Sponsoring wife or husband to Canada?
Do you think you have done absolutely everything you can in sponsoring your loved one and are ready to give up? The staff at Akrami & Associates understands how stressful and tedious the process of sponsoring a spouse can be. Associates will offer their expertise on the topic and guide you in completing and attaining your sponsorship. Most of the time, people make mistakes as small as forgetting to attach a single document. Forgetting to attach only a single document can result in a failed spousal sponsorship application and be returned to the applicant. Do not fret, with the help of our exceptional and experienced staff at Akrami & Associates, we will make sure you have all the correct information and will assist you in the process of sponsoring your spouse successfully.
What is Spousal Sponsorship?
Spousal sponsorship is the act of a person providing funds for their spouse whom resides in a different country in effort to bring them to the sponsor’s country. There are many reasons as to why one may have a spouse in another country. One spouse may have migrated to another country for a job that pays a decent amount of money and over time they have become a permanent resident or citizen so they now decide to bring their spouse to the same country as them. Spousal sponsorship is an opportunity for spouses to reunite with one another and begin their life together again. In order to sponsor a spouse successfully, it is a requirement that the sponsoring spouse is a citizen or permanent resident of the country they are residing in.
Who is considered a spouse?
A spouse refers to same or opposite sex partners to whom you are legally married which can be proven by marriage certificate from Canada or wherever your marriage took place. It is important to note that the marriage must be legally recognized in Canada and in the country the ceremony took place. Also, to proof your marriage was legal you would need to provide ample amount of documents that can prove your marriage is genuine.
Important Documents for Sponsorship
There are a lot of documents and forms involved when sponsoring a spouse. At Akrami and associates, we recognize how difficult and overwhelming it can be. Our experienced associates will guide you and help facilitate the process. Some of the important documents required for your sponsorship are the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking, a photocopy of your marriage certificate/proof of common-law relationship/proof of your conjugal relationship, and proof of citizenship for the sponsor. There are many more documents required when sponsoring a spouse; I have just mentioned a few that most people forget to include. When sponsoring a spouse, all documents are equally important, if you are missing just one document your sponsorship may not be successful. There is a convenient and helpful document checklist called “Document Checklist – Sponsor” on the government of Canada website that we urge all o our clients to print out and use.
Proving Genuine Relationship when Sponsoring Spouse
When sponsoring your wife or husband or your same-sex partner the immigration officer looks for genuineness in the relationship. If you fail to provide ample of amount of documents to show your marriage is genuine then the officer may perceive it as marriage of convenience. Marriage of convenience is when someone gets married or in common-law relationship just to immigrate to Canada and obtain permanent residency. To prove your relationship is genuine you can provide the following documents:
- emails you have exchanged between each other
- copies of birthday cards
- love letters
- FB conversations
- Wedding invitations
- Reference letters from close friends or family members that confirm the nature of your relationship
- Power of attorney
- Copies of leases
Remember Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officers are well trained to recognize fraudulent applications. These immigration officers know how to detect a fake marriage such as through checking your documents, visit their homes and interviewing both partners. Canadians or Permanent Residents that are found to be in fraudulent marriage can be charged with a crime. One of the new regulations is that if you were sponsored on or after October 25, 2012 as the sponsored person you must live with the sponsor in a genuine relationship for two years from the day you get your Permanent Resident status in Canada. So this rule applies to you if you have been in a relationship with your sponsor for two years or less, have no children in common and if CIC got your application after October 25, 2012.
Who cannot Sponsor a Spouse?
Unfortunately in some cases people have their spousal sponsorship applications returned back to them and cannot sponsor their spouse due to certain circumstances. At Akrami and Associates, we will make sure that this does not happen by making sure there are no mistakes in your application and any of your documents. Associates will help get the correct information from you and the person you are sponsoring to make your sponsorship a successful one. One cannot sponsor a spouse if they are not a citizen or permanent resident of the country they are residing in. You, as a sponsor, must be over the age of 18 to be eligible to be a sponsor. If the sponsor and the individual they are sponsoring are not related in any way, they cannot sponsor that individual.
Contact Akrami and Associates
At Akrami and Associates, we will make sure your sponsorship experience is stress free and successful by guiding you with our expertise along the way. All together, Akrami and Associates have worked on over 15,000 cases. When you choose to work with one of our associates, you are guaranteed exceptional service and experience from our educated staff. If you want to sponsor your spouse and be successful, do not hesitate and contact us at Akrami and Associates, we put our clients first always. We look forward to working with you.
With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!
