Documents from spouse for sponsorship certified??

[Mitch55555]

Hi. I am sponsoring my spouse and her children to come to Canada. They live outside of Canada currently and I live in Canada. On the checklist of the application it seems I only need to provide photocopies of my wife's documents such as her passport and birth certificate. Is this true? Or do I need to have the photocopy notarized as a true copy?

 

[saddlepatch]

Hi. I am sponsoring my spouse and her children to come to Canada. They live outside of Canada currently and I live in Canada. On the checklist of the application it seems I only need to provide photocopies of my wife's documents such as her passport and birth certificate. Is this true? Or do I need to have the photocopy notarized as a true copy?

No, unless under "Country-specific" requirements. If it doesn't say notarized then you don't need it to be.

 

[np08]

As a rule, anything that doesn't specify original can be a copy, and anything that doesn't specify a certified copy can be just a normal copy or printed scan that you do at home.

 

[june394]

This is what they state in their complete guide:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-5289-sponsor-your-spouse-common-law-partner-conjugal-partner-dependent-child-complete-guide.html

For any documents that are not in English or French, you must attach the following, unless your checklist specifies otherwise:

• a certified copy of the original document; and
• The English or French translation, and
• An affidavit from the person who completed the translation. See Translation of documents below.

We had some papers that needed translation, so I also got the certified copies and it seemed to work because they haven't returned the application.

 

[np08]

This is what they state in their complete guide:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-5289-sponsor-your-spouse-common-law-partner-conjugal-partner-dependent-child-complete-guide.html

For any documents that are not in English or French, you must attach the following, unless your checklist specifies otherwise:

• a certified copy of the original document; and
• The English or French translation, and
• An affidavit from the person who completed the translation. See Translation of documents below.

Things like police checks and the like need to have a certified translation if they're issued in another language, but standard documents such as passports don't need to be translated since they all (or at least most?) are written both in the native language as well as English and/or French. I've never seen a passport that didn't at least include one international language as well.

Likewise, a lot of countries offer the so called international birth certificates that also don't need to be translated since they're already issued in multiple languages, including English and French.

But of course, if this is not the case, then you do have to have it officially translated and certified. It's just usually not the case.

For everything else, all the different kinds of relationship proof that can include different kind of printouts related to banks, utilities, insurance policies, etc - it can all just be a plain copy.

 

[Mitch55555]

So documents that are Spanish only...only need a certified translation and I do not need to have the documents themselves certified....so for the ID card which is Spanish....it needs a photocopy, the translation and an affidavit attesting to the accuracy of the translation? Also.. There is a translator doing many documents. It is only one translator...do I need the translator to get a notarized certification for each document he translates or can I just get one notarization done since the same person did all the translations?

 

[Maxglide]

Things like police checks and the like need to have a certified translation if they're issued in another language, but standard documents such as passports don't need to be translated since they all (or at least most?) are written both in the native language as well as English and/or French. I've never seen a passport that didn't at least include one international language as well.

Likewise, a lot of countries offer the so called international birth certificates that also don't need to be translated since they're already issued in multiple languages, including English and French.

But of course, if this is not the case, then you do have to have it officially translated and certified. It's just usually not the case.

For everything else, all the different kinds of relationship proof that can include different kind of printouts related to banks, utilities, insurance policies, etc - it can all just be a plain copy.

So to be clear, a letter of support that I have had officially translated in Canada DOES NOT need a certified copy of the original? (My spouse's family wrote letters but the originals are in Brazil)

 

[k.h.p.]

So to be clear, a letter of support that I have had officially translated in Canada DOES NOT need a certified copy of the original? (My spouse's family wrote letters but the originals are in Brazil)

Having a letter officially translated in Canada will provide a copy, certified by the translator, of the original.