Proof of relationship - not enough

[Ponga]

This isn't true, common law and marriage are the same. Getting married doesn't mean that there is less burden of proof for the relationship. I understand that your in a tough position being called for an interview, but that doesn't mean that this is the case for all applicants.

They are NOT the same, in terms of the burden of proof needed.

For example, a married couple never has to prove that they have lived together for one year.

 

[Hayles1980]

This isn't true, common law and marriage are the same. Getting married doesn't mean that there is less burden of proof for the relationship. I understand that your in a tough position being called for an interview, but that doesn't mean that this is the case for all applicants.

A marriage certificate & license supersedes a lot of other documentation required for common law, so yes, you do need more documentation.....

 

[starry101]

They are NOT the same, in terms of the burden of proof needed.

For example, a married couple never has to prove that they have lived together for one year.

What I meant is when it comes to showing a relationship is genuine, married and common law applicants are viewed as equal. CIC doesn't view married couples as "more genuine" than common law. Getting married doesn't strengthen a common law application.

 

[Mhunter]

Just be prepared, we are doing the same thing and we thought we had way more than enough but we got called for the interview, after receiving a letter saying we do not have enough proof. The threshold for evidence is much higher for common law than if you were married. It is much more difficult to establish common law than marriage.

The letter we received told us that we need to bring more evidence of our relationship, despite including large amounts with our application.

Will post results of the interview next wednesday.

Now I'm anxious again !!

 

[starry101]

Now I'm anxious again !!

Don't be. My common law husband and I submitted about 10 photos, a joint lease, a receipt for mail forwarding, some letters from friends and family, a joint bank account printout and some envelopes addressed to both of us. We never submitted any chat logs or messages and we were approved fine, no additional request for more information. What matters is the quality of proof over quantity.

 

[Tynen]

Wow.... how does Australians get 6 year working holiday visas....whereas Canadians doesnt when coming to Aussie....

 

[Mhunter]

Wow.... how does Australians get 6 year working holiday visas....whereas Canadians doesnt when coming to Aussie....

I don't know, just the agreement Canada and aus had I guess. They just changed it last year I think to Australians only being allowed 1 two year visa hence why I applied for PR. Although I should have done it years ago, it was so much easier and cheaper to just get a working holiday visa. I was allowed one last one which I just activated so I have another 2 years which will total 8 years living in Canada on working holiday visas.

 

[CANzanillo]

Hello!!
I am sending off my PR application in Tuesday. I am from Australia and have been living in Canada for 6 years on working holiday visas, my partner is a Canadian citizen and we have been together just over 5 years, living together since May 2011.
I am reading all these posts of people sending in thousands of pages of photos and proof of the relationship so it's making me worried that I don't have enough. I printed approx 170 pages of emails/ tickets of trips we've taken together/ phone bills/ joint bank accounts/ letters from family/ rental agreements with both our names etc and have got about 45 photos printed of us together over the years. We are 26 & 27yrs old so we don't have life insurance and all that other stuff in each other's names. My question is, will this be enough?? I hired a lawyer to help with my application so I don't know exactly how many pages long it is but I'm positive it's not in the high hundreds now I'm stressing it won't be enough!!! I don't know too much about the application process as I've got a lawyer so I don't really know how it works.
If anyone could shed some light on this it would be amazing!
Thanks

Ideally your included photos would show a chronological progression of your relationship over the years. 45 photos doesn't sound like very many to me. We submitted a couple hundred. Though you do have lots of other very good evidence! We sent 13 letters from family members and friends on both sides to help reinforce the genuineness of our relationship! Best wishes on a speedy and successful application!

 

[Mhunter]

Ideally your included photos would show a chronological progression of your relationship over the years. 45 photos doesn't sound like very many to me. We submitted a couple hundred. Though you do have lots of other very good evidence! We sent 13 letters from family members and friends on both sides to help reinforce the genuineness of our relationship! Best wishes on a speedy and successful application!

Yeah we don't really take many photos together. I prefer not to always have a camera or phone out so we can just enjoy the moment and if we do have our phones out we usually take photos of the scenery rather than each other!!. my lawyer said that lots of couples she helps with residency don't take lots of photos together either and that it's better to have quality over quantity so hopefully the ones I've sent are enough. Too late now!!

 

[CaroM8]

I was just thinking of the pictures we are gonna send in with our application.. And we are in the same boat! We just don't take that many pictures together... If I count all of them we probably have about 50-60... But I think along with letters, tickets, receipts etc.. it should be ok!

 

[Aquakitty]

40+ photos is just fine. It's about the photo contents, not the numbers. I sent in over 100 photos, but I didn't even write any information on them (whoops ) and realistically I could have trimmed it down to half that. My husband got processed in less than 4 months! So don't worry about the numbers, worry about the content quality.

 

[canadausa#11]

Exactly. I'd say 30 photos which are a variety of wedding photos/photos with various family and friends/photos from vaccations etc. are of more value then 150 photos of mainly random selfies from weekends.

 

[Mhunter]

40+ photos is just fine. It's about the photo contents, not the numbers. I sent in over 100 photos, but I didn't even write any information on them (whoops ) and realistically I could have trimmed it down to half that. My husband got processed in less than 4 months! So don't worry about the numbers, worry about the content quality.

Thanks!! I was stressing a lot about the possibility of an interview as reading some of the questions, they are things I would never really pay attention too, but even if we got some wrong and although an interview would be somewhat stressful, I'm not worried. If it happens, it happens and we have absolutely nothing to hide

 

[CaroM8]

I have a question! (again!!)

As the sponsor, I will be writing a letter describing the progression of our relationship, key milestones and events, our plans and future goals etc..
My partner (the applicant!) will also write a similar kind of letter, but I am not sure how to make it different than mine. Obviously all the information we want to relay is the same..

Should the 2 letters be written with different objectives, different angles? Not sure if this makes sense!

Thanks!!

 

[Snowisland]

I have a question! (again!!)

As the sponsor, I will be writing a letter describing the progression of our relationship, key milestones and events, our plans and future goals etc..
My partner (the applicant!) will also write a similar kind of letter, but I am not sure how to make it different than mine. Obviously all the information we want to relay is the same..

Should the 2 letters be written with different objectives, different angles? Not sure if this makes sense!

Thanks!!

I wrote mine and my husband wrote his. We both started by imagining we were telling our story to a friend. How we met, how we started talking, then skyping, then visiting each other's country. Got married.
Just imagine you ran into an old friend you haven't seen in years and are catching up on your lives.
We each wrote one page.
Mine started with...we are too old to have a 50 year anniversary like our parents, but we will take all the time we can get. Here is how it all began....
His started with, one day I was.....and I met this woman.....