I have read all the summaries of immigration appeal cases in REFLEX - cases where they waited a year or more after marriage before applying tended to be rejected, because the appeal board thought that spouses in a genuine marriage would want to be together as soon as possible. It's true you'll have more history together, but only if you are in the same country. If one spouse is in Canada, and the other is waiting for his or her visa in another country, waiting to apply makes it look like you don't mind living apart. The original poster has a long history with her partner already, so waiting to apply will only raise suspicions. It took me three months to get my husband's application redy, and I was afraid the visa officer would wonder why we hadn't applied right away.Karlshammar said:Do you actually know this is true, or are you guessing? It is quite common to wait a very long time. A friend of mine was married for years, she is Vietnamese, and she got approved without a hitch in a matter of months.
My lawyer also told me that waiting longer gives you the advantage of having more history together...
canadianwoman said:I have read all the summaries of immigration appeal cases in REFLEX - cases where they waited a year or more after marriage before applying tended to be rejected, because the appeal board thought that spouses in a genuine marriage would want to be together as soon as possible. It's true you'll have more history together, but only if you are in the same country. If one spouse is in Canada, and the other is waiting for his or her visa in another country, waiting to apply makes it look like you don't mind living apart. The original poster has a long history with her partner already, so waiting to apply will only raise suspicions. It took me three months to get my husband's application redy, and I was afraid the visa officer would wonder why we hadn't applied right away.
Why is changing your last name to your spouses a means of showing you're married/in a relationship? What if you don't believe in that or what if in your home country it is not necessary to do so?Leon said:Yes, it might somewhat simplify things if you change your name to his already before you apply. It could be seen as even further proof of your relationship.
italo-argentina said:Why is changing your last name to your spouses a means of showing you're married/in a relationship? What if you don't believe in that or what if in your home country it is not necessary to do so?
Thanks
It's old English traditional but socially ambiguous and an entirely personal decision. Theoretically, it implies that you 'belong' but legally most all documentation can be easily changed to/from a change in surname. Oddly enough, the only thing I've had any difficulty dropping my last name from previous marriage (years ago) on is my Air Miles card...but I just realized something, so thank you: I can order a new card and start using it and just 'cash out' the old when it arrives.italo-argentina said:Why is changing your last name to your spouses a means of showing you're married/in a relationship? What if you don't believe in that or what if in your home country it is not necessary to do so?
Thanks