Coming to Canada as Conjugal Partners
Not every couple can get the chance to live together all the time. Sometimes, couples are apart due to reasons such as, employment, family, and so forth. It is extremely stressful and painful when two people, who are deeply in love, are unable to live together. We completely understand this rough situation, and therefore, we are presenting you a wonderful solution. If you and your partner has been in a relationship for at least one year, but one of you is not living in Canada right now, you still may be able to sponsor your conjugal partner! In this article, you will learn what the term “conjugal sponsorship” is, how conjugal partners can apply for spousal sponsorship, and what documents are required for this type of application.
Understand the term “conjugal sponsorship”
Many people may have knowledge about spouses or common-law partners, but often times, they are confused about “conjugal partners”. Conjugal partners are couples who have at least one year of relationship. The major difference is that conjugal partners are unable to live together in Canada due to various reasons. Conjugal relationships include both opposite- and same-sex relationships.
Eligibility of a Sponsor in a Conjugal Sponsorship
First and foremost, the person needs to be 18 years of age or older. They also need to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. You relationship with your conjugal partner must be genuine, meaning your relationship is not just for the purpose of getting a permanent resident card in Canada. Last but not least, the sponsors need to financially support themselves and their partners. More specifically, the sponsors need to be able to sustain their partners’ basic needs. This includes shelter, food, water, safety, clothing, and so on.
Who Cannot be a Sponsor
There are many reasons that will prevent you from becoming a legal sponsor in your conjugal sponsorship. One of the reasons is financial support. If you are still going through the process of bankruptcy, or if you have received social assistance for something other than the reason of a disability, you are not eligible to sponsor your partner. This proves to an immigration officer that you are clearly unable to financially support yourself let alone support the principle applicant in the conjugal sponsorship.
Secondly, you will not qualify to sponsor if you attempted, threatened, or were convicted of a violent or sexual offence, or an offence that caused bodily harm to a relative. You will also be disqualified to sponsor your partner if you are in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison. Criminal offences all show that you are to be considered an ongoing threat to Canadian society or your partner. These criminal records indicate that you are not eligible to sponsor your partner.
You may not be a sponsor if you have sponsored a previous spouse or partner and three years have not passed since this person became a permanent resident. If the time requirement is not met, this will indicate you may not be genuine about your relationship. Some other reasons include currently being in jail or prison, declaring bankruptcy, or having already sponsored a person, or the three years of undertaking time have not been fully completed.
What requirements are necessary when applying for a conjugal sponsorship
In order to apply for a conjugal sponsorship, you must prove to an immigration officer why you cannot apply for either a spousal sponsorship or a common-law partnership. Unlike a spousal or common-law sponsorship, conjugal partners cannot get married and live together due to a variety of reasons. As previously mentioned, these reasons can be war, family, education, strict foreign/religious beliefs, disasters, or other unavoidable reasons. The most important thing is that, you need to address the reason(s) causing the two to be unable to reside together.
Apart from the reason, you must provide a variety of supporting documents to prove your relationship is genuine. If the officer detects the reason why you are submitting a conjugal sponsorship is simply to get a permanent resident card/status for your partner, your application will indeed be rejected. Some examples of supportive documents may include birthday cards, mailed gifts, text messages on social media platforms, photos together, reference letters from family and friends, joint bank account, money transfer records etc. There also needs to be an explanation as to where your relationship is going to go, how you first came to know each other, the length of the relationship, how you have been communicating to each other when you are apart, and what your plans are after receiving your conjugal sponsorship approval. Finally, you must be able to provide the immigration officer with a medical examination and a police background check of the person you are inviting to Canada.
Contact Akrami and Associates
The requirements of the sponsor and principle applicant, undertaking period, meaning of a conjugal sponsorship, reasons for sponsor preventions, and who conjugal sponsorships are applicable to are all essential information one must know and take into consideration when applying for a conjugal sponsorship. Having to understand all the information and having to prepare the application can be exhausting and overwhelming. Akrami and Associates have dealt with many conjugal sponsorship applications and have in-depth knowledge of the conjugal sponsorship. Please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at 416-477-2545 for more information, or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.
With Akrami and Associates, there is always a way!
