Immigration Canada’s goal is to bring families together one way of doing that is allowing Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their loved ones to Canada for permanent residency. In order to submit a successful application under the Canadian Family Class one would have to provide sufficient supporting documents to demonstrate genuineness in the relationship. This is an important requirement sponsoring a family member to Canada, because some people abuse spousal sponsorships by entering into marriages of convenience. This means the couples only pretend to be in a relationship to obtain permanent residency in Canada. Sometimes, we have individuals that enter the marriage in good faith but the sponsored partner only enters the relationship to obtain status in Canada. To avoid immigration fraud and not being a victim of sponsoring someone that has ill intentions immigration Canada takes it seriously and making sure no one is abusing the immigration system.
What is Conjugal Sponsorship?
Are you in a relationship either of the opposite sex or same sex and are unable to be together with your partner that is beyond your control to be considered under the spousal or common law relationship? If you are in a situation in which you cannot get married or live together than you might qualify under Conjugal Sponsorship. A conjugal relationship is more than just having a physical relationship. The relationship is defined as conjugal when the partners depend on each other, there is commitment in the relationship just like a marriage or common-law partnership, the relationship is permanent and the partners are looking for future together. Continue reading and find out if you fall under the definition of Conjugal Sponsorship and what steps you can take to sponsor your loved one to Canada.
Who Can Apply for Conjugal Sponsorship?
- Having a relationship with your conjugal partner for a minimum of one year
- Can’t get married or live together because of an immigration barrier
- You live in a country in which divorce is not permitted
Are in a same sex relationship and same sex marriage is not permitted in your home country - Providing good reasons that you cannot live together with your partner such as being denied to live in each other’s countries
Who does not qualify for Conjugal Sponsorship?
- you could live together but decided not to because of a job or study commitments or any other reasons which displays you are not ready to live together
- not providing sufficient prove that there are barriers that is keeping you from living together with your partner
- you are engaged and planning to get married and have lived together for 12 months continuously in which you have to apply under spousal or common law sponsorship
What is the Conjugal Sponsorship Requirements?
- You have to be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada
- You have to be 18 years old or older
- You are financially stable and agreeing to support the person you are sponsoring and any dependent children if applicable by signing an undertaking
- Your conjugal relationship is genuine and marriage or living together was not possible for past 12 months
- Conjugal partner is living outside of Canada
- 5 years have passed since you were sponsored to Canada
- 5 years have passed since you sponsored someone else to Canada
- You are not getting social assistance from the government other than a disability
- You are not under a removal order from Canada
- Not in jail
- Don’t have serious convictions or violent offence on your record
- Not on an immigration loan
How can I prove I am in a Conjugal Relationship?
- Providing documents that shows you are corresponding with each other
- Proof any give you have received from each other during your relationship
- Travel itineraries
- Pictures of time spent together with each which should include family and friends as well
- Reference letter from family friends of your relationship with your partner
- Personal statements
- If you have children together
- Providing financial support for children of your partner
- Demonstrating you have difficult time being together
- Any expenses you share together
- Anything that makes your relationship unique
Conjugal Sponsorship Tips
Tip #1: Make Sure Your Intentions Are True
Canada does not allow for ‘convenient relationships’ that were entered into in order to allow an individual into Canada to get permanent residence. These types of relationships seem like a business deal as opposed to a relationship or they take advantage of innocent Canadians who are travelling.
Therefore, if you try to enter into Canada under false intentions, our experienced border officers will catch you. So make sure that when you are coming into Canada as part of a conjugal relationship, ensure your relationship is legitimate or else you will be caught and there will be consequences.
Tip #2: Make Sure You Qualify Before You Apply
Before going through all the work and applications to sponsor a conjugal partner into Canada, make sure that you qualify as a recognized conjugal relationship. You can only qualify as a conjugal relationship if there are certain circumstances that have kept you and your partner from being together; which can be an immigration barrier, your current marital status, your sexual orientation or more. It all depends on your situation, but you must be able to show that you have been together for at least one year.
Tip #3: Undertaking Responsibilities of a Sponsor
Make sure you are fully aware of all the responsibilities that come with sponsoring a conjugal partner into Canada. As a sponsor, you are required to provide all the necessities for everyone you sponsor, including:
• Food
• Clothing
• Utilities
• Personal Requirements
• Shelter
• Fuel
• Household Supplies
You are also required to provide any additional health care requirements not provided by Canada’s health plan, such as eye and dental. An undertaking of a sponsor is not simple task and should not be taken lightly.
Should I file my own Conjugal Sponsorship application?
Proving a conjugal relationship is not easy, if you are planning to submit any type of family sponsorship application we recommend hiring a law firm that has experience in that area. Many of our clients that have retained for sponsorship applications have attempted to file their own application but were unsuccessful to due incomplete application or not providing sufficient prove to demonstrate their relationship is genuine. To avoid delays in your conjugal or any other type of sponsorship application its best to hire someone that has experience in the area. This is where Akrami and Associates comes in our immigration professionals have over 10 years of experience dealing with different types of immigration matters ranging from temporary to permanent matters.
Contact Akrami and Associates
If you have any questions regarding conjugal sponsorships or any other immigration matters please do not hesitate to contact us at 416-477-2545 or call our toll free number 1-877-820-7121 and one of our legal team members will be glad to assist you with your matter.. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
We also offer affordable Do It Yourself Kit if you decided to submit your own application like a pro!! Our Do It Your Self Immigration Kits are created to provide you step-step guidance on how to submit your own application. We also offer a review of your application when you purchase our Elite kit which gets you a consultation and a final review by one of our legal experts. Looking forward to hearing from you.
With Akrami and Associates there is always a way!!
