Are my financial details required if I sponsor my spouse?

[steveee]

Hi everyone, I am in the process of moving back to Canada from Thailand. I would like to get my Thai wife a PR. We have been married for 5 years here in Thailand. I would like to know if I have to provide my financial details with the application? The lawyer I am considering hiring sent me this


Income Tables and Charts Income Scale, 2012

Effective from January 1 to December 31 2012

Sponsors (guarantors) are presumed to be able to satisfy their undertaking if in the last 12 months they have had gross income from
Canadian sources equal to the SUM of the amount shown in Table 1 and the amount in Table 2 below. These amounts are indexed each year.

Table 1

Basic Income Required by Sponsor to Meet Basic Needs of Own Family

Total Number of Family Members

Basic Annual Income Required

1

2

3

4

5

C$21,646

C$29,221

C$36,077

C$41,492

C$46,179

The gross annual income is increased by C$4,687 for each additional dependant.

Table 2

Additional Income Required by Sponsor to Meet Basic Needs of Sponsored Person
and His/Her Family Members

Persons 18
and over

0

0

1

1

1

2

2

2

Persons
under 18

Gross Annual
Income Required
by Sponsor

1

2

0

1

2

0

1

2

C$7,493

C$11,875

C$15,843

C$21,274

C$24,021

C$23,219

C$26,011

C$28,078

Increase to Required Gross
Annual Income

C$3,960 for each additional person
under 18

C$2,745 for each additional person
under 18

C$2,061 for each additional person
under 18 and by C$7,382 for each
additional person 18 or over

 

[Isometry]

You don't have to meet the minimum income requirement, but you still need to show that you'll be able to support yourselves. You'll need your Option C and I believe a letter from your employer.

Do you have any children?

 

[steveee]

so if i get a job, i just need a letter from my new employer? I saw that is said i had to earn a certain amount over the last 12 months from Canadian sources, which i haven't. What is an option C? My wife has 2 children from a previous relationship but they will not be going to Canada. Do they need to be on the application? thanks

 

[CharlieD10]

If you are employed, a letter from your employer or a copy of your contract would be good. If not, you need proof of savings or other income. If you have not filed taxes in Canada recently, an Option C won't help you much. It is a form issues by CRA detailing sources of income, it helps CIC assess that you qualify because it shows whether you receive income from social assistance for reasons other than disability, which would disqualify you to sponsor.

Non-accompanying dependents should still be medically examined and included on the application.

 

[steveee]

Thanks for the help!

I haven't filed taxes in a few years. Will this be a problem? I've been working in Thailand for peanuts. I assume I can just head to Canada and file the last few years.

I'll be fine with just a letter from my new employer? Past income won't matter, because mine has been very low.

I'll be in Canada and she will be in Thailand. Should we both start the paperwork at the same time? I plan to hire a lawyer to help her with her application, just wondering if I should do that now or wait until I have completed my portion in Canada?

 

[Devine2020]

Thanks for the help!

I haven't filed taxes in a few years. Will this be a problem? I've been working in Thailand for peanuts. I assume I can just head to Canada and file the last few years.

I'll be fine with just a letter from my new employer? Past income won't matter, because mine has been very low.

I'll be in Canada and she will be in Thailand. Should we both start the paperwork at the same time? I plan to hire a lawyer to help her with her application, just wondering if I should do that now or wait until I have completed my portion in Canada?

I suggest you do it together because its a lot of work to fill out forms and gathering information. you need to gather lots of information to prove the genuineness of your relationship.You need to include your wife's kids in the application.Are you hiring a lawyer from within Canada?

 

[steveee]

I'll probably hire one here in Thailand to assist my wife with the paperwork/procedure.

 

[OhCanadiana]

There is no hard numerical minimum income requirements for spousal sponsorship (unlike other applications). However, they will look to ensure you have a reasonable plan to ensure you - or your family - can pay for your needs so you don't end up relying on government support to cover your basic needs. So, you can always write a letter and explain your plan ... since you are moving to Canada first you've clearly thought about it. Now, just share the thinking behind how you will do it as part of your application. Folks have gotten approved before who recently graduated and don't have jobs but who planned to stay with family until they were financially stable so they described the situation and had their family write letters too and they were fine.

Regarding complexity of application - in most cases, you should be able to do the application process yourselves. You'll need to collect the evidence yourselves of your relationship and the bio data for the forms. So if you are organized to go through it you should be able to. CIC publishes manuals with details that walk you through question by question so you could give it a go and try first

 

[steveee]

Thanks for the tips. I wonder if they have a manual in the Thai language? Otherwise, she will need assistance, especially if I am not here My wife's speaking and listening are good but her English reading and writing not so good.

 

[jcasanova]

The best thing I found is to hire a lawyer to do the paperwork because they know exactly what to say and how to say it, I personally filled in my application 4 times before my lawyer said it was ok to be send out. In my case my wife is sponsering me, she is in Canada and I'm in Costa Rica, she did filled her taxes which is something they might ask you to do because they will need to see the Option C that revenue canada gives you.

 

[steveee]

So the Option C is mandatory?

 

[NBaker]

Just curious about the financial situation since it appears you may have been considering this move for a couple of years and might have submitted tax returns in that time so this not having paid taxes, which appears to be concerning you now, would not be looming over you.

Maybe your best plan is to clear that all up so you can comfortably move forward with getting all the applications prepared and not be thinking there may/could be a problem with that matter that could hold up your application.

Best to be as forthcoming as possible about all financial matters so the reviewing officer has all the necessary information and there is no surprise after the fact that could result in concerns about a decision either positive or negative in the future.

 

[steveee]

Yes, I will definitely file those returns as soon as I get there. If anything, they will probably send me gst cheques. That's what happened last time I filed a bunch of years at a time I make peanuts here, REALLY!

 

[Rusty53]

Stevee, I would like to correspond with you. I also am going to be sponsoring my fiancee from Thailand.

 

[steveee]

i will pm you now! It would be great to correspond with someone going through the same situation!