Common Law Sponsorship. Please Help !

[LunaaStarr]

Hi everyone!!

I’m currently in the process of sponsoring my partner from the U.S. We got a visitor extension for him in December 2024 (for 1 year) so we can reach the full 12 months of cohabitation required for common-law sponsorship.

The issue we’re having is finding solid documents to prove that he lives with me, since he’s here as a visitor and not on a lease or any bills. We do live together, but we live with my mom, and I can’t add him to the lease or utilities because I am on family plans that he is unable to get added to.

So far, we’ve opened a joint chequing account, and I added him as an authorized user on my credit card — so that’s the only “mail with his name and our address” we have. We also have lots of photos (including trips together and with family), but I know that’s not enough on its own.


I’m starting to get a bit stressed since it’s April and I want to make sure we’ll have enough proof of cohabitation by the time we apply.

Does anyone have advice on other ways we can show that he’s been living with me while still on visitor status? Would really appreciate any tips or ideas! (e.g., would having my mom write a letter to confirm he is living in our home be good?)


Thanks so much

I was in this exact same situation and I'm the US partner.

We added my name as a occupant on his lease starting from the day I came into Canada (We live in BC and rent privately so the landlord just signed a new "lease" with my name and when I came in, Joint checking account, and added me to his phone (We have Telus and they were able to put my name on my line so both of our names show on the Telus bill). I still have my US line because T-Mobile allows Canada and Mexico unlimited talk and Text free and got a cheap line from Telus and did an esim option on my iPhone so I am running two sims on one phone).

We had LOTS of photos with friends and family gatherings for each holiday as well.
Ideas:
Travel Insurance, Renters Insurance under both of your names
If you can add their name onto your Utilities, most utility bills can have two people (I didn't do it because utilities for me are under his siblings names whom also live with us).
I even changed my Costco membership with my address here and added my partner as the additional card holder so that we can go online and print copied of grocery reciepts paid by both of our cardsto show as contributions.

Hope this helps!

 

[LunaaStarr]

AND ONE MORE THING TO ADD, when my partner and I were at common law status (Me being here in Canada for 1 year without interuption) we went to a notery and got a Declaration of Common-Law Document signed and notarized. In BC that's an extra step.

 

[steaky]

Because we are saving towards a big wedding in the future (we both have big families). I am only 24 and he is 22, yes it is serious enough for a sponsor but we do not have the funds we need for the wedding we want currently, so we do not want to rush it simply for the paper work.

Shouldn't some wedding paid by the bride's and groom' parents?

 

[jascampy]

In that case you weren't common law in December 2024. The earliest you can say you are common law is July 2025. You must live together for a year first continuously before you can declare common law status.

Don't submit that declaration you signed in Dec 2024 saying you are common law. That is not a factual statement. You weren't common law at this time. This declaration will just confuse IRCC and possibly result in them asking for evidence you don't have / doesn't exist.

Oh, I thought we would be since before that, the only time a part we had was for 3 weeks. However, if that year gets officially erased because of our small break when he took a trip back to see his family, then we have been in-person together since March 2024, counting our trip outside the country. We have been together in-person in Canada specifically July 2024.

 

[jascampy]

I was in this exact same situation and I'm the US partner.

We added my name as a occupant on his lease starting from the day I came into Canada (We live in BC and rent privately so the landlord just signed a new "lease" with my name and when I came in, Joint checking account, and added me to his phone (We have Telus and they were able to put my name on my line so both of our names show on the Telus bill). I still have my US line because T-Mobile allows Canada and Mexico unlimited talk and Text free and got a cheap line from Telus and did an esim option on my iPhone so I am running two sims on one phone).

We had LOTS of photos with friends and family gatherings for each holiday as well.
Ideas:
Travel Insurance, Renters Insurance under both of your names
If you can add their name onto your Utilities, most utility bills can have two people (I didn't do it because utilities for me are under his siblings names whom also live with us).
I even changed my Costco membership with my address here and added my partner as the additional card holder so that we can go online and print copied of grocery reciepts paid by both of our cardsto show as contributions.

Hope this helps!

You got lucky I am unable to add him to our lease since my landlord is a D who'd probably increase the rent or something. Also, since I am on my mother's family phone plan, I can't exactly add him to that. Also, I do not have utility bills to add him to because it's under my mother's name.

Also, ballpark how much photos should I have?

 

[scylla]

Oh, I thought we would be since before that, the only time a part we had was for 3 weeks. However, if that year gets officially erased because of our small break when he took a trip back to see his family, then we have been in-person together since March 2024, counting our trip outside the country. We have been together in-person in Canada specifically July 2024.

So even if you've been living together since March 2024, you still can't say you were common law as of December 2024. The earlies it would be possible in that case is March 2025. You said that that you signed a declaration in December 2024 that you were common law. This would only be the case if you've been living together since December 2023. Have you?

 

[LunaaStarr]

You got lucky I am unable to add him to our lease since my landlord is a D who'd probably increase the rent or something. Also, since I am on my mother's family phone plan, I can't exactly add him to that. Also, I do not have utility bills to add him to because it's under my mother's name.

Also, ballpark how much photos should I have?

Oh no

Is there a way that maybe he can get a phone plan himself for like $20-$30 a month and add both your names to it? You should still be able to do renter's insurance which wouldn't tie back to your landlord at all.
I will say, those are REALLY important. Just as a note, if you're living with your mom (making an assumption based on the fact that you said utilities are under her name), you can include a Letter of Support and Explination as to both of you living there and vouching for it and explaining that you are unable to put his name on the lease because of an unreasonable landlord. Of course, it's up to the Agent on how to move forward but that might be the best way forward if you don't have a lease together and can't get utilities.

I would REALLY RECOMMEND doing something with both of your names, even if you already have a phone plan just getting one with him cheapest and not using the line and not getting the phone. Keep in mind, you need some history of that as well so I wouldn't get the phone plan if you could and then apply the next month.

When you do the application it's a maximum of 20 photos that you can include. We included ones that show our relationship over time with captions that included a summary of photo(when/where/how/why) and dates.
We chose to include christmas/holidays with family (like a group photo) and we included every year that I've been here , we included visitation photos from before I came to canada, and also photos with friends, travel, date nights.