Advice needed for complicated spousal application

[Becki567]

Hi everyone,

I am in the process of completing the application and finish gathering "evidence". I am the Canadian and he is from UK. We are getting married this Saturday.

We understand our relationship will raise "red flags" to CIC. The main issues for them will probably be I am 9 years older than him, I have two children from a previous marriage, my divorced was finalized only a month before we get married, and none of his family is able to attend the wedding

We just returned from a month long trip to the UK which we had booked in order to get married there. My children came with us but due to a technical error with my divorce it was not finalized until we were already in the UK. With the UKs requirements of giving notice and certificate of non-impediment we simply ran out of time. We did have an engagement party while we were there are his family is very supportive but it is expensive to come here and on such short notice the extended family can not come. His parents want to be there (and will witness ceremony via Skype) but would rather use the money to come visit us in 6 months or so rather than see us again now and then not be able to see us for over a year.

I am very aware going into this application that I will have to have more proof. I purchased my home before we were together and was not able to add him to title without submitting a new application which would not have been approved due to him having no Canadian credit and me being in school full time.

So I have pictures from over 4 years. I have us traveling to the UK for a month and 100s of pictures of me meeting his family. I have us vacationing twice together in Vegas. I have a letter from my kids school and daycare stating he is seen picking them up/dropping off 4-5 times a week and is listed as emergency contact. I have our new car owned together. I have him on house insurance/health insurance/auto insurance together. We have joint bank accounts. I have 100 pages of text messages I moved from iphone to computer between me and his mother. I have 300 pages of texts between him and myself from Dec of 2011. (I don't have my previous phone and never thought to keep it to have to prove a relationship). I have a few cards that we exchanged between eachother. Again never thought to keep that stuff. I have lots of congratulatory on engagement cards from both families. I have Christmas cards and birthday cards from both families addressed to both of us. We have copy of his airline tickets and passport stamps showing he visited me 8 times in 3 years before obtaining a International Experience Visa in March of 2012 when he moved here. He is currently on his second and last IEC visa. And we have been living together since Sept 1/2012 when he moved in with me. Having only had an online relationship and a few visits we felt it was better to see how things went when being with eachother constantly before moving in right away especially because I have kids. And finally I have complied a word document that explains our love story with close to 100 pictures.

We are applying inland mainly for the work permit part.

Because there is no appeals with inland. I am looking for advice on whether you think my evidence is enough or we need more. If so what else?

In going through the document checklist I see I have to provide proof of funds. He is currently working and is able to legally do so until mid April 2014. I get substantial child support and some government grants for being in school. But I have no employment income. I am going to provide along with my divorce certificate, my divorce judgement showing my child support granted. Is this enough? Could we be denied for me being in school and having no taxable income?

In regards to the actual application package. Is there a size limit? With all the extra proof I feel I need, this has grown to be almost 600 pages so far. The guide says to put application package in envelope. I am not sure this will fit in an envelope unless it is massive. I have not been able to find if there are size limits.

Is there any other advice, encouragement, experience you could offer to help us out?

I appreciate all responses.

Thank you!

 

[Line.a]

We submitted way less evidence than you guys. Some decide to put a lot together and some just put enough. Each application is different. Since you're saying the age difference between the two of you, then yes in that case I'd suggest to bring a little more evidence in such as text messages and what not.

We only submitted about 70 pictures together, one card exchange, me joint to his bank account, common law declaration, two leases signed in our names and stamps, letters from his side of the family and friends. That is pretty much about it.

No I doubt there is a size limit, like I said each application is unique. Separate it in different envelopes use two different ones for proof and extra evidence for example. And definitely send it with a courier and get a tracking number so you don't lose it.

 

[Line.a]

And be aware that it is a long wait for inland applications as of right now. Not sure if its going to change. There are people on this board who has been waiting for an open work permit for 10 months.

 

[Becki567]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes I am aware of the wait. I have been reading these forums for a couple months. I am hoping once they get past Oct/Nov that the time frame will go down but we are prepared to wait.

We are fairly certain we will be called for an interview and that is another reason we chose inland. To have to buy two (or 4 if I had to take my children) last minute flights to the UK would be expensive and will me being in school if it was a bad time like finals or something then we could be in bigger trouble.

I like your idea of sending two envelopes. But I would still send them in one package (probably a box) through the courier. Is that what you mean? I would be worried sending them separately and them not getting matched up.

 

[zardoz]

If your partner is a British citizen, the age difference is likely to be irrelevant. The UK is not seen as being a source of "marriages of convenience". As a result, good evidence of an ongoing relationship over a number of years will probably be sufficient to keep CIC happy.

