just met with immigration consultant...

[huskylover]

I just met with an immigration consultant for a free consultation. I was shocked to find out her fee for a sponsorship package is $2500 plus the government fees. I can't afford that so I am going to do it on my own. My main concern is trying to find out if I can apply as conjugal or not. I have been hearing different things. People on this forum said I would not qualify and she said that I would we just would have to do up some affidavits explaining the situation. My boyfriend is from South Africa and we met Aug. 2014 while he was working here on a work visa and travelling with work. I went and visited him that dec. then he came back with the same job the next sept. for a month it was supposed to be may but the paperwork took extra long I think because the rules about TFWs changed. Then I visited him again in dec. I finish school in April and am going to wait for him to come work again in May. Unfortunately we can not live together while he is working here because he has to travel to different cities with the carnival. I have been in college the entire time so I have been stuck in Canada. And we have been waiting until I am done school so we can afford to live together and do the sponsorship. I can't support him while I am in school and we couldn't find a job during the winter for him with an LMIA. I have sent him money a few times to help him and his mom out. We haven't gotten married because we can't afford a wedding. Please let me know if you think we could apply as conjugal or not.
I would love if she could help us get through as conjugal but I am not going to risk all that money if its not going to work. She also has never done a conjugal sponsorship and has only been in this field 3 years.

 

[keesio]

It will be hard to get approved as conjugal. CIC won't easily accept the excuse of not getting married because the wedding being too expensive. You can just do a small civil ceremony - many people do that. People who apply as conjugal have some serious barrier where marriage is not an option. (i.e. same sex couple where the applicant lives in a country where gay marriage is not legal and is unable to travel to a country where it is).

You are better off not going with that consultant. Likely you would have just lost money on a failed application.

 

[scylla]

You've already asked this question and it has already been answered. No - you cannot apply as conjugal. You face no immigration barriers to getting married or becoming common law. Not being able to afford a wedding doesn't prevent you from getting married - you could have a simple court marriage to qualify. CIC will not accept financial reasons or personal life choice reasons as barriers. They have to be immigration barriers - and none of the reasons you have listed meet this criteria.

$2500 is on the lower end as lawyers/consultants go. The typical range is $3K to $5K. If this consultant thinks throwing together a bunch of affidavits will qualify you for conjugal - then she doesn't know what she's doing and you should stay far away from her

Conjugal is not going to work. You will just be throwing away money and waiting a long time only to be refused. Many of us here have already told you this. In the end, what you do is your choice.

 

[Rob_TO]

We haven't gotten married because we can't afford a wedding.

This is most definitely NOT a valid reason to CIC to apply conjugal. A conjugal app will be a practically guaranteed refusal.

To be blunt, the consultant you met with sounds like an idiot, or they know very well a conjugal app has no chance but just wants your money anyways. Remember they get paid in full whether your app is successful or not. Plus I'm sure they'll push you to appeal and pay thousands more dollars to them, when it's eventually refused.

 

[huskylover]

Okay thanks everyone. I was confused because I thought that this lady should know what she is talking about if she is in the business. But after finding out she hasn't done a conjugal case before and has only been in it for 3 years I knew I wasn't going to fork over my hard earned money to her. And I also know someone who apparently got her boyfriend here from South Africa in a similar situation here as conjugal she suggested it to me. And she applied on her own without any help and only had one picture of them together. He now is a PR. It just doesn't add up... Anyways I will get him here one way or another through common-law or marriage.