Knowing the Common Mistakes before Submitting your Application
In this article, I will address common mistakes that are found on spousal sponsorship applications. This article is made in order for you to further understand what a spousal sponsorship application entails and how to avoid these common mistakes. A spousal sponsorship application is essentially made for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their spouse to come to Canada. It was created to give Canadian citizens and permanent residents an opportunity to finally be united with their spouses as in Canada family reunification is extremely important for all citizens as well as for Immigration. If you feel as though you would be eligible to apply for a spousal sponsorship, I suggest you read our article on “How Can I Sponsor my Spouse” before reading this common mistakes article. This article is intended to clarify any misunderstanding or confusion with regards to a spousal sponsorship application.
Application Forms
In all spousal sponsorship applications, you must ensure you complete the application forms in full and that they are as accurate as can be. When it comes to these applications, IRCC (formerly CIC) consistently changes and updates them in order to include or exclude certain questions. The consequence of these changes and updates is that if you submit these older forms, IRCC can refuse your application and send it back to you without any processing and ask you to fill out a new set of applications to resubmit.
It is good to know, however, that there can be a chance that this won’t happen. Yet this entirely depends on the Immigration officer and how old the forms are that you are submitting. For example, if you have submitted an application form that was updated in June of 2016, however, you submitted it in January of 2017, the chances of them refusing it and sending it back to you as less than if you submitted forms that were updated in January of 2016. In order to distinguish how old forms are, you can look at the bottom of the application form on the left corner – it will show the month and the year.
Questions on the Forms
This can be the most important and most confusing part of the application process. Many times when people are confused as to what the questions on the forms are asking them, they do not ask for help from an Immigration professional, such as Akrami & Associates. This can cause them a refusal on their application. This is especially the case when individuals mistake what the question is actually asking and answer it with information that is either incorrect or irrelevant. An example of this can be who is determined to be a dependent. If you have a relative that is financially dependent of you and you indicate that they are a dependent, this would be incorrect. It is very important that you research who is indeed a dependent ahead of time, before submitting your spousal sponsorship application.
Blank Sections on your Application
Immigration is very particular about all questions and sections being filled on application forms. Usually they indicate whether or not there can be a gap between dates and so on. However, with regards to answering all questions and sections in the application forms, this must be done diligently. If something does not apply to you and you feel as though you need to leave it blank, it is better to indicate that it is not applicable then to leave an empty space. If you do end up leaving gaps or empty spaces on your application, this can be a definite cause of refusal.
Who is the Sponsor & Who is the Applicant
When filing out the application forms, it can be overwhelming and confusing as to who needs to answer each question. Often times, spouses will confuse who the sponsor is and who the applicant is. The sponsor will be the Canadian citizen or permanent resident; whereas the applicant will be the spouse who is applying to come to Canada as a permanent resident. The forms will indicate who needs to answer each form or section at the top of said form or section. It is vital to the application that the sponsor and the applicant answer the correct forms and questions. If not, consequently, the application will be refused and returned.
Incomplete Supporting Documents
In every Immigration application there are specific documents and evidence that you must provide in order to prove to Immigration why you need to come to Canada. In the case of spousal sponsorships, you must provide sufficient evidence of your marriage and your life as a whole. Most importantly, you must prove to the Immigration officer that your marriage is genuine and real. Most supporting documents include photos of the couple from different points of their lives together as well as their marriage ceremony, correspondence between the two, such as e-mails, love letters, etc, any gifts that were exchanged, trips taken together, etc. If you do not have enough of these supporting documents or do not provide Immigration with sufficient documentation, they can return your application to you unprocessed or they could refuse your application based on insufficient documentation to prove that your relationship is genuine and real.
Contact Akrami & Associates
If you have a spouse that you would like to sponsor, we can help you with this process. Applying for a Spousal Sponsorship can be confusing if you are unfamiliar with how Immigration applications work. Moreover, any Immigration application can become overwhelming if done alone; therefore, it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to apply. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients be reunited with their spouses here in Canada. If you believe that you might be eligible to sponsor your spouse, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office 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 & Associates, there is always a way!
