I Want To Sponsor My 17 Year Old Wife

[CanadianSyrup]

Hello,

Canadian born and bred here. I got married in April of 2018 in my wife's country of origin. My parents are also from the same country. At the time, my wife was 16 and I was 28. This country permits a woman to marry if she is 16 or older. We got all our government paperwork and our marriage is fully recognized by my wife's country of origin.

I have been traveling back and forth since getting married. About every two months or so I fly back here to Canada. I'm in Canada for a month and then back to be with my wife for a couple of months. That's been how I have been spending my time.

The rules are that my wife has to be 18 or above to qualify for sponsorship.

Now, I am 30 my wife is 17. She turns 18 in 2020. I have just over 6 months to prepare to sponsor her.

1) In the meantime, what can I do during this waiting period to prepare an excellent sponsorship application so that I am way ahead of this?

2) What kinds of documents should I start preparing now, so that in a few months, I can quickly and without rejection/delay get approved?

3) Any particular challenges I should be aware of and perhaps prepare for?

4) Should I expect this sponsorship to be difficult for any particular reason? If so, how best to overcome that?

5) Any tips, tricks, and or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you are having a good summer!

 

[scylla]

1) Review the application forms and guides on the IRCC site in detail. Read through historical posts on this forum.
2) See above. You need to dedicate time to reviewing the forms and application process. Note that you should be expecting a processing time of approximately 12 months from the time you submit your application to approval.
3) Make sure the application is complete (i.e. all signatures are there, fees are fully paid, etc.). Don't rush the process of putting the application together. If it's incomplete, it will be returned and this will cause delays.
4) Should be straight forward
5) Best way to learn good tips and trick is to dedicate time to reading through old posts on this forum and learning about others' experience.

 

[pepino99]

Hello,

Canadian born and bred here. I got married in April of 2018 in my wife's country of origin. My parents are also from the same country. At the time, my wife was 16 and I was 28. This country permits a woman to marry if she is 16 or older. We got all our government paperwork and our marriage is fully recognized by my wife's country of origin.

I have been traveling back and forth since getting married. About every two months or so I fly back here to Canada. I'm in Canada for a month and then back to be with my wife for a couple of months. That's been how I have been spending my time.

The rules are that my wife has to be 18 or above to qualify for sponsorship.

Now, I am 30 my wife is 17. She turns 18 in 2020. I have just over 6 months to prepare to sponsor her.

1) In the meantime, what can I do during this waiting period to prepare an excellent sponsorship application so that I am way ahead of this?

2) What kinds of documents should I start preparing now, so that in a few months, I can quickly and without rejection/delay get approved?

3) Any particular challenges I should be aware of and perhaps prepare for?

4) Should I expect this sponsorship to be difficult for any particular reason? If so, how best to overcome that?

5) Any tips, tricks, and or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you are having a good summer!

How can you marry a child?? Jeez

 

[Bs65]

How can you marry a child?? Jeez

Believe even in Canada it is legal with parents consent to marry at 16 even though age majority varies between 18/19. As for a 28 year old marrying a 16 year old we are all not here to judge anyone.

 

[smallcoffee]

The age difference will be a red flag for IRCC, good luck

 

[SofiaMartins]

Believe even in Canada it is legal with parents consent to marry at 16 even though age majority varies between 18/19. As for a 28 year old marrying a 16 year old we are all not here to judge anyone.

In Canada you cannot marry a 28 year old at 16.. She would be considered to not have consent

 

[jasperJ]

In Canada you cannot marry a 28 year old at 16.. She would be considered to not have consent

Minimum age for marriage in Canada
The minimum age for marriage varies between provinces:

• 19 in British Columbia, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut
• 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan

As a rule, parental consent must be given for persons under the provincial age of majority to marry.

To be recognized for immigration purposes, foreign national spouses must be 18 years of age. Spouses under the age of 18 are not members of the family class [R117(9)(a)].

Once an underage spouse turns 18, they can be considered to be members of the family class. This applies even if the spouse married at a younger age. For example, a person who was married at 16 is eligible to be sponsored as a spouse when they turn 18.

