My common law struggle

[Huyoen]

Proof of household management of shared expenses and joint property such as furniture is interesting. How would you really even prove that? I assumed both monthly pays going into the joint bank and the credit card payments being made by the chequing bank account was good enough. I really don't have a clue as to how you could come up with this? For example we bought a couch not too long ago, yes we have a receipt but when we asked to put both our names on it they looked like we were crazy. And plus the receipt is just money paid. No addresses. I mean how can you prove that you share household expenses? Surely when your pay goes into the same chequing and that said chequing is used to pay credit card it's a good indicator? It's not like you can prove I used your money or you used "my'money when the bank accs are conjoint. That's what I don't get...

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Wouldn't the parents be required to co - sign then? How would they show that they were able to support themselves,when they dont support themselves?

Parents can't co-sign. They need to show they won't go on welfare. For sponsors who are unemployed/studying/low-income etc., family support is an acceptable alternative.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

You may look into the following, if you are interested in submitting more supporting documents.

I gathered the following information from a few posts from some forums. I am not quit sure which of the following supporting documents are very necessary. If someone can evaluate them one by one, it will be very helpful. Like very necessary, nice to have or do not include.

- Mail delivered to both of you, going to same address.

- Evidence of shared purchases (especially of household items).

- Important documents for both of you showing the same address.

- drivers license.

- Obtaining a state hunting and/or fishing license

- Getting a local library card.

- memberships to local organizations and clubs

- A registration card or document

- Registration with Service in the province.

- A certificate of residency from CRA

- Provincial and federal income tax returns

- Cellphone contract.

- Change status with CRA from single to common-law.

- bank account

- Power of authority on each other bank accounts

- friends letters (Statutory declarations)
The statutory declaration should include name and full address of the person who writes it. The people have to write who they are and how they know you, when they both met you and where. And then they have to confirm that you are common-law partners (not boyfriend and girlfriend), that you live together and your relationship is genuine and ongoing
from: https://britishexpats.com/forum/immigration-citizenship-canada-33/spousal-west-europe-information-guides-737129/#post9705980

- common law letter (Statutory declaration)

- phone bill or letter

- joint account for internet

- fingerprint showing same address

- Letters of support from parents.

- Personal letters (from each the applicant and sponsor).

- Proof of travel together.

- general or partial authorization for each other

- Photos of relationship.

- Evidence showing how you stayed in touch when doing long distance.

- medical exam or general check up showing same address

- Correspondence / letters with the translator showing same address

- translation of birth certificate/ translation of fingerprints

- Wills listing each other as the beneficiary

- Medical instructions granting decision-making power to the other person (such as a living will)

- If your job provides additional benefits, then the other person listed as your spouse/partner and covered under your benefits plan

- Emergency contact or family contact information at your job

- Any Bills to confirm address and sharing expenses

- Online shops Bills

- Money exchange Bill

- Clinic Bills

- Hospital Bills

- Wireless service provider letter showing name and address

- bank statement

- credit card statement

- bank transfers from his parents to your account like gifts, for support or so

- Statements for shared bank accounts.

- CRA letter for both of you showing same address, visitor may get individual tax number (please check)

- birth certificate as government document

- letters between him and his embassy

- joint private health insurance

- letters about the "history of our relationship"

- T4's and Notice of Assessment for the last two years

- explanation letter for documents we couldn't provide

- joint cat adoption document

- printout of every pay stub to show same address

- printout of every wireless bills to show same address

- printout of every joint land line phone to show same address

- A co-ownership agreement of a car or anything

- add in phone account as authorized contact.

- Powers of attorney

- Ikea / Costco Joint family Account

- Amazon Prime family membership email

- postcard from landlord, birthday cards from my mom, his sister.

- Letter he wrote to my mom asking her to let me visit him in Canada for first time

- 3 postcards sent to each other.

