common-law proof: worth it to fill out Power of Attorney right before submitting app?

[sincerelyterra]

Hi all,

Thank you for all you do here! I have learned SO MUCH from this forum.

I am a USA citizen applying for common-law Inland sponsorship with my Canadian fiancee. I am currently in Canada on an IEC visa, and we have lived together since May 2017. We are in the final stages of getting together our application and plan to submit it in just a few days. I was going through all our folders for the millionth time when I discovered Power of Attorney forms that we were given at a long-ago immigration consultation meeting. We had intended to fill them out but never did. Would it be worth it to fill out, photocopy, and submit with today's date? My concern would be that it would look fake and rushed because it wasn't done at a prior time in our relationship.

Additional info on my app, in case it helps -- disregard if it's too much info, yikes...

We have a wealth of proof that our relationship as a whole is genuine, but I'm constantly worried that we don't have enough proof of "marriage-like cohabitation." We are currently submitting the following:
- gym memberships (opened in Jan 2019)
- joint bank account records (TD bank account opened in May 2017)
- a selection of both of our checks and paystubs showing same address from 2017-present
- T4s from previous years for both of us
- selection of cell phone bills showing our address and both of our names and cell numbers, 2017-present
- scanned envelopes and packages from friends and family addressed to both of us
- selection of email confirmations of INTERAC e-transfers between us for sums of money between $40 and $700
- selection of screenshots from an app we use to track shared expenses / who owes who called Splitwise
- We have each written a relationship narrative that includes mention of division of household labor and building a life together, and our support letters from our parents also mention my move to Canada.

we DO NOT have a lease for both of us (and are highly unlikely to be able to get one for reasons too long to explain here), nor do we own anything significant together (no car, pet, house, anything like that), nor am I listed on any other utility bills. We do have /separate/ leases but I'm concerned that sharing them will make us look more like roommates, which we are not, but since we are a female same-sex couple I know that's something that the application readers are specifically looking for.

Anyway, worth it to fill out this Power of Attorney or nah?

THANKS!

 

[k.h.p.]

I doubt that a power of attorney form, with today's date, will add weight to your proof of common-law status.

When you say you have separate leases - is it for the same apartment? If there is a reason you have separate leases for the same apartment, it's worth including the leases and explaining how that means you live together. If they are for separate apartments, those aren't proof of cohabitation.

This information that you've listed above isn't completely about support of the genuineness of the relationship - it's proving cohabitation. Some of the financial support items go to relationship, like the interac transfers and splitwise.

Do you have lots of photos, letters between the two, emails, letters from friends and family members supporting the relationship, etc?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi all,

Thank you for all you do here! I have learned SO MUCH from this forum.

I am a USA citizen applying for common-law Inland sponsorship with my Canadian fiancee. I am currently in Canada on an IEC visa, and we have lived together since May 2017. We are in the final stages of getting together our application and plan to submit it in just a few days. I was going through all our folders for the millionth time when I discovered Power of Attorney forms that we were given at a long-ago immigration consultation meeting. We had intended to fill them out but never did. Would it be worth it to fill out, photocopy, and submit with today's date? My concern would be that it would look fake and rushed because it wasn't done at a prior time in our relationship.

Additional info on my app, in case it helps -- disregard if it's too much info, yikes...

We have a wealth of proof that our relationship as a whole is genuine, but I'm constantly worried that we don't have enough proof of "marriage-like cohabitation." We are currently submitting the following:
- gym memberships (opened in Jan 2019)
- joint bank account records (TD bank account opened in May 2017)
- a selection of both of our checks and paystubs showing same address from 2017-present
- T4s from previous years for both of us
- selection of cell phone bills showing our address and both of our names and cell numbers, 2017-present
- scanned envelopes and packages from friends and family addressed to both of us
- selection of email confirmations of INTERAC e-transfers between us for sums of money between $40 and $700
- selection of screenshots from an app we use to track shared expenses / who owes who called Splitwise
- We have each written a relationship narrative that includes mention of division of household labor and building a life together, and our support letters from our parents also mention my move to Canada.

we DO NOT have a lease for both of us (and are highly unlikely to be able to get one for reasons too long to explain here), nor do we own anything significant together (no car, pet, house, anything like that), nor am I listed on any other utility bills. We do have /separate/ leases but I'm concerned that sharing them will make us look more like roommates, which we are not, but since we are a female same-sex couple I know that's something that the application readers are specifically looking for.

Anyway, worth it to fill out this Power of Attorney or nah?

THANKS!

No point in doing the Power of Attorney, not a common-law proof.

Your proofs look fine. A lease is not required.

 

[sincerelyterra]

I doubt that a power of attorney form, with today's date, will add weight to your proof of common-law status.

