Hi all! I'm a Canadian citizen sponsoring my spouse, who's a U.S. citizen, for permanent residence. We were married in Canada on January 20, 2013, and we are applying outland. He's currently residing with me in Canada (Vancouver, BC) as a visitor and has been here since November 30, 2012 (we have been a little slow-going on this whole PR application thing, but his visitor status has been extended). We have gone through the instruction guides but a few things are still confusing us. My husband has a couple questions about forms, outlined below.
Schedule A - Background Declaration
6. j) He was put in jail once, briefly, several years ago. He was DJing a house party, someone filed a noise complaint, it was busted, and drugs were found (not his). He was charged with Frequenting (a misdemeanor) and was to complete sheriff's labour. He showed up at the courthouse to sign up for his duties, but he was a day late, and they detained him and put him in jail for 4 days. Everything has since been taken care of and he has no charges left on his record. It was a long time ago. If he explains this, do you think it will cause problems? CIC doesn't consider things like this "red flags," do they?
k) He may have Bipolar Disorder, but I don't think anyone knows for sure. He hasn't been to a psychiatrist in many years, and can't remember if he ever had an official diagnosis. He and his parents can't seem to agree whether it was official; he would have to try to remember all the different doctors he saw, and check his records to know for sure. What they do know is that one psychiatrist (who has since retired) prescribed him Prozac for anxiety; it made his symptoms worse, so he stopped taking it. Later on, a family doctor suggested he try medication for Bipolar Disorder instead, and it gave him horrible side effects, so he stopped taking that too. He self-manages quite well now; he's certainly not a threat to himself or others and has never been hospitalized. Is this worth mentioning? What is CIC looking for here?
Sponsored Spouse/Partner Questionnaire
27. Have you and your sponsor lived together? (Give dates and periods of cohabitation.)
The "from" date is clearly November 30, 2012, and he has been here the whole time. Should he write down ‘present’ on the form (it won’t let us enter this on the computer)? Or just a dash? He's not sure what date to put down if we plan to keep living together until his PR is approved.
30. Do you receive financial support from your sponsor?
Not sure if this is a yes or a no. We do share money, but as his sponsor I’m not currently earning my own income; we are planning a move and I'm looking for work. Both our parents are sending us financial support at the moment while we figure things out. I know there’s no minimum income to sponsor a spouse, but technically I’m agreeing to support him, and I’m outlining a plan of support. So we're not sure how to answer this question.
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Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Amy
Schedule A - Background Declaration
6. j) He was put in jail once, briefly, several years ago. He was DJing a house party, someone filed a noise complaint, it was busted, and drugs were found (not his). He was charged with Frequenting (a misdemeanor) and was to complete sheriff's labour. He showed up at the courthouse to sign up for his duties, but he was a day late, and they detained him and put him in jail for 4 days. Everything has since been taken care of and he has no charges left on his record. It was a long time ago. If he explains this, do you think it will cause problems? CIC doesn't consider things like this "red flags," do they?
k) He may have Bipolar Disorder, but I don't think anyone knows for sure. He hasn't been to a psychiatrist in many years, and can't remember if he ever had an official diagnosis. He and his parents can't seem to agree whether it was official; he would have to try to remember all the different doctors he saw, and check his records to know for sure. What they do know is that one psychiatrist (who has since retired) prescribed him Prozac for anxiety; it made his symptoms worse, so he stopped taking it. Later on, a family doctor suggested he try medication for Bipolar Disorder instead, and it gave him horrible side effects, so he stopped taking that too. He self-manages quite well now; he's certainly not a threat to himself or others and has never been hospitalized. Is this worth mentioning? What is CIC looking for here?
Sponsored Spouse/Partner Questionnaire
27. Have you and your sponsor lived together? (Give dates and periods of cohabitation.)
The "from" date is clearly November 30, 2012, and he has been here the whole time. Should he write down ‘present’ on the form (it won’t let us enter this on the computer)? Or just a dash? He's not sure what date to put down if we plan to keep living together until his PR is approved.
30. Do you receive financial support from your sponsor?
Not sure if this is a yes or a no. We do share money, but as his sponsor I’m not currently earning my own income; we are planning a move and I'm looking for work. Both our parents are sending us financial support at the moment while we figure things out. I know there’s no minimum income to sponsor a spouse, but technically I’m agreeing to support him, and I’m outlining a plan of support. So we're not sure how to answer this question.
_________
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Amy
I was hoping the jail time and possible mental illness wouldn't be issues, as in CIC wanting to interview him. So you're saying he should just explain that he has anxiety but no official diagnosis? We could go digging in his medical records but honestly, if he and his family don't remember, it seems pointless to me, considering how long ago it was and how shifty these diagnoses can be.