call places and get her on the mortgage and home owner protection policy but it seems like that's going to take time that I don't have since we need to go through a lawyer.

 

[Jets13]

None of those we could get a crossing history document from the border that would show that she only goes to the USA a couple of times per week and always returns at night. She's spent every night here since I came to Canada and the only time she has spent overnight in the USA is when we were both visiting her parents in the states. I could try to get her on my bank account today. We were advised when we got the TRP to make sure we can show she will return to the USA when it expires. So, we covered our bases too well.

We have been together since 2013, living together since 2015, got married in 2016. We lived together in the states until 2017 when I moved back to Canada and she came over on a TRP.

We've been so careful wanting to show that she would return home if necessary so that we wouldn't have problems when crossing the border that we didn't think we would someday need to show that she lives here. The problem is that the rehabilitation took awhile and now we are left with 6-7 days before her TRP expires since getting the rehab letter. If we apply outland and she gets the TRP renewal then that's great. But, the border official said it's up to the judgement of whoever we speak to when we go apply for the renewal.

Is the plan for her to continue to go to the states even after you apply inland? If she is ever refused on her way back like she has been in the past then the inland application can be considered abandoned, and you would have to start over.

 

[PaperLantern]

Yes her plan was to continue working and going to school in the USA. Maybe we should apply outland and just hope that the border officers let her come see me every night.

 

[Linda_s74]

Yes her plan was to continue working and going to school in the USA. Maybe we should apply outland and just hope that the border officers let her come see me every night.

If that is the case then I would highly recommend you apply outland. The process is much shorter for US applicants anyway.

 

[PaperLantern]

If that is the case then I would highly recommend you apply outland. The process is much shorter for US applicants anyway.

Will do! So, the process probably won't be 24 months as quoted by the border agent? She said the fastest she's ever seen it was like...13 months. :/

 

[kcward7]

Will do! So, the process probably won't be 24 months as quoted by the border agent? She said the fastest she's ever seen it was like...13 months. :/

Outland applications are generally processed much faster than the target of 12, not sure what the agent was talking about. Your case may be different because it's not straightforward, but it's not uncommon to see straightforward outland US apps wrap up in 5 to 6 months.

 

[PaperLantern]

Oh wonderful! That's a lot better. Is it the permanent rehabilitation that makes our case not straightforward?

 

[np08]

Will do! So, the process probably won't be 24 months as quoted by the border agent? She said the fastest she's ever seen it was like...13 months. :/

That's blatantly wrong. Averages for both inland and outland are at 12 months, plus outland for Americans is usually quite faster and we've seen many of them complete in under 6 months.

 

[PaperLantern]

That's blatantly wrong. Averages for both inland and outland are at 12 months, plus outland for Americans is usually quite faster and we've seen many of them complete in under 6 months.

6 months would be a dream. Seriously, I'd die happy.