- Copy of Benefits plan from XX employer, showing YY as common-law spouse, dependent for health benefits

- 100% primary beneficiary for life insurance

- Letter from ZZ (XX's mother) as character witness to our common-law relationship (1 page)

- credit card Authorized User like shared credit cards (a second card for an authorized person who can be a visitor or not)
When a primary cardholder adds someone else to an existing credit card account, giving them permission to make purchases and manage other account features, that added person is called an authorized user. They get their own card but aren't responsible for payments. The primary cardholder gets the monthly statements and makes all the payments. But if those payments are made on time each month and the primary cardholder has good credit, an authorized user can build their own credit simply by being added to the account.

- Prove of payment for trips, outings

- Some screens of Skype.

- Few screens of Facebook, that show we are in relationships

- Letter to us from Hospital Foundation, Food Bank, or so, where we volunteered.

In other cases, the following can be in useful

- rental lease shared.
the property management company (on their letterhead) confirming that the owner [showing her full name] does in fact own the property [shown at the following address].

- a letter from the property management company (on their letterhead) confirming that the owner [showing her full name] does in fact own the property [shown at the following address].

- Tenant insurance.

- Letter from landlord attesting you were living together.

- Shared rental receipts.

- Proof of shared management of household expenses.

Thank you very much for the time and effort you put into the list, we will be getting some of the stuff from it.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

You dont quaify for common law until you have lived together for 12 months,so you can't apply until at least may. You need to to be able to show that you will be able to support him for the length of the undertaking which is either 3 or 5 years, I can't remember

We know, we plan to apply sometime after May.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

My partner and I applied under the common law category having lived together for four years. I was very stressed about the amount of proof we presented because we didn’t really have much, all companies in NS had both of us as account holders bc we shared the same address but all of them could just include one name on the bill. We put our app together in 4 weeks and as proof of relationship and cohabitation this is what we submitted:
*Photocopy of lease just showing our names, date of move in and signatures. Since you live with your parents they can write such a letter, it’s been done before I read it several times.
*Car registration on both our names
*Car insurance (the letter came under his name because he pays for it but the policy shows both our names so I submitted both pages, first one used as proof of financial support)
*Drivers licenses
*Letter from my parents, his mom, his cousin, our neighbor, and my classmate
*Statutory declaration of common law
*Statutory declaration of my neighbor saying we’ve never separated and lived together since 2014
*Receipt of plane ticket
*14 pictures
*Receipt of a B and B we stayed at showing both our names
*Receipt for the VR console I got him and Facebook screenshot of him using it saying I got it for him
*10 pages of Facebook posts showing more pictures, checked in places and comments of family and friends
*Photocopy of handwritten holidays card from the SPCA where we volunteered addressed to both of us
*Cover letter (2 pages) written by my partner explaining how we met, why we moved in together so soon and how he’d support me as we were both students. He said we both would look for jobs, that I had savings and my parents would support us. My parents confirmed this on their letter.
*T4 slips for both of us, different years (we hadn’t declared common law to the CRA at the time of submitting the application)
*3 bills for the power company in different months on his name, phone bill on my name (1 for the month we applied because I never changed my address)
*Booking confirmation for wonderland on his name showing both our names
*History of e transfers going back to 2015

Thank you very much for the list of stuff, we will be using it for a reference.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

I assumed they would be applying inland for the OWP but I realize the OP didn’t actually mention that. You do have to cohabit for that right?

We will be applying for the OWP when we apply for common law sponsorship. How long does the OWP generally take to get approved? What are the requirements based on for getting accepted for the OWP? Or does it get accepted cause of the sponsorship?

 

[CanadianGirl593]

Wouldn't the parents be required to co - sign then? How would they show that they were able to support themselves,when they dont support themselves?

My parents will support us until we can support ourselves. I'm looking for a job and he's getting a OWP so we will eventually be able to support ourselves.

 

[np08]

We will be applying for the OWP when we apply for common law sponsorship. How long does the OWP generally take to get approved? What are the requirements based on for getting accepted for the OWP? Or does it get accepted cause of the sponsorship?

