Sponsoring my wife who is 17 years old

[Nazim183]

Hi,
I’m a Canadian citizen (originally from Morocco), I would like to marry my girl friend in Morocco who is still 17 years old (will be 18 in December 2019) then sponsor her to come with me to Quebec.
Since she is not 18 years old, I’m wondering if this can cause an issue for the sponsorship?
Should we wait until she gets 18 to marry (since the age in Quebec for marriage is 18)
Or can we still do the mariage now and wait until she gets 18 in December to initiate the sponsorship?

Is there anything else should I consider before I initiate the sponsorship?

Many thanks
Hassan

 

[21Goose]

Since she's turning 18 in three months, I would highly recommend you wait till December. You cannot sponsor her before she turns 18 in any case.

If you get married after she's 18, her age ceases to be a factor and you can sponsor her under the usual process.If you get married before that, you'll have to wait till she's 18. Since it's only about 3 months away, might as well wait and then get married.

I don't know how old you are, but if there's a big age difference between the two of you, be prepared to provide lots of proof of your relationship.

 

[smallcoffee]

How old are you? Careful age difference can be a red flag for ircc agents, make sure you have a rock solid application

 

[Nazim183]

Great, many thanks for the advices.
I’m 28, do you think that 10 years different could be a major issue for sponsorship?
Many thanks

 

[SofiaMartins]

Great, many thanks for the advices.
I’m 28, do you think that 10 years different could be a major issue for sponsorship?
Many thanks

The fact that you're dating a 17 year old is illegal and would definitely be an issue.

 

[Bs65]

Interestingly the legal age for marriage in Morroco is 18 anyway according google so the OP is going to have to wait until girlfriend is 18.

 

[21Goose]

Great, many thanks for the advices.
I’m 28, do you think that 10 years different could be a major issue for sponsorship?
Many thanks

Yes, it can be. You will need to show that you have a genuine relationship and aren't getting married solely for immigration purposes.

10 years isn't necessarily a big age difference.. but she's 17. Which means that if you say you've been in a relationship for 2 years, we're talking about a 26 year old guy in a relationship with a 15 year old girl.

I'm aware of cultural differences and all that, so I'm not going to go too deep into this, but I strongly recommend that you talk to an immigration lawyer who is familiar with your culture and cultural practices to get some proper advice on what to do in such a situation. Don't just submit for sponsorship without knowing how this may be perceived by IRCC.