 

[canuck78]

Unfortunately not uncommon for young girls to marry older men but definitely shocking for someone who seems to have either been born in Canada or spent a significant portion of their lives in Canada to choose to marry a 16 year old when they are 28. In Canada the 16 year old would have to attend school. Unfortunately not against the law after 18. Will Canada perhaps make sure the woman is a willing participant in the marriage, hopefully. Unfortunately in large family marrying off a girl to someone especially if they can potentially offer a better life and secure immigration or money in the future for the family. Hopefully the husband has taken some values from Canada and has chosen to pay for his wife to attend school and finish high school. I am thankful to see there is no mention of a child but doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. Can imagine some will be accepting of the marriage age and age difference when they return to Canada but most will be quite shocked.

 

[Bs65]

In Canada you cannot marry a 28 year old at 16.. She would be considered to not have consent

It is theoretically possible as per above statement given parental consent is required under the age of majority, and agree without that consent marriage not an option in Canada even though can be accepted in some countries or cultures outside Canada .

Anyway this is off topic as the OP is seeking clarification on what needs to be prepared for when his spouse reaches age of majority in 2020 to submit a spouse sponsorship.

 

[Jets13]

Hello,

Canadian born and bred here. I got married in April of 2018 in my wife's country of origin. My parents are also from the same country. At the time, my wife was 16 and I was 28. This country permits a woman to marry if she is 16 or older. We got all our government paperwork and our marriage is fully recognized by my wife's country of origin.

I have been traveling back and forth since getting married. About every two months or so I fly back here to Canada. I'm in Canada for a month and then back to be with my wife for a couple of months. That's been how I have been spending my time.

The rules are that my wife has to be 18 or above to qualify for sponsorship.

Now, I am 30 my wife is 17. She turns 18 in 2020. I have just over 6 months to prepare to sponsor her.

1) In the meantime, what can I do during this waiting period to prepare an excellent sponsorship application so that I am way ahead of this?

2) What kinds of documents should I start preparing now, so that in a few months, I can quickly and without rejection/delay get approved?

3) Any particular challenges I should be aware of and perhaps prepare for?

4) Should I expect this sponsorship to be difficult for any particular reason? If so, how best to overcome that?

5) Any tips, tricks, and or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you are having a good summer!

Start gathering proofs that your marriage is genuine and not for the purposes of immigration. Her age at wedding and the age gap could be an issue. Show that it is normal for 16 year olds to marry men much older. You also have to show that a Canadian born went and married what would be considered a minor in Canada and your reasons for doing so. Document your relationship prior to getting married, document your relationship after marriage. How did you get introduced, were you dating, did you meet her a few times before marraige etc....Document your visits after marriage, plus phone records, plus any money you are sending her, gifts, cards, pictures you take together. Get letters of your family members and friends who attended the wedding showing they vouch for you and their support. Same from her side as well. I would even get copies of their boarding passes or passport stamps of all your relatives who travelled from Canada to go to your wedding.
Im assuming the wedding was done as per the normal traditions of her home country? so pictures of all those events, wedding cards, hall booking for reception etc.

Anyways all this may not be necessary but you asked what can you do to make it easier, and that would be to have lots of proof that they do not question the relationship

 

[zardoz]

How can you marry a child?? Jeez

Don't be judgemental.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/getting-married

 

[pepino99]

Don't be judgemental.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/getting-married

I personally don't think a child is mature at the age of 17 but to each It's own...

 

[zardoz]

In Canada you cannot marry a 28 year old at 16.. She would be considered to not have consent

You are incorrect. It's as simple as that. https://www.ontario.ca/page/getting-married
Age minimum
You need to be at least 16 years old to get married in Ontario.

Under 18 years old: you will need written consent from both your parents. You can get consent forms where you get a marriage licence.

Also, https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-31.5/page-1.html

 

[Jets13]

I personally don't think a child is mature at the age of 17 but to each It's own...

What you believe is right and a cultural norm may not apply to other cultures or countries. when you asked "how could you marry a child jeez" there was a hint of judgement in it. Opening poster should definitely show that it is legal and as per the cultural norms of their country and why as a Canadian he decided to follow that path too.

 

[zardoz]

What you believe is right and a cultural norm may not apply to other cultures or countries. when you asked "how could you marry a child jeez" there was a hint of judgement in it. Opening poster should definitely show that it is legal and as per the cultural norms of their country and why as a Canadian he decided to follow that path too.

For example, you can marry a first cousin in Canada... https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/M-2.1/page-1.html
Some cultures throw up their hands in horror at this idea.