Bad situation to be in - how honest before it get's you into trouble?

[mr.peace]

Okay thanks for listening. I have been in a relationship, now married to a Filipina for 2 years. She is 47. When she was 17, her mother sent her out of the country to work as a prostitute (this was through an "agency". Her mother and this man arranged for a passport using another persons birth certificate. My wife, who thankfully was not forced into prostitution but worked for the man for 10 years as a housekeeper, lived in Australia under the other name. After 10 years she went back home. She never got caught.

Years later she had a passport in her own name, and has travelled and worked legally in two other countries.

As I read the application spousal sponsorship forms, of course it scares the heck out of me. I want to be honest about her past, but I have been told if I do that, Immigration Canada will ban her and I will never be able to sponsor her.

Any recommendations or experiences?

If I were you, I won't try to complicate things. Start her history since she was 36-37 years old. I am guessing your love story did not start when she was in Australia with a different name, right? Pretend that the Australia thing never happened.

 

[screech339]

What date is on the bottom of each page on that form? This is the latest from the CIC web site. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5669E.pdf It's dated as 12-2012.

You are right. I was looking at a copy that we submitted with application not realizing that the form has been updated since. My apology.

This makes more sense as it was stupid to say list personal history for last 10 year or 18 but goes on to say list all addresses since 18? The new form makes more sense.

Screech339

 

[ksimental]

There have been cases on here, where people have submitted only last 10 years, and the visa office made a request for additional information all the way back to age 18. I can't recall if certain visa offices ask this more than others.

So perhaps it's a good idea to just list the past 10 years in which this won't even be an issue... and just hope they don't ask for entire history to 18 later on in the process!

Mexico City is also doing this. My husband is 41 and we submitted the last 10 years of history and all addresses since the age of 18. In our doc request, they want history since the age of 18. Going back 23 years has been a pain in the arse.

 

[zardoz]

Mexico City is also doing this. My husband is 41 and we submitted the last 10 years of history and all addresses since the age of 18. In our doc request, they want history since the age of 18. Going back 23 years has been a pain in the arse.

Mine was rather further than 23 years... I've been in my current job for over 32 years, and yet they wanted more!

 

[canadianwoman]

It is relevant, and there are cases like it. One is on this forum. Inlimbo's husband was working illegally in South Korea with a passport not in his real name. They were honest on the PR application, and they had a lot of trouble. The visa was rejected. They won the appeal, basically because they had a child, but the reprocessing took ages. I think she is finally at the end and will be getting the PR visa soon, but who knows, and they applied back in 2010.

The issue for CIC is this. Since the applicant has committed immigration fraud to enter one richer country, this is evidence that the applicant may be committing immigration fraud (a marriage of convenience) to enter another. The visa officers are already suspicious, so imagine how suspicious they become when they are handed proof the applicant has already committed immigration fraud.

I would message inlimbo and ask her what she thinks you should do.

 

[truesmile]

But the OP doesn't have to do anything yet, EXCEPT complete and send in his forms. Going back 10 years on either of those questions hasn't present any misrepresentation/lying scenarios. Aside from that, I think you just answered his question for him. He would have a hard time proving he WAS there, even IF he wanted to.