Proof of cohabitation with a tourist with no rights

[mariany]

I am a Canadian and my common-law partner is a Mexican. We have applied through family sponsorship. The Mexican is in Canada as a tourist, therefore has no possibility of obtaining anything Canadian (bank account, medical services, etc.). We have lived together for more than two years, one in Mexico and one in Canada, but have no proof of cohabitation because of the above reasons. We will be submitting a statement naming the Mexican as the Canadian's spouse and beneficiary of life insurance, as well as a notarized statutory declaration of common-law union. We will be continuing with the application regardless, and we were hoping for some constructive advice about additional documents.
Second question: if the application gets denied, is there any rule preventing us from submitting an identical application in the future with a joint lease agreement, bank accounts, etc. that we would obtain by instead applying first for a study permit. Thank you.

 

[k.h.p.]

1. People demonstrate cohabitation despite tourist status all the time, with mail, letters, bills, or other things.

2. You can always apply later with more proof if you are rejected. Your application will undergo further scrutiny. Any visa applications (like a study permit) made after a rejection will undergo more scrutiny and may be rejected due to purpose of visit.

3. Have you applied or will you apply? Are you able to get married? I know you may not want to, but if you marry, you do not have to prove cohabitation the same way - it isn't the essential element in the validity of the relationship.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I am a Canadian and my common-law partner is a Mexican. We have applied through family sponsorship. The Mexican is in Canada as a tourist, therefore has no possibility of obtaining anything Canadian (bank account, medical services, etc.). We have lived together for more than two years, one in Mexico and one in Canada, but have no proof of cohabitation because of the above reasons. We will be submitting a statement naming the Mexican as the Canadian's spouse and beneficiary of life insurance, as well as a notarized statutory declaration of common-law union. We will be continuing with the application regardless, and we were hoping for some constructive advice about additional documents.
Second question: if the application gets denied, is there any rule preventing us from submitting an identical application in the future with a joint lease agreement, bank accounts, etc. that we would obtain by instead applying first for a study permit. Thank you.

Your partner could have certainly obtained any number of address proofs. It is very possible to open a bank account as a visitor, be added to a lease, get a cell phone, get added to your utilities, have Amazon deliveries, mail from her country, IRCC mail etc. The list does go on.

Your statement, the insurance and the Stat Dec are not common-law proofs. If you apply without actual common-law proofs, expect a refusal.

 

[andybc]

I am a Canadian and my common-law partner is a Mexican. We have applied through family sponsorship. The Mexican is in Canada as a tourist, therefore has no possibility of obtaining anything Canadian (bank account, medical services, etc.). We have lived together for more than two years, one in Mexico and one in Canada, but have no proof of cohabitation because of the above reasons. We will be submitting a statement naming the Mexican as the Canadian's spouse and beneficiary of life insurance, as well as a notarized statutory declaration of common-law union. We will be continuing with the application regardless, and we were hoping for some constructive advice about additional documents.
Second question: if the application gets denied, is there any rule preventing us from submitting an identical application in the future with a joint lease agreement, bank accounts, etc. that we would obtain by instead applying first for a study permit. Thank you.

If I were you I wouldn't bother applying without proof that spans at least one full calendar year. You would just waste your time and money.

The way you describe the situation, your application will be rejected. The statutory declaration won't be enough. You'll need documents that show the couple living at the same address. The more, the better. If you are renting, putting your partner's name on the lease would be great. Put his name on the utility bill.

In any case, there is nothing preventing you from applying again.

 

[scylla]

I am a Canadian and my common-law partner is a Mexican. We have applied through family sponsorship. The Mexican is in Canada as a tourist, therefore has no possibility of obtaining anything Canadian (bank account, medical services, etc.). We have lived together for more than two years, one in Mexico and one in Canada, but have no proof of cohabitation because of the above reasons. We will be submitting a statement naming the Mexican as the Canadian's spouse and beneficiary of life insurance, as well as a notarized statutory declaration of common-law union. We will be continuing with the application regardless, and we were hoping for some constructive advice about additional documents.
Second question: if the application gets denied, is there any rule preventing us from submitting an identical application in the future with a joint lease agreement, bank accounts, etc. that we would obtain by instead applying first for a study permit. Thank you.

FYI - it's extremely easy to get a Canadian bank account as a tourist in Canada.

 

[mariany]

FYI - it's extremely easy to get a Canadian bank account as a tourist in Canada.

Please explain. We have been to banks and credit unions and have been told that it is illegal from the horse's mouth. No SIN, no bank account.

 

[k.h.p.]

Please explain. We have been to banks and credit unions and have been told that it is illegal from the horse's mouth. No SIN, no bank account.

It's not illegal to open an account. They want the SIN to run a credit check.

 

[mashulia_26]

Please explain. We have been to banks and credit unions and have been told that it is illegal from the horse's mouth. No SIN, no bank account.

