Inland Sponsorship Dilemma

[Lara27]

Hi Everyone!

I am sponsoring my husband who has been in Canada with me on a visitor's Visa for a few months (awaiting Visa extension).

To make a long story short - we had to wait for almost 1 year for a correction to be made on our Marriage Certificate and thus could not start our Sponsorship process, but alas, here we are - gathering the paperwork as we speak.

We need advice - should we submit an open work permit along with our sponsorship application OR should we send it online once we have shipped this off?

Please help, thank you!

 

[scylla]

Hi Everyone!

I am sponsoring my husband who has been in Canada with me on a visitor's Visa for a few months (awaiting Visa extension).

To make a long story short - we had to wait for almost 1 year for a correction to be made on our Marriage Certificate and thus could not start our Sponsorship process, but alas, here we are - gathering the paperwork as we speak.

We need advice - should we submit an open work permit along with our sponsorship application OR should we send it online once we have shipped this off?

Please help, thank you!

Include the OWP with the inland sponsorship application.

 

[Lara27]

Include the OWP with the inland sponsorship application.

Thanks so much

Were also wondering what to do in terms of additional relationship support?

We rent an apartment together, but my husband is unable to open a Canadian Bank account, we don't have a GVT issued ID for him yet etc.

We have provided copies of cell phone bills, transit cards, letters from family and friends and pictures, copies of letters of urgency I have sent for other visas etc

Is that enough? I'm worried because I know other couples are able to provide more documents but even though we have been married for a year and together for two, we have only been living together since January and since COVID-19 hit, our hands were tied just as we started gathering paperwork..

 

[Chutsk10]

Try calling a few banks/credit unions to find one that let's your husband can open an account. My spouse is here on a Visitor Visa and we were able to open a joint account and she was able to open a personal account as well. You can also get a 'joint' credit card, ie. a new account under your name with your spouse listed as an additional card holder (true joint credit card accounts are hard to come by).

 

[Lara27]

Try calling a few banks/credit unions to find one that let's your husband can open an account. My spouse is here on a Visitor Visa and we were able to open a joint account and she was able to open a personal account as well. You can also get a 'joint' credit card, ie. a new account under your name with your spouse listed as an additional card holder (true joint credit card accounts are hard to come by).

Thank you so much!

 

[wsidd]

Thanks so much

Were also wondering what to do in terms of additional relationship support?

We rent an apartment together, but my husband is unable to open a Canadian Bank account, we don't have a GVT issued ID for him yet etc.

We have provided copies of cell phone bills, transit cards, letters from family and friends and pictures, copies of letters of urgency I have sent for other visas etc

Is that enough? I'm worried because I know other couples are able to provide more documents but even though we have been married for a year and together for two, we have only been living together since January and since COVID-19 hit, our hands were tied just as we started gathering paperwork..

how were you able to get a cell phone bill with your spouse's name? I was told by all the major companies that a SIN is needed.

 

[CanUK333]

Thanks so much

Were also wondering what to do in terms of additional relationship support?

We rent an apartment together, but my husband is unable to open a Canadian Bank account, we don't have a GVT issued ID for him yet etc.

We have provided copies of cell phone bills, transit cards, letters from family and friends and pictures, copies of letters of urgency I have sent for other visas etc

Is that enough? I'm worried because I know other couples are able to provide more documents but even though we have been married for a year and together for two, we have only been living together since January and since COVID-19 hit, our hands were tied just as we started gathering paperwork..

We went to our local RBC bank and got them to add my husband (visitor's status) onto one of my accounts, making it a joint account. This was easily done and they didn't ask any questions think it was because it's an already existing account that we're adding his name to. If we were to try to open a new account or my husband open his own account they would have asked for a S.I.N, and government ID. Also, I've read here on the forum that the trick is to go IN PERSON to the bank as they will say you can't do it when you ring. Also, it's sometimes just "luck" as to whether you can get an inexperienced teller who just does it without knowing that technically you can't. Don't mention that it's for immigration or that your husband doesn't have a S.I.N, or anything like that and see if you can add his name without saying much. Also try going to a few different tellers at different times or different banks if you have accounts until you find one who just does it.

