Proof of Common Law Relationship - It's complicated

[BeeQC]

My partner and I have been living together in Japan for the past 2 years. However, we have very little traceable evidence that we live together. The CIC lists some things that can be used as evidence, but:

• We don't have a shared bank account or credit cards (we tried to set up an account together, but it's against the law in Japan to have one bank account with two names).
• We share all bills, but they're all in my name and set as automatic withdrawal from my account, he pays his half to me in cash (Japan is a cash society).
• He moved into my apartment 2 years ago but we could only stop renting his apartment less than a year ago (our supervisor didn't let us stop paying for his empty apartment - I do have proof of that communication). This means that our shared rent agreement is from 10 months ago, even though we have been living together for much longer than that.
• We don't own any appliances, not even the bedding in our apartment, it was completely furnished when we arrived.
• We do have some mail addressed to both of us, but most of them are from the past year
• His Japanese ID has our address, but it shows that he only changed his address less than a year ago.
• We don't have insurance policies or wills

I think that's all the evidence they say they accept. We do have letters from my parents and his sister and her husband saying that we have been living together for the past two years. I thought of attaching copies of both apartments utilities bills showing that his apartment was empty. Other than that, there's not much that I can think of that can be used as evidence of our 2 year commitment... Any advice?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-\

 

[wowsers]

I would not worry too much about it. The evidence referred to in the guide is not the only evidence CIC accepts. My application succeeded in very similar circumstances to yours; I was the applicant (and now a landed PR), We both lived in the UK. Our bank accounts and credit cards were not joint and we had no joint lease or tenancy agreement: she lived with me in my freehold house and during the working week in my leasehold apartment. My name alone was on the gas and electricity and local taxes bills for both properties. I combed my records for supermarket and other bills, some of which were paid by my credit card and some by hers, and made a representative selection which I produced; but I doubt whether that had much probative value since the bills did not record the address. I also produced copies of the car insurance policies showing that she was an authorised driver and my RAC membership records showing that she was entitled to the benefits of membership as a result of my membership subscription. I do not remember producing envelopes, bank statements etc showing her as living in my properties but I suppose I must have produced some, and I see that you also have some of that evidence. I added some rather complicated evidence to my application concerning local taxes: I would have been entitled to a rebate if I was a single occupier and I was able by drawing up a timetable by reference to our repective passports to show that during the period she was living with me I did not claim or receive the rebate. I also showed that when she reached retirement age and became entitled to a heating allowance from the government my allowance was reduced by 50% because there were then 2 persons living in the same property both of whom were entitled to the heating allowance; and I explained that in a supplementary statement. I think that was about it. There were no difficulties at all with my application, other than those I created for myself (failing to enclose one of the forms in particular!). Just put yourself in CIC's shoes and, looking at the evidence objectively, see what inferences you can draw from the documents you do have available. If you think an objective person would be scratching his/her head wondering what inference to draw from the document, spell it out in a supplementary statement: I enclosed a number of such statements. Good luck!

 

[kiwi123]

My partner and I have been living together in Japan for the past 2 years. However, we have very little traceable evidence that we live together. The CIC lists some things that can be used as evidence, but:

• We don't have a shared bank account or credit cards (we tried to set up an account together, but it's against the law in Japan to have one bank account with two names).
• We share all bills, but they're all in my name and set as automatic withdrawal from my account, he pays his half to me in cash (Japan is a cash society).
• He moved into my apartment 2 years ago but we could only stop renting his apartment less than a year ago (our supervisor didn't let us stop paying for his empty apartment - I do have proof of that communication). This means that our shared rent agreement is from 10 months ago, even though we have been living together for much longer than that.
• We don't own any appliances, not even the bedding in our apartment, it was completely furnished when we arrived.
• We do have some mail addressed to both of us, but most of them are from the past year
• His Japanese ID has our address, but it shows that he only changed his address less than a year ago.
• We don't have insurance policies or wills

I think that's all the evidence they say they accept. We do have letters from my parents and his sister and her husband saying that we have been living together for the past two years. I thought of attaching copies of both apartments utilities bills showing that his apartment was empty. Other than that, there's not much that I can think of that can be used as evidence of our 2 year commitment... Any advice?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-\

Since your lease shows you have lived together 10 months already, why don't you wait just 2 more before sending your application? In the long run it may save you time and make your waiting time less nerve wreaking. The more solid your application the faster it will go.

 

[jmomcc]

Since your lease shows you have lived together 10 months already, why don't you wait just 2 more before sending your application? In the long run it may save you time and make your waiting time less nerve wreaking. The more solid your application the faster it will go.

I was going to say the same thing. I would just wait and compile all the other evidence in the mean time.

 

[KarlR]

I was going to say the same thing. I would just wait and compile all the other evidence in the mean time.

Exactly,it's going to take you at least a month to get your police cert,organize everything etc.

 

[scylla]

Since your lease shows you have lived together 10 months already, why don't you wait just 2 more before sending your application? In the long run it may save you time and make your waiting time less nerve wreaking. The more solid your application the faster it will go.

Excellent advice. I agree as well. Waiting the extra two months is the best option.

 

[BeeQC]

Thank you for your advice! I wish I had found this forum before we did the medicals and got most documents and letters and stuff ready... I think we have until the end of the month to get everything ready, so I would have time to find some other type of evidence... Would the Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union help?

Thank you again