common-law partner

[bronak]

hi,
i am new in the forum.
i want to ask you some things about proving common-law relationship.
My girlfriend has been accepted to Montreal for PhD studies.
I want to go there with her as soon as possible.
We are in a relationship for ten years.
I read that the form (IMM5409E) needs some things such as common rental agreement or common bank account.
We don’t have something that belongs to both of us. We are young and haven’t bought something together.
We have flight tickets from two years ago with our names on them which have been paid from one credit card.
We also have lots of pictures together during these years.

We can write a personal statement with our situation and our relationship and have our parents to sign it. A lawyer or someone of our teachers may sign this statement, too.

Are these things enough to prove that we are common-law partners?

 

[scylla]

Have you lived together for at least one full year?

 

[bronak]

We are living together for the last three years in Greece.
She will be in Canada on early August.
Now we are preparing our documents

 

[scylla]

You need to provide proof that you have been living together at the same address for at least one year. Can each of you provide letters that were sent to that address? Do you have any shared utility bills? Do you have any other bills (like the credit card bill) that show both of your names and the shared address? Who owns the property? Can the person who owns the property write a letter confirming that you both live there and for how long you have been living together?

The flights and photos aren't very useful. You have to prove that you live together - that's what's most important.

 

[bronak]

scylla thank you very much for your answers.
the house we're living in is my father's.
I'll ask him to write a letter confirming that I'm living there with my girlfriend the last 3 years.

a personal statement which explains our situation and be signed by our parents and a lawyer wouldn't help?

 

[evanstp9]

Why don't you consider the option of a civil marriage? It's quick and inexpensive, plus a lot simpler procedure for you afterwards

 

[amikety]

scylla thank you very much for your answers.
the house we're living in is my father's.
I'll ask him to write a letter confirming that I'm living there with my girlfriend the last 3 years.

a personal statement which explains our situation and be signed by our parents and a lawyer wouldn't help?

You'll need some type of proof that isn't a statement by a person. While it's good to have family statements, you need something that isn't depending on someone's word. Did you both get mail at this address? Did you get cards for Christmas (or another holiday) addressed to both of you? Did you file taxes as common-law? (I don't know if that's possible in Greece. Forgive me if it's not.)

You can tell the VO you prefer to keep your bank accounts separate - that's fine, many people do that even when married. However, you do need to show combined affairs.

At the very least, get statements from people outside your family, like your doctor, priest/preacher/rabbi if you have one, local official - anyone that knows you were living together, has an official place in the community, and will write a letter and sign it in front of a notary. Not a family member or friend.

 

[bronak]

Thank you very much for your answers

 

[Cezjo31]

Hi wonder if you end up in Canada as a common law?