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Common Law/ Spousal Sponsorship

yvr1234

Star Member
Aug 22, 2013
170
2
Vancouver
Category........
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
07-09-2012
AOR Received.
13-12-2012
Med's Done....
01-09-2012
LANDED..........
29-10-2013
Your $1000 average may have included sub-urban area of Vancouver (not city of Vancouver). Unless the basement suit is very small, 1000 may not cut it.
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,553
7,205
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
ruanp28 said:
I dont really know how else to prove it, if we have an iterview it will be fine with us, we live close to the embassy so we can offer to take the interviewer for a tour of our home if they feel like it :p

At this moment our priority is just to save as much as we can and maybe purchase two one way tickets to Vancouver dated December 2018 in good faith.

My South African passport expires in 2018 and I will include an affidavit that I will not be renewing it, that might also serve as intent.
An interview is unlikely. In the off chance that you do have one, the interviewer will most definitely not come to your house.

Dec 2018 or Dec 2017?

Not renewing your South African passport isn't intent, so I wouldn't bother with an affidavit.
 

ruanp28

Hero Member
Feb 24, 2016
229
117
At the moment it is Dec' 2018. But if I can get some employment opportunities and we can prove our intent in some way, we will try to go earlier. It is unfortunate that the government would think we'd rather stay in a third-world country with one of the worst crime rates in the world. I wish they knew how badly we want to move. Guess we will just have to do our application and have faith!
 

ruanp28

Hero Member
Feb 24, 2016
229
117
Hi guys, just an update...hope someone can shed some light...

I went to both the Brooklyn and Hatfield offices today in Pretoria inside South Africa, and the people working there could not worry less about helping me out. After sitting in the que for 2 hours the South African employee there just told me to go to CIC (wow, thanks for telling me that!)

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone who had to do the same process could tell us what to do and when to do it? We have read through the guide on the website but there is a ton of stuff and we would just like to know where to start. Since this is African time, everything will probably be slower (just my everyday experience) so we would have loved to just book tickets and fly over - unfortunately we cannot. So, if anyone has been through the same process, can you please share with us what you did and some tips?

1: Like when to do the police clearance, should the clearance and meds be done before the paperwork?
2: How much proof should we put in the relationship part? Photos, lease agreements at my parent's garden flat, same address for bills, some "chats" (we dont chat a lot since we are both taking our work seriously during the day)
3: The proof of intention to return to Canada; now, I cannot book flights unless I know if we will be accepted OR even have a date. I managed to get a lease form renting out a friendly lady's basement, and she is also going to give me a temp job once I arrive (she is going to provide me with letters of this, and we already have an address which is a blessing from up above).
4: After filling in the paperwork which we assume is done correctly, can we just send it to the address through a company like DHL and hope for the best?
5: Should we just get a lawyer and get it over with? It would really screw up my savings for our move.

I thank you in advance for taking time to read this. It would be real nice if someone who went through the same process from South Africa could tell us how you did it :) if all else fails I will probably have to apply from in Canada, but I don't want to be a burden on my fiancee.

Thanks!
 
Apr 18, 2016
4
0
Hi Everyone, I have one doubt, I’m about to start the 12 months of common in law with my girlfriend, she has a Canadian citizen, we both are Mexicans, my question is, can we live 6 months in Mexico and the other 6 months in Canada? Or is necessary to complete the 12 month (living together) in just one country, city etc.?
I hope you guys can help me
 

canadianwoman

VIP Member
Nov 6, 2009
6,200
284
Category........
Visa Office......
Accra, Ghana
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
30-01-2008
Interview........
05-05-2009
The 12 months do not have to be in the same country. They do have to be continuous.
 
Apr 18, 2016
4
0
canadianwoman said:
The 12 months do not have to be in the same country. They do have to be continuous.


Maybe my question is going to be kind of awkward or even can bother you…
Canadian woman do you know, where I can find information about my inquiry in the CIC web page, I mean if there is any page or line that mentions what you have told me as an answer?
 

canadianwoman

VIP Member
Nov 6, 2009
6,200
284
Category........
Visa Office......
Accra, Ghana
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
30-01-2008
Interview........
05-05-2009
This page on the CIC website includes the definition of a common law partner. The couple has to have lived together continuously for one year.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3999Etoc.asp

It does not say the cohabitation has to have been in just one country. In addition, there are many examples on this forum where couples have lived together in two or more countries and were accepted.