Common-law status question for application

[campesinaj]

I have a question about the common-law status for the TRV visa. I am Canadian and my fiance is Bolivian. We both live in Bolivia and he is applying for his TRV to visit Canada with me at Christmas.

Since we have lived together for over a year. technically we qualify, but we don't file taxes or anything like that as common law partners. We do have a lease on our apartment and our bank accounts together.

In the application where it says "Common-law partner", should he write my name here? If so, do I then proceed to fill in the "statutory declaration of a common-law union" form?

Anyone who has gone through this please share advice!

thanks

[Leon]

You can say you are common law partners but what matters more is that you both have good reasons to return.  Canada immigration will not care as much about proving your relationship at this point, rather if he is planning to stay in Canada.  There was a woman on this board who lived with her husband in Thailand and he'd been refused 2 or 3 times for a visit visa because the embassy said he was a risk not to go back to Thailand.  She eventually applied to sponsor him for PR so he could go with her to visit.  Hopefully the embassy in Bolivia is a bit nicer.