I was 14 when came to Canada and TD opened an account for me in 10 mins. My dad came here as a visitor and wanted to open an account and was told they can easily do it even thou he wouldn't be in Canada most of the time so you were probably speaking with the wrong person

 

[mariany]

A tourist in Canada does not have a SIN number. These are not being handed out at the border/airport to everyone who steps foot on Canadian soil, they are reserved for landed immigrants only. My partner does not have a SIN number and is unable to obtain one at the moment.

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/opening-bank-account.html

I'm not sure why you guys are saying it's extremely easy for a tourist to get a Canadian bank account. Can you please offer some proof?

 

[mashulia_26]

A tourist in Canada does not have a SIN number. These are not being handed out at the border/airport to everyone who steps foot on Canadian soil, they are reserved for landed immigrants only. My partner does not have a SIN number and is unable to obtain one at the moment.

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/opening-bank-account.html

I'm not sure why you guys are saying it's extremely easy for a tourist to get a Canadian bank account. Can you please offer some proof?

I have a friend who came to Canada on a visitor Visa and opened a bank account at RBC.

 

[k.h.p.]

Like that website says, a SIN is only required for accounts that earn interest for tax purposes.

 

[mashulia_26]

A tourist in Canada does not have a SIN number. These are not being handed out at the border/airport to everyone who steps foot on Canadian soil, they are reserved for landed immigrants only. My partner does not have a SIN number and is unable to obtain one at the moment.

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/opening-bank-account.html

I'm not sure why you guys are saying it's extremely easy for a tourist to get a Canadian bank account. Can you please offer some proof?

Also, my brother came to Canada only for a month last summer and opened an account at TD without any problems

 

[dstpcansgirlfriend]

Please explain. We have been to banks and credit unions and have been told that it is illegal from the horse's mouth. No SIN, no bank account.

If you haven't been, go to TD. They specifically have a banking package called "New to Canada" or something (I can't remember the name exactly but it should be fairly obvious when you see it). My partner arrived on a tourist visa from South America on September 29, 2017; three days later he opened a savings and chequing account at TD. Many months later, we went to RBC (my bank) to add him as an authorized user to my Visa card, and they offered to open him a savings/chequing account there as well. We had fully explained our situation to them, so they knew what his status was. If you've been to both of these banks and they refused, I would go back and ask to speak to somebody else until you get an account.

As for other cohabitation proofs (we also applied common-law; partner was on tourist status the entire time), we had a gym membership, library account, mail addressed to both of us to our address, credit card statements, I (Canadian citizen) had him listed as spouse/beneficiary on all my insurance, we submitted Amazon receipts, medical receipts, he arrived in Canada and applied for long-term visitor health insurance and put our address on the policy. Did the Mexican citizen apply to extend their visitor status in Canada? The visitor record - an official government document - should have your address on it. When we submitted, we were able to get a piece of evidence with name and address for pretty much every month we cohabited, despite my partner not having a driver's license, MSP, or a job here. It is possible, but sometimes we found it takes a bit of lateral thinking to find documents with name and address on them. I also added him to my BC Hydro bill as a resident in the apartment, and added him to my telephone, tv and internet bills.

You can also add a visitor (i.e. a person with no SIN) as an authorized user to your credit card, or at least you can through RBC. It doesn't build their credit score, but they get a card with their name on it. When the bill is generated, it puts down the spender's name next to each charge, so if you both use the card, both names appear.

Good luck!

 

[Calm2019]

I am a Canadian and my common-law partner is a Mexican. We have applied through family sponsorship. The Mexican is in Canada as a tourist, therefore has no possibility of obtaining anything Canadian (bank account, medical services, etc.). We have lived together for more than two years, one in Mexico and one in Canada, but have no proof of cohabitation because of the above reasons. We will be submitting a statement naming the Mexican as the Canadian's spouse and beneficiary of life insurance, as well as a notarized statutory declaration of common-law union. We will be continuing with the application regardless, and we were hoping for some constructive advice about additional documents.
Second question: if the application gets denied, is there any rule preventing us from submitting an identical application in the future with a joint lease agreement, bank accounts, etc. that we would obtain by instead applying first for a study permit. Thank you.

Any mails under her name such as online orders or letters from her friends and family from Mexico, membership card that has address on it, put her name on insurance policy if any.

 

[StephanH]

I am a Canadian and my common-law partner is a Mexican. We have applied through family sponsorship. The Mexican is in Canada as a tourist, therefore has no possibility of obtaining anything Canadian (bank account, medical services, etc.). We have lived together for more than two years, one in Mexico and one in Canada, but have no proof of cohabitation because of the above reasons. We will be submitting a statement naming the Mexican as the Canadian's spouse and beneficiary of life insurance, as well as a notarized statutory declaration of common-law union. We will be continuing with the application regardless, and we were hoping for some constructive advice about additional documents.
Second question: if the application gets denied, is there any rule preventing us from submitting an identical application in the future with a joint lease agreement, bank accounts, etc. that we would obtain by instead applying first for a study permit. Thank you.

Were you renting? If you were, you could try to get a letter (affidavit) from the owner that you were renting there for 1 year and try to have proof with some letters delivered to those addresses with your names on it. Also, have the owner also supply one piece of ID when submitting the letter.