When you say you have separate leases - is it for the same apartment? [...]

This information that you've listed above isn't completely about support of the genuineness of the relationship - it's proving cohabitation. Some of the financial support items go to relationship, like the interac transfers and splitwise.

Do you have lots of photos, letters between the two, emails, letters from friends and family members supporting the relationship, etc?

Thanks for replying so quickly! We do have separate leases for the same apartment. My partner and her best friend moved into the apartment in 2016 and signed a lease together. I then joined the living situation in 2017 and the landlord had me sign a separate lease, only with my name, at that time.

The items I listed were the ones I am hoping prove cohabitation. In terms of proof of genuineness of relationship, we have a ton of stuff, including but not limited to:
- letters of support from my mom, her mom, her uncle, my best friend, and her best friend
- photos of us in a variety of situations: with friends, on trips with family, in romantic moments together
- documentation of our proposal: pictures, receipts for rings, my fiancee's correspondence booking the photographer, social media screenshots of the 200+ comments our celebratory posts received
- documentation of our engagement party: pictures, planning spreadsheet, invitation, guestbook, card from dear friend (we didn't want to include ALL the cards we got because it was an overwhelming amount)
- a selection of our wedding planning stuff: guest planning spreadsheet, honeymoon road trip planning, email correspondence with potential venues, and a letter explaining that after we were engaged in summer 2018, wedding planning was put on hold for several months because of my fiancee's father's diagnosis and battle with terminal cancer
- bus and plane tickets from our journeys to see each other during our two years long distance
- plane tickets, car rental reservations, activity bookings, and planning emails from every trip we've taken together
- a small selection of chat screenshots from our essentially infinite FB messenger conversations (our primary method of communication)
- receipts from gifts we've given each other
- scanned cards we've given each other
- scanned copy of some crafts I've made her: specifically an embroidery piece and a handmade "coupon" to get it framed
- some miscellaneous souvenirs like a place card from a friend's wedding with both our names

 

[k.h.p.]

That's looking pretty good.

I would include both leases and explain it. It helps prove cohabitation with that explanation. Visa officers get that housing is expensive in Canada.

 

[sincerelyterra]

especially expensive in Toronto... *cries*

Thanks to both of you for your responses! fingers crossed....

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Thanks for replying so quickly! We do have separate leases for the same apartment. My partner and her best friend moved into the apartment in 2016 and signed a lease together. I then joined the living situation in 2017 and the landlord had me sign a separate lease, only with my name, at that time.

The items I listed were the ones I am hoping prove cohabitation. In terms of proof of genuineness of relationship, we have a ton of stuff, including but not limited to:
- letters of support from my mom, her mom, her uncle, my best friend, and her best friend
- photos of us in a variety of situations: with friends, on trips with family, in romantic moments together
- documentation of our proposal: pictures, receipts for rings, my fiancee's correspondence booking the photographer, social media screenshots of the 200+ comments our celebratory posts received
- documentation of our engagement party: pictures, planning spreadsheet, invitation, guestbook, card from dear friend (we didn't want to include ALL the cards we got because it was an overwhelming amount)
- a selection of our wedding planning stuff: guest planning spreadsheet, honeymoon road trip planning, email correspondence with potential venues, and a letter explaining that after we were engaged in summer 2018, wedding planning was put on hold for several months because of my fiancee's father's diagnosis and battle with terminal cancer
- bus and plane tickets from our journeys to see each other during our two years long distance
- plane tickets, car rental reservations, activity bookings, and planning emails from every trip we've taken together
- a small selection of chat screenshots from our essentially infinite FB messenger conversations (our primary method of communication)
- receipts from gifts we've given each other
- scanned cards we've given each other
- scanned copy of some crafts I've made her: specifically an embroidery piece and a handmade "coupon" to get it framed
- some miscellaneous souvenirs like a place card from a friend's wedding with both our names

Leave out all communication proofs, as the guide specifically states they are required only for couples not living together. I would also leave out everything listed after that. Think quality over quantity.

 

[sincerelyterra]

Leave out all communication proofs.

My fiancee and I have been going back and forth on putting in chat screenshots so I will show her this What about email chains that include her, me, AND my mom? Since my parents live very far away, I thought emails planning trips together might be helpful to prove that she has a relationship with them.

 

[k.h.p.]

As was said - quality over quantity. If it's a strong proof of relationship, then include it. But you have lots of other proof there.

 

[sincerelyterra]

thank you!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

My fiancee and I have been going back and forth on putting in chat screenshots so I will show her this What about email chains that include her, me, AND my mom? Since my parents live very far away, I thought emails planning trips together might be helpful to prove that she has a relationship with them.

I would leave that out but up to tou. You have plenty of common-law and relationship proofs.