Address question for common-law partner application

[midwifemia]

My boyfriend is Canadian and I'm from the UK. We lived together in Canada for 3 months last year but then were separated when my visa ran out and I returned to the UK. 10 weeks later we both flew to LA, then onwards together to New Zealand where we've spent the last year travelling and working, and we are living currently.

Come Nov 20th I should be eligible to apply for PR as his common-law. However, we will be in the UK at that point, on a 4 week holiday to see my family & friends. We return to Canada together on Nov 30th with me on a 6 month visitor's visa and will submit the application then. We will be living with his parents until my PR (hopefully) comes through.

Firstly, I'm confused about which addresses to use for the application. Can I use his parent's address in Canada as my 'residential' address (or, on his form: 'address where the person you are sponsoring lives'), even though I'll only be there on a visitor's visa? We want to show we are continuing to cohabit...

Secondly, if we get our Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union signed whilst we are in the UK, who do we need to get to sign it? I'm not sure we have 'Commissioner for Oaths' in England...for that matter, how do I find one in Canada if we wait till we get back and how much will this cost?

Thirdly, it requests details of family members; which family members need to be included? I have no children and no one will be accompanying me to Canada. I have 2 sisters, much older than me and living happily with their partners in England - must I include them on the form? What about my parents - again, no intention of them ever joining me...

Fourthly, I know I need police checks from England and New Zealand - do I need to submit these with my original application or do they ask for these later? I also spent a year in Canada, prior to coming to New Zealand - do I need to get a police check for Canada too?

Finally, on the Sponsored Partner Questionnaire, question 22 asks:

'Was there a formal ceremony to recognize/celebrate the relationship, e.g. commitment or partnership ceremony?'

If you say no, it asks you to explain why not! Well, I'm not sure what we would be celebrating as such, I mean, if we were going to have a ceremony, we'd get married! What are we supposed to say to justify our answer of 'no'?

Sure there'll be more questions later but if you could help me out with these I'd be most grateful.

Cheers guys,

Mia

 

[mitamata]

I will leave #1 and #2 for someone else, because I'd only be guessing on it.

#3 - There are two forms that ask for family members. First is the IMM 0008, the one I assume you're asking about. For the "Details of family members", the instructions are:

Your family members are your spouse or common-law partner, if applicable, and your dependent children (start with the oldest). You must include all of your family members (who are not already permanent residents of Canada or Canadian citizens), whether they intend to immigrate with you or not. Any other relative (your mother, father, sister or brother, for instance) is not considered a family member for the purpose of this application. If you have more than three family members, attach a separate sheet of paper with the same information provided in the same order.

So in your case, you cross out that section as you have no children and your partner is already a citizen or PR of Canada.

The other form is the IMM 5406, where they ask specifically for parents, siblings etc. That you fill out with all your family's information.

I recommend you read the guides before filing out the forms, this info is also there (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3999Etoc.asp)

#4 - Yes, you should get the police checks from England and New Zealand and send them in with the application. If you don't, either Mississauga will send your app back and ask for them or later on, London will put your application aside while they wait for you to get the police certificates, which will of course delay your application.

#5 - Just explain why. A lengthy version of "we never even thought about it" works. Explain such a celebration is not traditional and you felt no need for it. That's what I said about our lack of an engagement party

 

[midwifemia]

Thanks mitamata, that's both helpful and reassuring!

For anyone up to tackling my address question, I should explain that I don't HAVE any other 'residential' address to put down really - we've been in NZ for a year and our working holiday visas are running out in Nov, so we won't be resident here anymore. I have a flat in England but it's rented out, so I don't live there, and I don't have parents I can stay with, so no English address basically. However, since I will only be in Canada on a visitor's visa I don't want to jeopardise that obviously. Not sure what the solution is...

The other thing is that the 'account for every address you've lived at since you were 18' question is going to be a bugger. I'm 35 and have lived at lots of places! I'll do my best to put every place I can remember but am paranoid I'll forget somewhere. Plus the past year we've been travelling around a lot, but it says I have to account for every month, so I've thought about it and have decided to put together a timeline of our time out here in NZ with every place we've stayed - campsites and friend's places and hostels - to make a comprehensive list for them. Is this reasonable do you think? At least they can't say I haven't been upfront about it all!

 

[whoopi83]

Hi

You don't need to fill in the Statutory Declaration of Common Law unless there is a co-signer but in your case there isn't as your BF is sponsoring you on his own.

Residency - I believe if you are applying outland through London then you need to have a UK address but list your Canadian address as mailing address. You can apply inland and have your Canadian address as residency but this tends to be a longer wait for PR based on other postings on the site.

Whoopi.

 

[whoopi83]

Hi again, also, submit your police clearance and medical at the same time as the application.

 

[rjessome]

You need to provide a police check for any country you have lived in for 6 months or more since the age of 18. So YES for the police clearance from Canada if you were here for a year.

A "Commissioner of Oaths" is anyone who can swear a legal document. A barrister or solicitor or notary in the UK would probably suffice or go to your local court and ask if there is someone who can swear a document. You CAN include this statutory declaration if you want. But what is more important is the actual proof you provide that you have been living together for at least 1 year.

 

[Ssarah183]

I've been in Canada for a year (from the UK) but didn't submit a police check from Canada as I read this:

"You and your family members who are 18 years of age and older and are not permanent residents or Canadian citizens have to provide:

* a valid police certificate, or
* police clearance, or
* record of no information.

These documents are to be provided for each country other than Canada, in which you have lived for six consecutive months or longer since reaching the age of 18."

So I don't think you need one from Canada

 

[rjessome]

Oops! I'm sorry! Ssarah is right. They will check you out themselves in Canada during the security check. Sorry.