 

[abdulzeedo]

We went to our local RBC bank and got them to add my husband (visitor's status) onto one of my accounts, making it a joint account. This was easily done and they didn't ask any questions think it was because it's an already existing account that we're adding his name to. If we were to try to open a new account or my husband open his own account they would have asked for a S.I.N, and government ID. Also, I've read here on the forum that the trick is to go IN PERSON to the bank as they will say you can't do it when you ring. Also, it's sometimes just "luck" as to whether you can get an inexperienced teller who just does it without knowing that technically you can't. Don't mention that it's for immigration or that your husband doesn't have a S.I.N, or anything like that and see if you can add his name without saying much. Also try going to a few different tellers at different times or different banks if you have accounts until you find one who just does it.

Is it necessary to show that the spouses have joint bank accounts and shared bills etc?

 

[Lara27]

We went to our local RBC bank and got them to add my husband (visitor's status) onto one of my accounts, making it a joint account. This was easily done and they didn't ask any questions think it was because it's an already existing account that we're adding his name to. If we were to try to open a new account or my husband open his own account they would have asked for a S.I.N, and government ID. Also, I've read here on the forum that the trick is to go IN PERSON to the bank as they will say you can't do it when you ring. Also, it's sometimes just "luck" as to whether you can get an inexperienced teller who just does it without knowing that technically you can't. Don't mention that it's for immigration or that your husband doesn't have a S.I.N, or anything like that and see if you can add his name without saying much. Also try going to a few different tellers at different times or different banks if you have accounts until you find one who just does it.

Thank you!!!

 

[Lara27]

how were you able to get a cell phone bill with your spouse's name? I was told by all the major companies that a SIN is needed.

Go to a phone kiosk (your best shot is one of those mall locations that serves multiple phone companies) a more experienced salesperson will be able to do it

 

[wsidd]

Go to a phone kiosk (your best shot is one of those mall locations that serves multiple phone companies) a more experienced salesperson will be able to do it

Will try but I believe last time they asked for a Canadian credit card I think or Alberta driver's license.

 

[CanUK333]

Is it necessary to show that the spouses have joint bank accounts and shared bills etc?

No, but they are the more "recommended" "official" forms of proof. If you don't have the recommended forms of proof (they list what they ideally want in the checklist/guide), then you have to provide an explanation as to why you don't have them and additional proof of co-habitation/relationship. At the time of applying my husband and I didn't have many of these "official" documents so we had to be a bit creative including things such as Amazon delivery invoices, letters from neighbours/family, postcards/letters sent to us at same address, magazine subscription, health insurance contract etc. That's when we tried our local bank and managed to get lucky with a teller who added his name to my account.

 

[abdulzeedo]

No, but they are the more "recommended" "official" forms of proof. If you don't have the recommended forms of proof (they list what they ideally want in the checklist/guide), then you have to provide an explanation as to why you don't have them and additional proof of co-habitation/relationship. At the time of applying my husband and I didn't have many of these "official" documents so we had to be a bit creative including things such as Amazon delivery invoices, letters from neighbours/family, postcards/letters sent to us at same address, magazine subscription, health insurance contract etc. That's when we tried our local bank and managed to get lucky with a teller who added his name to my account.

So an inland application is far more complex than an outland one. However, if somebody like me can stay only for six months, why do they expect me to have all these non-sensical proofs? Why would i have a joint bank account if i am only visiting? Why should my name be included in the house/mortgage if I am not even a resident?

 

[Chutsk10]

Inland applications aren't only for people with visitor visas, in fact, I tend to think they are not really for people on visitor visas at all (although it's perfectly acceptable to do it that way). Applicant's can be here for a variety of reasons be it a work permit, student permit etc. For a visitor it is difficult to gather the proofs, for other situations people are already here more long term and can gather the proofs more easily.

 

[CanUK333]

So an inland application is far more complex than an outland one. However, if somebody like me can stay only for six months, why do they expect me to have all these non-sensical proofs? Why would i have a joint bank account if i am only visiting? Why should my name be included in the house/mortgage if I am not even a resident?

You’re right, for visitors, that is. It is very difficult to get proofs. That’s why we had to be creative. We also included joint stuff from when we both lived in the UK as we didn’t have much from Canada.