There are no requirements other than filling out the form properly and signing it, paying the correct fee ($255) and, of course, applying for a family class PR as well. It will be approved within four months.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

There are no requirements other than filling out the form properly and signing it, paying the correct fee ($255) and, of course, applying for a family class PR as well. It will be approved within four months.

That's good to know, thank you for clarifying since we were unsure. But does that mean our common law evidence won't affect the approval of the OWP? So how do they determine if they want to approve the OWP or not?


Odd question, can anyone tell us if using IP log in history on his account like Facebook would count as proof that he is living with me. On Facebook you can see every single login and log out and IP address of where it happened. Since he has been here he has logged in and out of Facebook everyday so the only IP listed for the past 9 months is mine. So does that count as proof?

 

[np08]

That's good to know, thank you for clarifying since we were unsure. But does that mean our common law evidence won't affect the approval of the OWP? So how do they determine if they want to approve the OWP or not?


Odd question, can anyone tell us if using IP log in history on his account like Facebook would count as proof that he is living with me. On Facebook you can see every single login and log out and IP address of where it happened. Since he has been here he has logged in and out of Facebook everyday so the only IP listed for the past 9 months is mine. So does that count as proof?

You don't need to have the PR approved (obviously, since then there'd be no need for a work permit) in order to get the work permit approved. They're two different processes, you just apply at the same time in the same package. Once they confirm the package is complete, all the forms and signatures are there, fees are paid, the applications are processed separately. All you need for the OWP is to have applied for the PR, regardless of your proof for it or anything else.

Even in the case of PR refusal, the OWP remains valid and active until its expiry (they're given for two years unless the applicant's passport is expiring sooner, in which case until passport expiry).

I've never heard of Facebook IP login working. People have tried doing stuff like GPS data and other unconventional things like that and it didn't work. You need official things, like government issued documents and mail, insurance policies, bank accounts, utilities, etc.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

You don't need to have the PR approved (obviously, since then there'd be no need for a work permit) in order to get the work permit approved. They're two different processes, you just apply at the same time in the same package. Once they confirm the package is complete, all the forms and signatures are there, fees are paid, the applications are processed separately. All you need for the OWP is to have applied for the PR, regardless of your proof for it or anything else.

Even in the case of PR refusal, the OWP remains valid and active until its expiry (they're given for two years unless the applicant's passport is expiring sooner, in which case until passport expiry).

I've never heard of Facebook IP login working. People have tried doing stuff like GPS data and other unconventional things like that and it didn't work. You need official things, like government issued documents and mail, insurance policies, bank accounts, utilities, etc.

Thank you for the information. Is there a way he could get his passport renewed here because it expires September 2020? And if he gets it renewed before we apply, would that make it so his OWP last for the complete two years? Or can we renew his passport after we get the OWP and would it extend his OWP by renewing his passport?

 

[np08]

Thank you for the information. Is there a way he could get his passport renewed here because it expires September 2020? And if he gets it renewed before we apply, would that make it so his OWP last for the complete two years? Or can we renew his passport after we get the OWP and would it extend his OWP by renewing his passport?

To be safe it would be best to renew in advance. Usually passports can be renewed from abroad, but conditions and requirements differ based on the country of origin so he should google his embassy or consulate in Canada and see what the case is for him specifically. This usually does entail a physical trip to the embassy/consulate after setting an appointment so just something to keep in mind.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

To be safe it would be best to renew in advance. Usually passports can be renewed from abroad, but conditions and requirements differ based on the country of origin so he should google his embassy or consulate in Canada and see what the case is for him specifically. This usually does entail a physical trip to the embassy/consulate after setting an appointment so just something to keep in mind.

Alright thank you for the help.

 

[CanadianGirl593]

Does his visitor record count as proof of cohabitation? Because it has my address on it and on the list it says you can use government issued documents. So wouldn't that count as proof?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Does his visitor record count as proof of cohabitation? Because it has my address on it and on the list it says you can use government issued documents. So wouldn't that count as proof?

Yes, that counts.