 

[parker24]

Hi everyone,

I am in the process of completing the application and finish gathering "evidence". I am the Canadian and he is from UK. We are getting married this Saturday.

We understand our relationship will raise "red flags" to CIC. The main issues for them will probably be I am 9 years older than him, I have two children from a previous marriage, my divorced was finalized only a month before we get married, and none of his family is able to attend the wedding

We just returned from a month long trip to the UK which we had booked in order to get married there. My children came with us but due to a technical error with my divorce it was not finalized until we were already in the UK. With the UKs requirements of giving notice and certificate of non-impediment we simply ran out of time. We did have an engagement party while we were there are his family is very supportive but it is expensive to come here and on such short notice the extended family can not come. His parents want to be there (and will witness ceremony via Skype) but would rather use the money to come visit us in 6 months or so rather than see us again now and then not be able to see us for over a year.

I am very aware going into this application that I will have to have more proof. I purchased my home before we were together and was not able to add him to title without submitting a new application which would not have been approved due to him having no Canadian credit and me being in school full time.

So I have pictures from over 4 years. I have us traveling to the UK for a month and 100s of pictures of me meeting his family. I have us vacationing twice together in Vegas. I have a letter from my kids school and daycare stating he is seen picking them up/dropping off 4-5 times a week and is listed as emergency contact. I have our new car owned together. I have him on house insurance/health insurance/auto insurance together. We have joint bank accounts. I have 100 pages of text messages I moved from iphone to computer between me and his mother. I have 300 pages of texts between him and myself from Dec of 2011. (I don't have my previous phone and never thought to keep it to have to prove a relationship). I have a few cards that we exchanged between eachother. Again never thought to keep that stuff. I have lots of congratulatory on engagement cards from both families. I have Christmas cards and birthday cards from both families addressed to both of us. We have copy of his airline tickets and passport stamps showing he visited me 8 times in 3 years before obtaining a International Experience Visa in March of 2012 when he moved here. He is currently on his second and last IEC visa. And we have been living together since Sept 1/2012 when he moved in with me. Having only had an online relationship and a few visits we felt it was better to see how things went when being with eachother constantly before moving in right away especially because I have kids. And finally I have complied a word document that explains our love story with close to 100 pictures.

We are applying inland mainly for the work permit part.

Because there is no appeals with inland. I am looking for advice on whether you think my evidence is enough or we need more. If so what else?

In going through the document checklist I see I have to provide proof of funds. He is currently working and is able to legally do so until mid April 2014. I get substantial child support and some government grants for being in school. But I have no employment income. I am going to provide along with my divorce certificate, my divorce judgement showing my child support granted. Is this enough? Could we be denied for me being in school and having no taxable income?

In regards to the actual application package. Is there a size limit? With all the extra proof I feel I need, this has grown to be almost 600 pages so far. The guide says to put application package in envelope. I am not sure this will fit in an envelope unless it is massive. I have not been able to find if there are size limits.

Is there any other advice, encouragement, experience you could offer to help us out?

I appreciate all responses.

Thank you!

I honestly do not believe you will have any issues.

My in-laws were not able to come to our wedding, and I still have not met them face to face!

Try not to overthink it, sounds like you have everything in order!

 

[Line.a]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes I am aware of the wait. I have been reading these forums for a couple months. I am hoping once they get past Oct/Nov that the time frame will go down but we are prepared to wait.

We are fairly certain we will be called for an interview and that is another reason we chose inland. To have to buy two (or 4 if I had to take my children) last minute flights to the UK would be expensive and will me being in school if it was a bad time like finals or something then we could be in bigger trouble.

I like your idea of sending two envelopes. But I would still send them in one package (probably a box) through the courier. Is that what you mean? I would be worried sending them separately and them not getting matched up.

Yes so separate the extra proof in different envelopes try keep it neat and tidy if you can, but send it all in a box if you need to - as long as the open work permit and the PR application is together but in different envelopes labelled then you should be fine. Even if you'd have to go to an interview (I'm certain we do too since we didn't gather too much proof for our common law relationship) then you can find questions they are likely to ask in an interview so you are prepared. We can only do so much, right

 

[little_apple]

Just explain your situation and you'll be fine.

My common-law partner is 13 years older than me but I never thought this could be a problem because I always had partners who were many years older than me. I just don't get along with people my age ;-)

We sent off our application exactly 12 months after moving in together. We included only the minimum of requested documents without explaining every day of our relationship, with only 17 pictures for 12 months. Our application wasn't even an inch thick. 600 pages of proof seems like a lot. Just think about what the officer really needs to be convinced that your relationship is genuine. I don't think you need 600 pages.

