Living together -- clarification needed

[siamyvr]

Hi,

My spouse and I need help figuring out the best way to explain our current living arrangement. We've married recently but for a few years, I've been travelling to my now-spouse every 4 months or so, staying with her for about 2-3 months at a time or so, on a tourist visa. I have a home in Canada I own.

We stayed together in apartments we rented. We shared bills, spent most of the time together (i.e. "marriage-like" environment). At the end of each visit, she'd go back to her smaller apartment to reduce the cost.

Recently, just before our marriage, we signed a one year lease for a place in her country to live there together without the intent to downsize every few months. I am still likely to go back and forth for a number of reasons (visa regime of her country being one of the most important), until she can move to Canada with me.

Should we explain this as "living together" with periods of sponsor's absence or "not living together but travelling to each other"?

Thank you!

 

[Hurlabrick]

Hi,

My spouse and I need help figuring out the best way to explain our current living arrangement. We've married recently but for a few years, I've been travelling to my now-spouse every 4 months or so, staying with her for about 2-3 months at a time or so, on a tourist visa. I have a home in Canada I own.

We stayed together in apartments we rented. We shared bills, spent most of the time together (i.e. "marriage-like" environment). At the end of each visit, she'd go back to her smaller apartment to reduce the cost.

Recently, just before our marriage, we signed a one year lease for a place in her country to live there together without the intent to downsize every few months. I am still likely to go back and forth for a number of reasons (visa regime of her country being one of the most important), until she can move to Canada with me.

Should we explain this as "living together" with periods of sponsor's absence or "not living together but travelling to each other"?

Thank you!

As you are now married, there is no particular requirement to prove 12 months co-habitation as required for 'common law' applications. You will of course still need to demonstrate that this is genuine marriage, so you should describe your 'love story' from the date and how you met, how you continued to see each other up to and past when you married and your future plans. But if you have been seeing each other for a few years as you described, as long as there are no other 'red flags' (large age gap / different cultures / different religions / married outside of the cultural norms of that society etc.) then you should be fine.

 

[siamyvr]

As you are now married, there is no particular requirement to prove 12 months co-habitation as required for 'common law' applications. You will of course still need to demonstrate that this is genuine marriage, so you should describe your 'love story' from the date and how you met, how you continued to see each other up to and past when you married and your future plans. But if you have been seeing each other for a few years as you described, as long as there are no other 'red flags' (large age gap / different cultures / different religions / married outside of the cultural norms of that society etc.) then you should be fine.

Thank you for your prompt response! My question was triggered by the checklist, in particular, section 7a (Are you and your spouse currently living together?) and 7b-no (been married for two years). Also, IMM5532 has questions 3 and 4 that ask the same question (living together). Neither of those questions imply that this only applies to common-law/conjugal relationships. Or am I missing something

On a related note, where does that "love story" go?

Thanks again!

 

[Hurlabrick]

Thank you for your prompt response! My question was triggered by the checklist, in particular, section 7a (Are you and your spouse currently living together?) and 7b-no (been married for two years). Also, IMM5532 has questions 3 and 4 that ask the same question (living together). Neither of those questions imply that this only applies to common-law/conjugal relationships. Or am I missing something

On a related note, where does that "love story" go?

Thanks again!

I would create an separate 'appendix' page in Word to IMM5532 and put a page or two about your relationship which in effect repeats stuff on IMM5532 Part C Q1,2,3 etc. Make sure it is signed and dated

So yes, you still need to answer the questions on the form and provide a bit of detail as required (why you are not living together), but nothing wrong with explaining why you are not living together in say one sentence on Q3, then adding a 'Please refer to separate sheet for more detail'.

When we did it, I found the 'bitty' Q&A approach of the form lead to me giving 'bitty' responses So I gave them the 'bitty' responses the form seems to insist on, but also additionally referred to a two or three page appendix that I wrote that described our 'love story' (without being too schmaltzy!) - which explained much better our relationship (met through 'internet dating' and married in 15 months, although then married for a further 3 years by the time we applied).