Can I sponsor my husband with no income?

[amna_shaykh]

Hi all!

So I'm Canadian, exclusively living abroad with my husband since 2014 but now I want to apply for his PR so we can come together when he gets his PR. I completed my bachelors degree in 2015 from a Canadian university and hopefully will get admission to another Canadian university for my master's. This will be my intent to come back to Canada as soon as my husband gets his PR.

I got my PR because I was sponsored by my ex-husband back in 2010 so I know I have passed the five-year sponsorhip bar and/or it doesn't apply to me because I got my PR before April 2012 (as per CIC website)

Ever since my divorce, I had never been on social assistance and spousal support. My family back in my home country supported me throughout my time. And now my husband supports me. He intends to work full-time in Canada.

I have a living space/residential address in Canada and will stay the same for my application as well. The family who owns the house are family friends who will of course lend us the place for as long as we want and can also provide me the required affidavit.

Now with ALL this in time, my question is how can I show proof of income as I am not currently working in my home country? I know there is no minimum income requirement for spouse but what if the case of no income at all? Can I still apply? What are my best case scenarios? Will the family's affidavit suffice? We are financially well-off so a bank statement stating a lum sum amount? If so, how much?

I know a cousin of mine who applied for her husband's sponsorship with no income. Just showed intent to move back to Canada. I don't know how she did it with no income but her husband got approved.

Please help me out with some possibililties!!!

 

[CDNPR2014]

are you a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident? if you are a permanent resident, then you will need to be physically living in canada during the entire application process. PRs can not sponsor spouses while living exclusively outside of canada.

many sponsors are successfully approved without an income. in the application you need to show proof how you plan to financially support yourself and your spouse without having to go on welfare. you can do this by showing a clear plan for settlement and can include research done on jobs/industries for your spouse, proof of educational/professional background, and letters of support from family members. cic doesn't care who has a job, they care whether it's likely you'll take welfare to support yourselves after approval.

 

[amna_shaykh]

I'm a Canadian citizen.

How to show plan for settlement? Please be specific. Only research done or a job offer? How exactly can I show this? Letters of support from family members? It doesn't have to be from family members in Canada, right? They can be from our home country? Proof of education of mine or my husband?

Sorry if my questions are stupid but I want to get a very clear idea before I apply.

 

[CDNPR2014]

showing a plan means writing a letter that says "upon approval we plan to..." and then you fill it in with your plans on how you plan to move to canada and settle without applying for welfare. there is no standard way to write it, you need to make it your own. they are not looking for anything concrete, they are looking for a plan that makes sense.

research means print outs or spreadsheets of areas you want to settle in, companies you are interested in working for, communication with real estate agents in your area, letters of support from people who will give you help so you don't go on welfare, etc. showing proof of education and professional experience to show you have education and skills for the jobs you will be looking at. these are just ideas, not everything is needed for every situation. again, what you put in the letter depends on your own circumstances. we can't tell you what specifically to write.

 

[CaroM8]

I'm a Canadian citizen.

How to show plan for settlement? Please be specific. Only research done or a job offer? How exactly can I show this? Letters of support from family members? It doesn't have to be from family members in Canada, right? They can be from our home country? Proof of education of mine or my husband?

Sorry if my questions are stupid but I want to get a very clear idea before I apply.

I am also living abroad with my husband and had no trouble getting approved as a sponsor. All we showed were internet job and apartment searches for where we want to live in Canada. Obviously you won't be applying for any of those apartments/jobs specifically, but it just shows that you have a plan for the future. It is also a good idea to get a few letters from friends and family confirming your plans to move to Canada once the process is over. It's also a good idea to show some savings for all your start-up costs when you move (furniture, deposits etc..).

 

[GFLiam]

I have moved back to Canada with my wife this year and I am still trying to find a job suitable for my profession. I attached with my sponsor applicaion some interview invitation emails from potential employers and stated how much money I have to sustain this period and I've got SA a few weeks ago.

 

[amna_shaykh]

Thank you so much, you all. This is really helpful.

Quick few questions. While filling out the forms, I would check "unemployed" but then the following question asks about net income for a period for 12 months. Again being a just homemaker only currently, this will be zero. Would that be okay? I would still get approved.

Also, most of the sponsor questionaire have questions regarding what gifts etc. you both exchanged or how you communicated or travel plans you had for the time you were separate with each other. This doesn't apply to me. So should I write "Not Applicable" on such questions? or everytime give the explanation that we have been living together since our marriage and give proof of gifts or boarding passes if one of us visited places within this time? And is it required to even give proof of phone calls or messages exchanged? because we never exchanged emails with each other as there was never any need.

 

[katdanger]

Thank you so much, you all. This is really helpful.

Quick few questions. While filling out the forms, I would check "unemployed" but then the following question asks about net income for a period for 12 months. Again being a just homemaker only currently, this will be zero. Would that be okay? I would still get approved.

Also, most of the sponsor questionaire have questions regarding what gifts etc. you both exchanged or how you communicated or travel plans you had for the time you were separate with each other. This doesn't apply to me. So should I write "Not Applicable" on such questions? or everytime give the explanation that we have been living together since our marriage and give proof of gifts or boarding passes if one of us visited places within this time? And is it required to even give proof of phone calls or messages exchanged? because we never exchanged emails with each other as there was never any need.

Since there is no minimum income requirement, putting zero shouldn't prevent you from sponsoring, but I think it may make them look more closely at your spouse's income and/or your plans for resettlement.

My husband and I have also been living together since before our marriage and also have no travel plans, flight tickets, etc. to show, so we just explained that we've never been apart and so haven't had to visit each other.

We did submit samples of conversations we had through text messages as well as emails from when we first started dating as proof of communication. Most of our texts are "Need me to get anything from the store on the way home?" type texts, so I think it's clear that we've been living together.

About gifts, I think I just listed some of the things we got each other over the years (books, chocolate, clothes, headphone, etc.) and even things that we bought together (for one anniversary instead of buying each other gifts we bought a board game together that we'd both been wanting to play). The only gift we showed actual proof of was a book my husband gave me because of an inscription he wrote in it that we talked about in another part of the application.

 

[amna_shaykh]

So I can write unemployed and state my husband's net personal income for 12-month? Although I am the sponsor. I don't mind doing that, I thought we could only state my income. Which is currently zero because i'm not working but I intend to when we are in Canada.

 

[amna_shaykh]

Can someone please reply?

 

[CDNPR2014]

So I can write unemployed and state my husband's net personal income for 12-month? Although I am the sponsor. I don't mind doing that, I thought we could only state my income. Which is currently zero because i'm not working but I intend to when we are in Canada.

the sponsor forms are for the sponsor to fill out with their information. it is not for the applicant's information in absence of the sponsor's. he puts his income info on his forms and you put your income information on the sponsor forms. if you personally have made $0 income, then you put you have $0 income. It is a non issue. many sponsors have $0 income. your application will not be rejected only because you have an income of $0. if you claim your spouse's income as your own, you are technically committing misrepresentation - which IS cause for rejected.

 

[GFLiam]

I think as for the the current and past income of the sponsor (YOU), you shall just write $0. However, explain clearly what and how do you plan to sustain your and your husband's living once he is approved to come to Canada. Since technically there is no requirements for minimum income for to sponsor a spouse, it is more important to show initiatives in the future, rather than showing income in the past.

 

[amna_shaykh]

Alright, understood. Thanks much all!

 

[profiler]

OP: See this thread: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/no-income-sponsor-open-work-permit-extension-t464253.0.html . We discuss this topic there.