Hello,
I am preparing and collecting documents for my wife's Permanent Residence application under the Family Sponsorship scheme. I recently sent a question to CIC about photocopies, but the reply I received didn't answer the question.
According to the Document Checklist (Form IMM 5533), in addition to the various IMM forms they require the following additional documents:
My specific doubts are about the requirements for my wife's birth certificate, our marriage certificate, and the divorce certificate (and their country-specific requirements).
Question 2: My wife's Birth Certificate has been issued, translated into the English Language and notarized in by the notary office in China. Does this original document need to be submitted, or can a photocopy be submitted? If so, does this photocopy need to be a certified copy?
Question 3: Our marriage certificate was issued in Nicaragua. The actual document has been translated into English in Nicaragua, authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country, and chain-authenticated by the Canadian Embassy in that country and in-turn by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Ottawa. The translation itself has been authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country. Do I need to provide these original documents in the application, or can a photocopy be submitted? If so, does this photocopy need to be a certified copy?
Question 4: I have a divorce certificate issued in Nicaragua from my previous relationship. I sent a scan of this document to a Canadian company which does translations and they produced me a multiple page document which contains a cover page "Verification of Translation", a translation of the certificate, a Certification of Translation by an Ontario notary, and finally a copy of the original document bearing a stamp "Certified Translation". These documents are bound together by a security seal. Do I need to submit the actual Divorce Certificate and the actual certified translation in the application, or photocopies, or would photocopies need to be certified?
Unfortunately, CIC did not provide an answer to my question and only added to the confusion by stating (rather vaguely) that "you may need to provide certified copies of certain documents."
Final Question: If original documents are submitted in the application, would they be returned after processing the application by CIC, either as a matter of procedure or upon request?
I appreciate any helpful reply.
I am preparing and collecting documents for my wife's Permanent Residence application under the Family Sponsorship scheme. I recently sent a question to CIC about photocopies, but the reply I received didn't answer the question.
According to the Document Checklist (Form IMM 5533), in addition to the various IMM forms they require the following additional documents:
- a photocopy of my Canadian Passport (page showing passport number, date of issue and expiration, photo, name, surname, place and date of birth of holder);
- a photocopy of my final divorce certificate. As this document was issued in another country and neither in French or English, have the notarized translation and attestation provided by a Canadian translation company;
- I am not working in Canada, and we are currently residing outside of Canada. I am required to provide documentation showing that I can support the person I am supporting. I plan to include a photocopy of my written offer of employment from my future Canadian employer;
- photocopies of my wife's most recently issued passport including photocopies of pages of her current and expired passports bearing an entry stamp made by a Canadian authority;
- a photocopy of her visa/residency permit for the country in which we currently reside;
- photocopies of both of our national identity cards for our countries of residence and citizenship;
- a photocopy of our form IMM 5409 Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union, as we were in a common-law relationship several years before we were married;
- A police certificate for the country in which she has lived most of her life since the age of 18 (same country as we have currently live and have lived in for six months or more;
- photocopies of documentation providing evidence that we are currently living together;
- photographs of our wedding, customary celebrations and outings; and
- photocopies of documents showing that our relationship is recognized by friends and/or family.
My specific doubts are about the requirements for my wife's birth certificate, our marriage certificate, and the divorce certificate (and their country-specific requirements).
Question 2: My wife's Birth Certificate has been issued, translated into the English Language and notarized in by the notary office in China. Does this original document need to be submitted, or can a photocopy be submitted? If so, does this photocopy need to be a certified copy?
Question 3: Our marriage certificate was issued in Nicaragua. The actual document has been translated into English in Nicaragua, authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country, and chain-authenticated by the Canadian Embassy in that country and in-turn by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Ottawa. The translation itself has been authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country. Do I need to provide these original documents in the application, or can a photocopy be submitted? If so, does this photocopy need to be a certified copy?
Question 4: I have a divorce certificate issued in Nicaragua from my previous relationship. I sent a scan of this document to a Canadian company which does translations and they produced me a multiple page document which contains a cover page "Verification of Translation", a translation of the certificate, a Certification of Translation by an Ontario notary, and finally a copy of the original document bearing a stamp "Certified Translation". These documents are bound together by a security seal. Do I need to submit the actual Divorce Certificate and the actual certified translation in the application, or photocopies, or would photocopies need to be certified?
Unfortunately, CIC did not provide an answer to my question and only added to the confusion by stating (rather vaguely) that "you may need to provide certified copies of certain documents."
Final Question: If original documents are submitted in the application, would they be returned after processing the application by CIC, either as a matter of procedure or upon request?
I appreciate any helpful reply.