Green Card as proof of relationship?

[mpottier]

HI Again all!

I'm just wondering if an IR1 Green Card (Spousal based green card), would be a good indicator of proof of relationship for Canadian PR? I currently live in the USA with my American spouse and she sponsored me to come to the USA, so we obviously had to provide all kinds of proof and documentation for our relationship to even get this green card. Any thoughts, would or does this help?

PS. Wouldn't it be great if Canada and the USA utilized info on this so if a spouse gets a PR/Green card in one country the other spouse could get an expedited PR/Green card for the other country? They share all info anyways

 

[zardoz]

HI Again all!

I'm just wondering if an IR1 Green Card (Spousal based green card), would be a good indicator of proof of relationship for Canadian PR? I currently live in the USA with my American spouse and she sponsored me to come to the USA, so we obviously had to provide all kinds of proof and documentation for our relationship to even get this green card. Any thoughts, would or does this help?

PS. Wouldn't it be great if Canada and the USA utilized info on this so if a spouse gets a PR/Green card in one country the other spouse could get an expedited PR/Green card for the other country? They share all info anyways

Haha, you're funny...

The Green Card might actually be a problem if you are a Canadian citizen attempting to sponsor from the USA.
You will need to show that you intend to reside in Canada after PR is granted. This might be a conflict for IRCC and make them require extra proof of the intention to do so.

 

[mpottier]

Haha, you're funny...

The Green Card might actually be a problem if you are a Canadian citizen attempting to sponsor from the USA.
You will need to show that you intend to reside in Canada after PR is granted. This might be a conflict for IRCC and make them require extra proof of the intention to do so.

I thought of that and reached out to IRCC in the past, as my wife and I have been living all over the world for many years, they said it should pose no problem. Unless applicants and sponsors are applying from within Canada, the vast majority of applicants/sponsors are both outside of Canada, and thus must have some kind of status in the country they are in ( the only way I could move to the USA to be with my wife was through green card, there was no other option). I was advised that simple letter from a family member in Canada would be sufficient. I think as we all know the question where they ask for "proof" you are returning to Canada is a real "chicken and egg" or "catch 22" inquiry (you're not going to sell your house, quite your job/get a new job, and hire movers and start packing until you know you have PR for your spouse). IRCC takes it with a grain of salt.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I thought of that and reached out to IRCC in the past, as my wife and I have been living all over the world for many years, they said it should pose no problem. Unless applicants and sponsors are applying from within Canada, the vast majority of applicants/sponsors are both outside of Canada, and thus must have some kind of status in the country they are in ( the only way I could move to the USA to be with my wife was through green card, there was no other option). I was advised that simple letter from a family member in Canada would be sufficient. I think as we all know the question where they ask for "proof" you are returning to Canada is a real "chicken and egg" or "catch 22" inquiry (you're not going to sell your house, quite your job/get a new job, and hire movers and start packing until you know you have PR for your spouse). IRCC takes it with a grain of salt.

The person you spoke to is a call centre worker with absolute basic training. The call centre often provides complete wrong information. You did not speak to a visa officer.

While some VOs are a bit more lenient, IRCC certainly does not take the proof of intent to reside with a grain of salt. You just need to look through the forum for the many threads about people getting requests for more proof.

 

[mpottier]

The person you spoke to is a call centre worker with absolute basic training. The call centre often provides complete wrong information. You did not speak to a visa officer.

While some VOs are a bit more lenient, IRCC certainly does not take the proof of intent to reside with a grain of salt. You just need to look through the forum for the many threads about people getting requests for more proof.

Sorry I should have been more specific. This was not a call center agent (can't call them anyway since I'm outside of Canada). I worked as a visa compliance officer, and still do work in international exchange and affairs. I often speak with Canadian embassy staff and as well as IRCC reps at conferences/fairs we mutually attend. I guess it kind of gives me a little insight into how they view their own process. This is what they relayed to me. They realize this question can be absurd and they kind of use it as a 'catch all' for other red-flags, and it may be on the chopping block, but like everything with Canadian gov't bureaucracy this could take years or never happen at all. However, I never did ask them about green card holders, and I'm not on the docket to attend any conferences where they will be this year. Hence my original question.

 

[zardoz]

Sorry I should have been more specific. This was not a call center agent (can't call them anyway since I'm outside of Canada). I worked as a visa compliance officer, and still do work in international exchange and affairs. I often speak with Canadian embassy staff and as well as IRCC reps at conferences/fairs we mutually attend. I guess it kind of gives me a little insight into how they view their own process. This is what they relayed to me. They realize this question can be absurd and they kind of use it as a 'catch all' for other red-flags, and it may be on the chopping block, but like everything with Canadian gov't bureaucracy this could take years or never happen at all. However, I never did ask them about green card holders, and I'm not on the docket to attend any conferences where they will be this year. Hence my original question.

For what it's worth, we have noted a significant intensification of the need for "proof" this year. They are really starting to clamp down on Canadian sponsorship from abroad. Your information may be out of date. Check recent sponsorship threads in this forum.

 

[mpottier]

For what it's worth, we have noted a significant intensification of the need for "proof" this year. They are really starting to clamp down on Canadian sponsorship from abroad. Your information may be out of date. Check recent sponsorship threads in this forum.

Perhaps, this was about a year ago, so not that long ago, and this really is in regards to American staff, as this is where I live and the Canadian reps I interact with operate. They rarely have any reason to invoke asking for more proof from American citizens as there is little they could provide. They certainly never or very rarely deny an app over it. I'm not sure about other countries, and again it may not that think they won't come to Canada, but instead see other red flags and this gives them the guise to ask for additional evidence of relationship or other application concerns. It's a little sneaky when you think about it and I think thats why the staff I spoke with were not fans, as it made things inconsistent among visa officers, and thus caused complaints among applicants.