A number of questions. Help would be much appreciated!

[DouglasWilliam]

My wife and I have two kids. The kids are both Canadian citizens by birth right, but my wife is a citizen of South Korea. We're applying for her PR status.

1. We're self-employed.
a. How much detail do I have to provide about finances?
b. Do I need an official document from the tax authority?
c. How detailed does a 'statement of business activities' have to be?
d. Do I need a Notice of Assessment from Revenue Canada, as mentioned in item 17 of form IMM5491? I haven't lived in Canada for over nine years.

2. In form IMM5491, some of the documents are only required as copies.
a. Is it aright simply to photocopy them and send them in, or do they have to be Certified True copies?

3. IMM5491 section 20 regards proof of intent to live in Canada.
a. What flies, here? I have no property, no school plans, nothing like that. Just a plan to move in with my parents until we can find a house of our own. Can my parents simply send me an email that I can print out, or does it have to be snail-mailed and stamped and signed and so forth, or does it have to be an affidavit?

4. Proof of Relationship to Sponsor. This is the one that's giving me the most stress as I've heard deficiencies here are the main reason people get called in for interviews. Unfortunately, we don't have old phone bills or text message history (we've changed our phones and numbers several times); we've never sent but two or three business-related emails; we've never exchanged letters or cards at all. However, we have a million pictures of us; us with our two kids; all for of us with various friends and family members; and so forth.
a. How screwed are we if all we have to rely on are pictures and the odd baseball ticket stub and plane boarding pass and whatnot?

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[frege]

My wife and I have two kids. The kids are both Canadian citizens by birth right, but my wife is a citizen of South Korea. We're applying for her PR status.

1. We're self-employed.
a. How much detail do I have to provide about finances?
b. Do I need an official document from the tax authority?
c. How detailed does a 'statement of business activities' have to be?
d. Do I need a Notice of Assessment from Revenue Canada, as mentioned in item 17 of form IMM5491? I haven't lived in Canada for over nine years.

2. In form IMM5491, some of the documents are only required as copies.
a. Is it aright simply to photocopy them and send them in, or do they have to be Certified True copies?

3. IMM5491 section 20 regards proof of intent to live in Canada.
a. What flies, here? I have no property, no school plans, nothing like that. Just a plan to move in with my parents until we can find a house of our own. Can my parents simply send me an email that I can print out, or does it have to be snail-mailed and stamped and signed and so forth, or does it have to be an affidavit?

4. Proof of Relationship to Sponsor. This is the one that's giving me the most stress as I've heard deficiencies here are the main reason people get called in for interviews. Unfortunately, we don't have old phone bills or text message history (we've changed our phones and numbers several times); we've never sent but two or three business-related emails; we've never exchanged letters or cards at all. However, we have a million pictures of us; us with our two kids; all for of us with various friends and family members; and so forth.
a. How screwed are we if all we have to rely on are pictures and the odd baseball ticket stub and plane boarding pass and whatnot?

Thank you so much for your help.

1. a. In Canada, whenever you're self-employed, you have to provide a financial statement for your business with your tax return. ( http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2125/t2125-15e.pdf ) If there's anything like that where you live (South Korea?), then that would probably do. Of course, it would be expensive to have translated. If you don't have that, then I don't know.

1. d. If you weren't legally required to file a return in Canada, then there is no obligation here. If you had no Canadian income last year and spent less than 6 months in the country, then you're fine. Point 18 might include tax documents from your country of residence.

2. Wherever it just says copies, they don't need to be certified. Copies need to be certified for documents that are being translated from another language.

3. I don't really have an answer, but here is what CIC says about this.

Evidence that sponsors will reside in Canada may include one or more of the
following:
• letter from an employer;
• letter of acceptance to a Canadian educational institution;
• proof of having rented/bought a dwelling in Canada;
• reasonable plans for re-establishing in Canada or severing ties to the other country.

Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/ip/ip02-eng.pdf

If your plan is initially to move in with your parents, then an affidavit from them saying that they will accommodate you for as long as you need it sounds good.

4. Couples who have been living together for years and are raising children together will have no concerns proving genuineness of their marriage. So send in a few examples of what they ask for so that you can tick the boxes, and don't worry about it. Try to find proof you've shared an address for as long as possible. If you have an interview, which is highly unlikely, the VO will have to tell you what their concerns are, so you'll have a chance then to bring in more documentation.