Does traveling count as part of the 12 month "cohabitation" for common-law sponsorship?

[juliakristof]

My boyfriend and I will be traveling together for 6 months before having a permanent address for another 6 months. In order for me to sponsor him as a common-law sponsorship... we must cohabit together for 12 consecutive months.

Define cohabit. Does traveling count? We would basically be camping and staying in hostels for 6 months.

 

[Classic Chucks]

Yes. Just keep all your hotel receipts as proof of address. Make sure to book hotels under both names.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

My boyfriend and I will be traveling together for 6 months before having a permanent address for another 6 months. In order for me to sponsor him as a common-law sponsorship... we must cohabit together for 12 consecutive months.

Define cohabit. Does traveling count? We would basically be camping and staying in hostels for 6 months.

Yes, it counts as long as you can prove you were together the entire time. Document everything.

 

[juliakristof]

Yes, it counts as long as you can prove you were together the entire time. Document everything.

We will be MOSTLY camping though in the wild.. we won't have any receipts from hotels for proof. How do we document that? Will just pictures suffice? To put some context into this... we are cycling across Canada and will be wild camping and then backpacking across south america.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

We will be MOSTLY camping though in the wild.. we won't have any receipts from hotels for proof. How do we document that? Will just pictures suffice? To put some context into this... we are cycling across Canada and will be wild camping and then backpacking across south america.

No, pictures do not suffice to prove common-law. You would need matching documents such as exit/entry stamps in your passports, plane/train/bus tickets, hotel receipts, financial receipts/transactions etc.

It is doubtful that you are going to be able to collect the required proofs while wild camping. You aren't really going to have a paper trail and that is what IRCC needs.

You may be able to include the time while backpacking, if you can obtain the above mentioned documentation.

 

[juliakristof]

No, pictures do not suffice to prove common-law. You would need matching documents such as exit/entry stamps in your passports, plane/train/bus tickets, hotel receipts, financial receipts/transactions etc.

It is doubtful that you are going to be able to collect the required proofs while wild camping. You aren't really going to have a paper trail and that is what IRCC needs.

You may be able to include the time while backpacking, if you can obtain the above mentioned documentation.

Okay one more question that may screw things up. I have dual citizenship (Canadian and Polish.. I was born in Canada) and I'd be using my polish passport in South america since it doesnt require visas for the countries we will be visiting. Is that an issue when submitting proof of passport stamps if they see a polish passport for a canadian citizen that is a sponsor?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Okay one more question that may screw things up. I have dual citizenship (Canadian and Polish.. I was born in Canada) and I'd be using my polish passport in South america since it doesnt require visas for the countries we will be visiting. Is that an issue when submitting proof of passport stamps if they see a polish passport for a canadian citizen that is a sponsor?

No, not an issue. It is your right to travel other countries with whichever passport you choose.

 

[juliakristof]

No, not an issue. It is your right to travel other countries with whichever passport you choose.

You have been so helpful, thank you so much! I've tried calling the canadian immigration 6 times over the last few days and it keeps telling me they are too busy to take my call. May I ask where you got this information to confirm that traveling counts as cohabitation?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

You have been so helpful, thank you so much! I've tried calling the canadian immigration 6 times over the last few days and it keeps telling me they are too busy to take my call. May I ask where you got this information to confirm that traveling counts as cohabitation?

Don't bother with the Call Centre. Call 3 times and you will get 3 different answers. They are trained to only answer the most basic of questions and even those they get wrong half of the time.

Nowhere does IRCC state that cohabitation must be static. There are many people here on the forum who have used travelling time towards their qualifying common-law time.