In the beginning I worried a lot if we sent enough proof after reading some of the posts here but I still think we sent enough...

 

[Zouk Princesse]

Hi Becki, welcome to the journey! I agree with the others that your case does not seem super complicated. The fact that you are able to identify potential red flags is a huge plus for you, because now you can tailor your application to address them. For example you note the age difference... so in your story, be sure to highlight things like common interests, agreement on future goals, how you feel you're compatible, etc. so the reviewing officer will see clearly that your age has no negative impact on your marriage. Explain fully the situation around the wedding, and show how even though certain family members were unable to attend, this is how they're involved in your lives in other ways. There's no cut and dry "right" information to send to CIC, it's all about presenting a comprehensive, clear, and easy to understand application. They will look at your evidence and relationship as a whole when making their decision, so just make sure to address anything you think they might have questions/doubts about. The actual items you listed sound great, I'm sure you will be fine. Good luck!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

So I have pictures from over 4 years. I have us traveling to the UK for a month and 100s of pictures of me meeting his family. I have us vacationing twice together in Vegas. I have a letter from my kids school and daycare stating he is seen picking them up/dropping off 4-5 times a week and is listed as emergency contact. I have our new car owned together. I have him on house insurance/health insurance/auto insurance together. We have joint bank accounts. I have 100 pages of text messages I moved from iphone to computer between me and his mother. I have 300 pages of texts between him and myself from Dec of 2011. (I don't have my previous phone and never thought to keep it to have to prove a relationship). I have a few cards that we exchanged between eachother. Again never thought to keep that stuff. I have lots of congratulatory on engagement cards from both families. I have Christmas cards and birthday cards from both families addressed to both of us. We have copy of his airline tickets and passport stamps showing he visited me 8 times in 3 years before obtaining a International Experience Visa in March of 2012 when he moved here. He is currently on his second and last IEC visa. And we have been living together since Sept 1/2012 when he moved in with me. Having only had an online relationship and a few visits we felt it was better to see how things went when being with eachother constantly before moving in right away especially because I have kids. And finally I have complied a word document that explains our love story with close to 100 pictures.

In regards to the actual application package. Is there a size limit? With all the extra proof I feel I need, this has grown to be almost 600 pages so far. The guide says to put application package in envelope. I am not sure this will fit in an envelope unless it is massive. I have not been able to find if there are size limits.

Hi

In all honestly, it sounds like a bit too much . As others have said, because he is British, CIC won't really suspect an MOC and your age difference isn't much of a red flag. You seem to have a very good variety of evidence, combined assets, combined finances, your families know, he's very involved with the kids, etc. The fact that he came here on an IEC so that you guys could develop your relationship and then got the second IEC so he could stay with you is also a big plus.

With the texts, I suggest you just compile a few texts from each month and submit those, as 400 pages is too much . Even if you just take a few from each week, it will still cut your app by at least a few hundred pages.

You should look again at applying outland through London. As you have solid evidence of a long-term relationship, I think the chances of an interview are low. Inland is at 10 months right now just for stage 1 approval and the OWP; outland, he would most likely have his PR before that 10 months was up. Have a look at the London thread and spreadsheet

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/thread-for-outland-london-uk-applications-t49436.11520.html
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvI5l_hMO7UKdHc2LUJuZ2Itcld2Vk1WR25GeVZxYVE#gid=18

 

[frege]

Hi Becki,

I agree with Canuck's advice 100%, and with most of what's been said by others. You have very little to worry about, since you have a perfectly valid explanation for the way the wedding was.

Select a sample of correspondence that gives a feeling for the fact that you two are close. In our case, we didn't include any really personal stuff. Mostly, we just picked e-mails that showed that we were very aware of what was happening in each other's lives, about 40 in all I think, spanning the entire relationship. 50 or 60 photos. We sent it all in a box, with the papers and photos bound in elastic bands.

This was already probably too much, especially with all the phone bills. After reading our GCMS notes, we saw the VO wrote just a few lines and even got my wife's age wrong. Our impression was that they probably only spent a few minutes looking at things. Our processing time was a bit longer than other people's at the same office, so we wondered if maybe the fact our package was a bit too big had made the people there reluctant to process it.

I read somewhere that someone's file was too big, and they discarded part of it in Mississauga before it ever reached the visa office. I think the person found out through their GCMS notes, if I'm not mistaken.

So I'd save a lot of the stuff you mentioned for in case the visa officer asks for more evidence later (not that that is particularly likely). If they're not satisfied with your application, they'll definitely give you this opportunity.

