Date Sponsor met friends IMM5532 Part C Q7- online friends?

[ginko]

Hello everyone

My boyfriend and I only have online friends since we're both homebodies. Our friends know about our relationship and we've "met" online, chatted in voicecalls, played games together etc. Will CIC consider this as actually "meeting"? Or do they expect you to have physically met?
Most of our friends are in different countries but one is driving through this month so we will get to physically meet. I'm worried only physically meeting one friend will look bad though (we've met each others' family, just not friends)

This is the table in IMM5532 asking about having met close friends/family, for reference.

Thanks in advance! This forum has already helped me with so much, I'm very grateful

 

[ginko]

It’s the same situation for me and my boyfriend, so what I did is just add each other’s family members (I honestly think that meeting family is more important than meeting friends) and for the letters we had letters from family, our neighbor, and one of my classmates

Yep I agree there's more importance on meeting family, I just worry that it'll be a red flag not having IRL friends :s I can definitely fill the table with just family members though, thanks for the idea!

 

[zardoz]

Hello everyone

My boyfriend and I only have online friends since we're both homebodies. Our friends know about our relationship and we've "met" online, chatted in voicecalls, played games together etc. Will CIC consider this as actually "meeting"? Or do they expect you to have physically met?
Most of our friends are in different countries but one is driving through this month so we will get to physically meet. I'm worried only physically meeting one friend will look bad though (we've met each others' family, just not friends)

This is the table in IMM5532 asking about having met close friends/family, for reference.

Thanks in advance! This forum has already helped me with so much, I'm very grateful

I would assume that IRCC are applying the standard definition here.

come into the presence or company of (someone) by chance or arrangement.
"a week later I met him in the street"
synonyms: encounter, meet up with, come face to face with, run into, run across, come across/upon, chance on, happen on, stumble across/on;
informalbump into
"I met an old friend on the train"

Basically, a physical interaction with someone, not a virtual one.