Relationship celebrations

[Aroundtown22]

Question!

In the common application it asks if we've had any formal ceremony to celebrate our relationship.

We are engaged (not traditional, we both agreed to get married but no rings were exchanged, we opted to save some more money for our wedding in the future) but we never had an engagement party. We become common-law tomorrow but we aren't planning anything formal. I was just thinking about going out for dinner just the two of us, nothing 'formal' but just a way to celebrate between the two of us.

What should we be putting as an answer to this question?

I was going to tick the no box and give the explanation above including that we don't believe in formal engagement parties and it is not a tradition in either family to have them.

 

[giggles1985]

My husband and I didn't have a formal engagement or engagement party either, and for that matter we had a very informal wedding.

I did pretty much what you said. On the form under the engagement section when it asked a date and for details I checked no and said that there was no formal engagement and we decided to get married as a mutual descision. I don't have my copies with me but I might have also said something about how we are not really into formal affairs.

 

[silverbee]

You say that you're becoming common-law tomorrow - does that mean you are moving in together tomorrow or will have been living together for one-year tomorrow? Just be careful that you know that being engaged in itself does not qualify, you have to have been living together for at least a year or be married (it's different than the USA where being engaged qualifies for a visa).

 

[Lana]

You know, we didn't organize any ceremony. We've just got married with two witnesses and went to pub. We took some pictures. I've sent everything including restaurant's check to Immigration Office. But I added some explanation that we're going to organize church ceremony. I know that Immigration Office likes to judge how many guests you have, what rings, etc. We didn't buy the rings and now I feel that we can meet some questions from Immigration Office why we still don't have formal ceremony.

Good luck.

 

[Aroundtown22]

Sorry guys, should have been clearer in my first post.

We will become a common law couple tomorrow meaning we have lived together for a period of 1 year. I feel we have enough proof for everything they ask for.

I know that engagement is not an official class under Canadian immigration, but we stated that we were engaged in a visitor visa extension application, so I feel that we should state it again in the common law application despite the fact that it doesn't ask any specific question about being engaged (that is under the marriage section of the application which we aren't filling out because we aren't married yet). I don't want to get into a situation where we're hiding something from them and they find out and we get in trouble. I know that saying you're engaged is sometimes a bad thing through the eyes of immigration, but we want to have a wedding where both families can attend and we 1) need to save up more money for the wedding and 2) need to give a lot of notice of the wedding so that people from my family can make travel plans/save for the plane tickets etc (the wedding will be in holland).

 

[bonbon9]

Sorry guys, should have been clearer in my first post.

We will become a common law couple tomorrow meaning we have lived together for a period of 1 year. I feel we have enough proof for everything they ask for.

I know that engagement is not an official class under Canadian immigration, but we stated that we were engaged in a visitor visa extension application, so I feel that we should state it again in the common law application despite the fact that it doesn't ask any specific question about being engaged (that is under the marriage section of the application which we aren't filling out because we aren't married yet). I don't want to get into a situation where we're hiding something from them and they find out and we get in trouble. I know that saying you're engaged is sometimes a bad thing through the eyes of immigration, but we want to have a wedding where both families can attend and we 1) need to save up more money for the wedding and 2) need to give a lot of notice of the wedding so that people from my family can make travel plans/save for the plane tickets etc (the wedding will be in holland).

Hi Aroundtown22!

In my opinion, you should tell them you're engaged and explain in detail your plans about the future. If you have any letters from your family mentioning this, I would include it. It's your plans for the future and can only show that you guys are truly commited to eachother
Hope this helps!

 

[Aroundtown22]

Bonbon,

We're planning on outlining all of our plans in the application =) We havent set a date yet because we're kind of waiting to see what is going to happen with this application before setting any date (if it gets rejected we'll be getting married a little sooner). I just wish that Holland was nicer in the winter because then we could get married in November 2011, long after a decision should have been made... but who wants to get married in the rain!? hahaha

 

[bobshynoswife]

as far as i understand it, you cannot be common-law and ALSO engaged. Common-law is a class where people want to live together but not get married. you may get caught up with that definition.

to clarify, by definition if you are engaged, you are not common-law, even if you have been living together for one year.

 

[Aroundtown22]

Being engaged is not a legal status. You can't check engaged on the Canadian tax return, whereas you can check common law. I understand what you are saying and I am a bit concerned that they will see engaged and just shelve our application (is there any way to tell if they do this or not by the way?) but you can be a common-law couple and still be engaged. In the legal world outside of Canadian Immigration, engagement means nothing.

But could you please provide me with some background information about your statement bobshynoswife?

 

[giggles1985]

I believe that bobshynoswife is speaking of immigration class, not legal status. Meaning that if you are engaged, you don't qualify as being able to apply for PR as common-law.

 

[Aroundtown22]

Is this fact listed somewhere on the immigration website or are you just making the assumption? We meet the requirements of common law so on what basis can they deny the application? Since an engagement is not a legal thing and is between two people only, you could essentially say you're engaged one day and break it off the next.

 

[naheedkhan]

HELLO PLZ SOMEONE TELL ME IF I SHUD FILL THE ADDITIONAL FAMILY INFO FORM AND SCHEDULE 3 FORM FOR MY DAUGHTER WHOSE MARRIED AND MY HUBBY AND MY SON WHO IS NOT GOING TO ACCOMPANY ME .BOTH ARE OVER 18
AND THE OTHER SON WHO IS ACCOMPANYING ME IS UNDER 18 SHUOLD I FILL HIS FORM ALSO?

 

[bobshynoswife]

Is this fact listed somewhere on the immigration website or are you just making the assumption? We meet the requirements of common law so on what basis can they deny the application? Since an engagement is not a legal thing and is between two people only, you could essentially say you're engaged one day and break it off the next.

i am not speaking of common-law in the legal sense, it is definitely in the immigration sense. i'm sorry i don't have any links, but i have read this several times on this forum, and have also read about it in an appeal case (I have read hundreds, so could not find it for you, sorry!)

i think it is worth a call to CIC to see if you qualify as common-law when in fact you are engaged.

it is a tricky thing...i am legally (and truly) married to my husband, but immigration could easily come back and say we are denied because he is not my true 'spouse' if they feel like doing that. i think you should be entitled to apply common-law even if you are engaged, but i do not think CIC will see it the same way.

 

[Aroundtown22]

Unfortunately they are closed for the weekend =( We are meeting with a lawyer on Monday to review the application so I will ask him then. I will also call the help line and talk to someone there. I feel that we shouldn't have a problem because we meet the requirements as a common law couple and aren't applying under anything else. Having said that though, I know what dicks CIC can be when dealing with applications and just how arbitrary and ridiculous they can really get. I don't think that being engaged preclude us from applying as a common law couple but if anyone can show me something that states otherwise, I would love to see it (it would save me from submitting a useless application.)

 

[bythebook]

Unfortunately they are closed for the weekend =( We are meeting with a lawyer on Monday to review the application so I will ask him then. I will also call the help line and talk to someone there. I feel that we shouldn't have a problem because we meet the requirements as a common law couple and aren't applying under anything else. Having said that though, I know what dicks CIC can be when dealing with applications and just how arbitrary and ridiculous they can really get. I don't think that being engaged preclude us from applying as a common law couple but if anyone can show me something that states otherwise, I would love to see it (it would save me from submitting a useless application.)

I think this thread is what bobshynoswife might be referring to as it popped up in my mind as well.

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t47553.0.html