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Dec 22, 2022
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Hello all,

I came to Canada as PR with my spouse and child (we all landed on the same day). I found that my spouse were cheating on me. For now, I am still living together because the child is too young. I want to apply for citizenship for myself and my child, but not for the spouse. Is that possible or do I have to apply citizenship for all 3 of us? If it were up to me, forget about applying for their citizenship, I would ask the spouse to surrender their PR. But that's probably not going to happen.

How do I approach this? Any insights would be really helpful.
 
Last edited:
Hello all,

I came to Canada as PR with my spouse and child (we all landed on the same day). I found that my spouse were cheating on me. For now, I am still living together because the child is too young. I want to apply for citizenship for myself and my child, but not for the spouse. Is that possible or do I have to apply citizenship for all 3 of us? If it were up to me, forget about applying, I would ask the spouse to surrender their PR, citizenship. But that's probably not going to happen.

How do I approach this? Any insights would be really helpful.

As an adult, you are not compelled by law to apply for citizenship together with your spouse and neither can you prevent them for applying / retaining PR, and having a minor child complicates matters even further. It's unlikely that your spouse will not find out that you have applied for citizenship. You may be better off seeking professional help regarding citizenship and/or family affairs, rather than crowd sourcing advice or information.

All the best. I hope things work out for you soon.
 
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Hello all,

I came to Canada as PR with my spouse and child (we all landed on the same day). I found that my spouse were cheating on me. For now, I am still living together because the child is too young. I want to apply for citizenship for myself and my child, but not for the spouse. Is that possible or do I have to apply citizenship for all 3 of us? If it were up to me, forget about applying, I would ask the spouse to surrender their PR, citizenship. But that's probably not going to happen.

How do I approach this? Any insights would be really helpful.


As an adult, you are not compelled by law to apply for citizenship together with your spouse and neither can you prevent them for applying / retaining PR, and having a minor child complicates matters even further. It's unlikely that your spouse will not find out that you have applied for citizenship. You may be better off seeking professional help regarding citizenship and/or family affairs, rather than crowd sourcing advice or information.

All the best. I hope things work out for you soon.


I totally agree with Akbardxb. I recommend seeking the advice of a lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant if you have specific questions about your situation and how to proceed.

But since you still live together, I would assume there is some level of communication that takes place. Just tell them you are applying for citizenship for yourself and your child, and they can apply for themselves. Having a child together may make the process a bit more complex, but having a grown-up conversation can help resolve any issues.

You cannot compel them to give up their PR, so you should forget about that. I'm sure the person will be happy to allow you to apply for citizenship for your child, as a parent, I'm sure the child's best interests would be a priority. So just have a sit-down and talk, and then apply for citizenship for yourself and your child. They can then go and apply on their own.

This is an easy fix and you may not even need a lawyer. However, if they are the type to try to one-up you or be vindictive, it may be a good idea to seek legal advice.

Good luck.
 
Thank you. That's what I thought. All I wanted to know if I can apply for citizenship for just me and my child and not for my spouse also. They can apply on their own, but I don't want to do it. I was only wondering how IRCC will see it and if that would have any impact on my application. As in, three of us came together as PR and applied for citizenship as 2+1 (likely that they will apply for citizenship) and if I will need to provide any explanation for that.

And I also understand I cannot ask them to give up their PR (that's why i said, "if it were up to me").
 
Thank you. That's what I thought. All I wanted to know if I can apply for citizenship for just me and my child and not for my spouse also. They can apply on their own, but I don't want to do it. I was only wondering how IRCC will see it and if that would have any impact on my application. As in, three of us came together as PR and applied for citizenship as 2+1 (likely that they will apply for citizenship) and if I will need to provide any explanation for that.

And I also understand I cannot ask them to give up their PR (that's why i said, "if it were up to me").

Nah you good IRCC understand that life happens and applying alone should not have any implications on your application, the system will flag that the other parent is in Canada, so that is why you should give the spouse a heads up that you are applying since, In Canada, both parents must consent to any significant decisions affecting a child, including applying for citizenship on behalf of a child. This means that if you and your spouse are the legal guardians of your child, you will need to obtain your spouse's consent before you can apply for citizenship on behalf of your child.

Just make sure to invite the other parent to the ceremony lol so they can watch ( you do not have to by the way)

But otherwise, you are good.

Good luck to you and your family :)
 
Thank you. That's what I thought. All I wanted to know if I can apply for citizenship for just me and my child and not for my spouse also. They can apply on their own, but I don't want to do it. I was only wondering how IRCC will see it and if that would have any impact on my application. As in, three of us came together as PR and applied for citizenship as 2+1 (likely that they will apply for citizenship) and if I will need to provide any explanation for that.

And I also understand I cannot ask them to give up their PR (that's why i said, "if it were up to me").

Shouldn’t be any issue at all, they probably won’t ask about it at any point.

And even if they do it’s acceptable to say “when he applies for citizenship is his business, not mine”
 
Hello all,

I came to Canada as PR with my spouse and child (we all landed on the same day). I found that my spouse were cheating on me. For now, I am still living together because the child is too young. I want to apply for citizenship for myself and my child, but not for the spouse. Is that possible or do I have to apply citizenship for all 3 of us? If it were up to me, forget about applying for their citizenship, I would ask the spouse to surrender their PR. But that's probably not going to happen.

How do I approach this? Any insights would be really helpful.

I think you got all good replies. I had a similar situation in my extended family, but they ended up doing it together.

And even if they do it’s acceptable to say “when he applies for citizenship is his business, not mine”

Hmmm ... wondering, how do you know this spouse is a Male? Females don't cheat?
 
H
Nah you good IRCC understand that life happens and applying alone should not have any implications on your application, the system will flag that the other parent is in Canada, so that is why you should give the spouse a heads up that you are applying since, In Canada, both parents must consent to any significant decisions affecting a child, including applying for citizenship on behalf of a child. This means that if you and your spouse are the legal guardians of your child, you will need to obtain your spouse's consent before you can apply for citizenship on behalf of your child.

Just make sure to invite the other parent to the ceremony lol so they can watch ( you do not have to by the way)

But otherwise, you are good.

Good luck to you and your family :)
Hey, quick question on seeking consent for applying child's citizenship. Do we need to send some legal consent letter to ircc while applying for child's citizenship or is it just something to keep in personal records if in case needed in future? I have applied with my kid but didn't include any such doc. My wife hasn't applied citizenship yet as she intends to retain her indian citizenship.
 
H
Hey, quick question on seeking consent for applying child's citizenship. Do we need to send some legal consent letter to ircc while applying for child's citizenship or is it just something to keep in personal records if in case needed in future? I have applied with my kid but didn't include any such doc. My wife hasn't applied citizenship yet as she intends to retain her indian citizenship.

No, you do not need anything you will include the other parent's name on the application. its more a formality talking to them. you good