Hello guys,
I'm kind of new to this forum, I think I joined about a month ago and have been trying to read the most I can about your experiences. I must say it has been very helpful, I have learned a lot, but I still have a lot to read.
I also want to apologize for not being able to help yet to other fellows that post their questions here but I don't feel confident enough to give advice yet and wouldn't want to mislead anybody. I promise I will be more helpful at some point.
My spouse and I are planning to apply under the PhD stream in approximately 1 month, me being the main applicant. As we've been gathering our documents some questions have risen. I hope it is ok if I can just post my questions, and you help me to answer them.
Thanks a lot in advance,
1. Travel documents and passport. The guide says: "include only copies of pages showing: passport number, date of issue and expiry, the photo, name, date and place of birth". My question is: did you notarize these copies? Or regular high quality, colour photocopies will do?
2. Proof of lawful admission. The guide says: "Proof of Lawful Admission is in the form of a stamp in the passport or a status document issued at the Port of Entry". Would this be the work/study permit? or just the stamp from the last time we entered the country? Again, should this be notarized?
3. Proof of funds. I know that for both of us we need to have $13,837+ money in our savings account and that initially we need to provide 6 months history bank statement. What I am not sure is how often do they ask for an updated balance? Every 3/6 months? I need to pay a lot of money for tuition after applying for PR but I will get most of the money back (since a I have a scholarship) after a couple of months. My other question is do you need to show that you have had $13,837+ for the last 6 months ? or as long as the final balance is $13,837+, the previous movements in your account shouldn't matter?
4. I also read that your credit card has to be valid for the next 9 months but I realized that for most of the applicants in this forum they have charged their credit cards no later than 10 days after receiving the application. Both of my credit cards will expire in 6 months, should I consider getting new ones? I know you can pay with a certified cheque too, but I was hoping to pay with my Credit Card.
5. Do you think it is a good idea to submit my spouse's bank statement from an American bank? I've read in the forum that money should be in the main applicant's account but if we barely have the $13,837 in my Canadian account, I was thinking his american account might be of support?
6. My spouse has worked non-continuously during the 3 years we've been living in Canada but I think he can still gather 1 year of full time work. Does it matter that it hasn't been continuous?
Sorry for my long post and thanks a lot for doing this wonderful job !
Cheers!
There are a lot of awesome guys here