An entire outland application through London will normally be at least as fast as Stage 1 inland (currently 10 months), and usually faster. So there's probably not much point doing things inland. In the unlikely event that your husband is required to undergo an interview, the inland process can be excruciatingly slow (up to two or three years sometimes, with no work permit until after a successful interview), whereas outland will be done much quicker. It is possible there's some reason we haven't thought of that inland would be better, but considering processing times, he'll probably get his PR outland quicker than he'd get the work permit inland.

Although London currently shows a processing time of 10 months for 80% of applications (or 11 months, counting the sponsorship stage), most applications are processed faster than that. For the period from April 2012 to March 2013, processing times for spousal sponsorships in London were as follows:

20% within 6 months;
30% within 6 months;
50% within 7 months;
70% within 9 months;
80% within 10 months.

Source: http://data.gc.ca/data/dataset/427337d0-7c36-4fed-8428-c6a63f8c19b3

Also see the London outland thread for current processing times, including any information about how the foreign officers' strike might be affecting processing.

You normally can't be denied as a sponsor for getting student financial aid. The only thing is welfare and similar benefits. For each province there is a list of prohibited kinds of social assistance for the sponsor. This can be found in the "memorandum of understanding" on immigration between the federal government and your province (except Quebec, which has its own list). It is unlikely what you receive will be on the list. For peace of mind, you can check the list. If you receive any of the benefits on the list before he becomes a PR, then you become ineligible.

That being said, the visa officer needs to believe that the two of you will be able to support yourselves once he's a PR. His income can absolutely be counted for that. Since he's working in Canada, there's every indication that he's capable of providing for himself if need be. There's no need to demonstrate that you'll be able to support him if he doesn't look like he needs it.

 

[gongdi]

100s of pictures as evidence?? Now you're making me feel inadequate, as I only sent in around 15 pictures. I just assumed VO don't want to waste time seeing too many pictures, other than a few travel and wedding pics. What do the experts say about this?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'd guess that since your husband is from the UK (1st world country on par with Canada in terms of quality of life), that this would highly unlikely be seen as a possible MOC, regardless of difference in age.

 

[Line.a]

Yeah you got too much evidence ther I'm thinking. It's ok to be on the safe side, but I'm thinking the officer who's looking at your application might need a little more than one cup of coffe to go through all that. They might not even look at it. Just put a few samples of everything you got the rest doesn't really matter too much.

 

[Seagulls828]

Now I'm nervous about mine! I didn't send boatloads of pictures. I think I sent in maybe 20ish to cover the last two years (we've been married since July 2012), our travel receipts, ticket stubs from things we've done together, two letters from friends here in Canada attesting to our relationship, a copy of my daughter's Kindergarten report card from the school she went to in BC last year, Our medical / auto insurance with me on it (no SIN number so I can't be on his bank accounts) and his life insurance showing me as the beneficiary, and a letter from my ex husband supporting my Canadian husband sponsoring me and my two children from my previous marriage. I didn't think they would want emails and texts and the like so I didn't send them. Worst case scenario I think they might request an interview. There are 7 years between us, and my divorce wasn't final until two months before we got married just because it took that long to get through the courts (I'm American), but my ex husband included in his letter that we had been separated long before my husband and I started dating" in December 2010. I thought that was plenty sufficient. I think our application was about 2.5 inches thick when I sent it out with the open work permit. I made sure I had everything neatly labeled and bundled my husband's sponsorship forms and documentation together, my & the kids' stuff together, and then the OWP all in the same envelope.

 

[Line.a]

Now I'm nervous about mine! I didn't send boatloads of pictures. I think I sent in maybe 20ish to cover the last two years (we've been married since July 2012), our travel receipts, ticket stubs from things we've done together, two letters from friends here in Canada attesting to our relationship, a copy of my daughter's Kindergarten report card from the school she went to in BC last year, Our medical / auto insurance with me on it (no SIN number so I can't be on his bank accounts) and his life insurance showing me as the beneficiary, and a letter from my ex husband supporting my Canadian husband sponsoring me and my two children from my previous marriage. I didn't think they would want emails and texts and the like so I didn't send them. Worst case scenario I think they might request an interview. There are 7 years between us, and my divorce wasn't final until two months before we got married just because it took that long to get through the courts (I'm American), but my ex husband included in his letter that we had been separated long before my husband and I started dating" in December 2010. I thought that was plenty sufficient. I think our application was about 2.5 inches thick when I sent it out with the open work permit. I made sure I had everything neatly labeled and bundled my husband's sponsorship forms and documentation together, my & the kids' stuff together, and then the OWP all in the same envelope.

Sounds like you got it all covered. Try not to worry too much, we all do from time to time. Even if an interview is needed, I'm sure you'll be fine. Fingers crossed for you!