I have a bit of proof of relationship but...

[Carlo]

I want to send proof that my wife and my relationship is real, but during our dating days we only contacted each other threw calling cards. My wife (girlfriend at the time) did not have access to internet here in Ecuador, so we decided to only contact each other threw the long distance cards. I do have one or two boarding passes when I would visit her; as well as my old passport showing the dates I did go. I have two past passports showing from beginning until we did get married, is that enough proof?

when we got married we did not need all that, because we have been living together ever since(for about 4 years). I did go to Canada last year for from May until the beginning of August three months to work, and then from November until beginning of February. So in total we lived together for about 3 years and 7 months(2 years of those 4 years were with our son).
During this time we do have lots of proof that our relationship is real for example: pictures of my son's two birthdays with my family, outings, joint savings account here in Ecuador etc...
My wife, son and my self even went to Montreal for 3 months together on vacation before I moved.

Should I just focus the validity of our relationship with proof of our married portion of our relationship, since I don't have much from our single relationship?

 

[bobshynoswife]

How long have you been married?

Did you send or give each other any cards or letters/postcards during your dating time? If you have years of proof of living together, I do not think the dating evidence will matter that much, but do try to gather as much as you can, especially photographs. Did she ever send you emails from an internet cafe? Did you text message each other during that time? You can also get letters from friends and family where they state when they first heard about you dating your wife. And yes, the stamps in your passport are very important to show how many times you visited your wife before marrying.

If the evidence does not exist from your dating life, don't stress over it. There's nothing you can do. You should have plenty of proof of your relationship since you have been living together for several years. Send lots of photos, as well as evidence of all of those things you listed (joint bank accounts, leases etc)

 

[AllisonVSC]

Hi Carlo,

Bobshynoswife beat me to the post button, lol, but we were having similar thoughts. I'll post mine anyway.

Here is something that may help you add proof to your relationship before marriage. Ask friends and family to write letters stating how they know you (for example...I'm his uncle, she's my childhood friend), how and when they met your spouse, and what they know of your circumstances. Surely some of these people can state that they knew about your relationship before you married and can say that you had visited them or participated in events together. These are declarations that are needed for common-law and conjugal partners and not required for spouses. But they are accepted as proof, so it may help you, too. Allison

 

[vinz]

Hi Carlo,

What application did you applying for? What Class?

You don't have to worry about the supporting documents with regards genuinity of your relationship with your wife. Marriage Contract is the main document that she is your wife.

 

[bobshynoswife]

vinz, I'm sorry but that answer is incorrect. The marriage certificate proves that the Marriage is legal, but CIC is looking for proof that the RELATIONSHIP is genuine. This is to avoid granting PR to people who have married only for the convenience of immigration.

Many, many, many spousal sponsorships have been denied with a legal Marriage Certificate because the couple was unable to prove that their relationship is genuine.

 

[Carlo]

Thank you so much Bobshynowife, Vinz and Allison for your time and kind responses.

What application did you applying for? What Class?

Im applying with the family class (spouse) application

we have a lot of pictures with both sets of grandparents during different celebrations; Basically you can see the warmth of our family life. It is obvious to anyone who sees these pictures. The truth is that during our single(before marriage) relationship, we focused more on the moments, then actually taking pictures. We were distracted with each other to be thinking about anything else. I would not see her for 5 to 6 months sometimes, so all we wanted was to catch up and nothing more. We do have very few pics but I guess it will be enough.

I will ask for letters from family and friends, so the immigration officer who takes my case can see the validity of our relationship.
[b]If I get some letters written in Spanish, do I have to get them translated with an official appointed translator?[/b]

 

[canadianwoman]

You don't have to worry about the supporting documents with regards genuinity of your relationship with your wife. Marriage Contract is the main document that she is your wife.

The marriage certificate is not enough! You definitely have to show proof that your relationship is genuine.
Carlo, since you have lived together so long, I don't think you will have any problem with your application. Send in the proof you have mentioned and that others have mentioned, though.

Anything in Spanish will have to be translated into English or French. Official documents are supposed to be done by a certified translator, but things like letters or emails that you are using as proof of a genuine relationship don't have to be translated by a certified translator - you or a friend could do it. Still get the friend to write a letter stating the translations are accurate and giving his credentials.