Does age difference / previous marriages matter?

[tinytortoise]

My fiancé is 15 years older than me, will this be a red flag?

Also I've been married before, he has not (no kids) does that create a red flag?

I ask because I see on here where people type their stats and they say "no age difference, no previous marriages".

[Quebec_visitor]

Age doesnt matter when u love each other ...but about previous marriage they really need divorce, separation or annulment paper....i am previously married and thats the remaining requiremnts i need so i could submit my papers.... which country are u going to submit your papers if in case?

[scylla]

There are a number of things we refer to as "red flags" around here. Significant age differences is one of them. Red flags are differences in a relationship that can cause CIC to question if your relationship is genuine. Having one or a few of the items from the list of red flags typically isn't a problem if you have a lot of other supporting documentation that proves your relationship is real. Red flags can include:

- significant age differences (especially where the woman is older)
- differences in education levels
- different religious backgrounds
- small / informal weddings
- weddings where no family attended
- short engagements
- family has never met your partner/spouse
- different cultural backgrounds / nationalities
- very different financial situations
- and more...

My husband (American) is 16 years older than I am and was divorced (a long time ago). To counter the age difference, we provided a mountain of evidence supporting that our relationship is genuine. His file was processed in four months.

[tinytortoise]

Thanks scylla, you've been very helpful here and on my other post

[liza-laziza]

I personally know a guy who was married to a woman 21 YEARS older than him!! His app got processed in 9 months (it was 10 years ago). Nobody even asked him a question... Pure love transcends social boundaries!

[Kaycee1]

I am 17 years older than my husband, I was previously married and have 4 grown children. He has one daughter still in Portugal but was never married before. His permanent residency was approved in just under 5 months, without an interview. I think the most important thing is the strength of proof you provide!

[G.Ysabelle]

My husband is 15 years senior than me, he is divorced for 8 years with two teens from previous marriage.  I am annulled with two kids from previous marriage.   Me and my husband now have a 2 year old girl... and we just recently got married.  We submitted tons of proofs like the very first pic. we met in person way back 3 years ago up to our wedding pictures with our little girl, all his visit trips here in the Phils.etc. .... We waited for 3 long years to prove to both our respective families that we both want a future together... and we will prove it too to the immigration officer that our love is genuine inspite all the hurdles and challenges we've been through apart.

[canuck0469]

tini, there is a 30 year age difference between my wife and myself and my divorce wasn't finalized until 2 weeks before our wedding. As I joined the family sponsorship forum 6-7 months before the wedding we were able to gather enough evidence to support our 3 year relationship we got through in 9 months without an interview. Understanding your red flags helps you address them with your application. We made sure we added sufficient evidence to explain the red flags in detail. We showed the age difference was not an issue for either of us or our families. My wife also added that she was aware of the previous marriage and why it broke down. This in addition to all the other proofs

[charmainefrances]

My husband is 32 years older than me... he was divorced twice, and me I'm a single mom of a 10 year old son who is still in the Philippines.

We submitted our application on Nov. 2010
Vegreville transferred it to Edmonton office Oct. 2011
I ordered foss notes- and on the remarks - they put age gap, short courtship, not enough pics together, no proof that I am not married in the Phil. etc. etc. etc.
So we answered everything and submitted our first additional information last Nov 2011, then another one in Dec. then another one last month and now we are preparing for the Feb. submission.... we sent more pictures, joint account statement, notarized letters from family and friends, Certificate of no marriage in the Phil. , cards from friends all over the world... 
and we will never stop sending them stuff until they approve it! I am wishing for an interview actually! Just so I can defend myself...

[bluecamas]

I am 15 years older then my husband. We are both middle aged. I was widowed.He never married. I live in Canada, he in India. We knew each other close to a decade. I went to Mumbai after our friendship turned into engaged. We hit it off better then expected. We HAD to marry in Thailand due to the 30 day residency law in India and the terms of obtaining a temporary visa to Canada. You have to lie and say plans to return back to India. I am white( blonde) so there is another difference. We have an excellent marriage and love, spiritual bond. My husband got called for an interview. He is there as I post. I assume some red flags for matters beyond our control. Love is love. Wish all goes well. Sure do miss him..a lot!

[bondar]

Hi Bluecamas

How did your husbands interview go?  Good luck

[canadianwoman]

My fiancé is 15 years older than me, will this be a red flag?

Also I've been married before, he has not (no kids) does that create a red flag?

Both of these are red flags, but plenty of people have been approved with these and other 'problems', so the best thing to do is to be aware of what the visa officers expect, and to prepare your application accordingly.
The more red flags a relationship has, the more proof your relationship is genuine should be included in the application.
The husband being older is less of a problem in any case. You can address the issue in the application by stating that neither of you care about the age difference.
A different relationship history can be seen as a problem. Make sure both of you know all about the other's serious relationships and why they ended, because this will probably be asked about at the interview. If you have kids, make sure your fiance knows all about them and has a good relationship with them (if possible).

How much of a problem your 'red flags' are also depends on your ethnic background. For couples from India, for example, the wife having been married before and the husband not is seen as a big issue. For a couple from Western Europe or the States, though, this would be a non-issue. In any case, you can address it by showing that your families know about the history and approve the marriage anyway.

[bluecamas]

My husband had a very weird interview at the Delhi Embassy. He is switched from a 10:30 appointment to a 1:30 appointment and has an interview with a female Indian agent. She asked if I met his mother while in Mumbai. He explains short stay and she is shy etc. She asked who proposed and upset because he did to me? We are a western style marriage, not arranged marriage. She then says I look like I lover him from photos, he not I. I import silver jewelry from India. A lot of documentations...messenger convos and emails etc since 2008. The jewelry is mentioned often. She had not even bothered to check the files. I am blonde and white and he Indian and we got married in a Hindu Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. She denied the application, said not geniune! We are going into appeal. I strongly believe the issue is racism. a long tern document well relationship with two trips to India and lots of photos. Gifts..etc etc. I had an issue years back with that Embassy on a business visa for an exporter I knew well. Denied, I raised heck..approved. A very very badly run Embassy!

[Itsy]

This is exactly the thread I was looking for, we have 16 year age difference, he was married before with 3 children, our wedding was very very small and no family attended (as we did not think of it as a big thing or that immigration wants us to spend 1000s on our wedding =)) plus we got married two weeks after his (very very lengthy) divorce was finalized. I can make a little dress out of the red flags!!!!
Oh well, hope the fact that we have two wonderful dogs will be a killer argument ... no one gets dogs if their marriage is not genuine =)))

Cheers and good luck to all, Itsy

[itscoezy]

Oh well, hope the fact that we have two wonderful dogs will be a killer argument ... no one gets dogs if their marriage is not genuine =)))

LoL that was cute!

There is 12.5 years difference between me and my SO and also 3 kids from his previous marriage.  I think as long as you address it and have lots of evidence of your relationship you're good to go