Help Please! Conjugal Relationship (Cdn citizen and South African Citizen)

[ariell]

I'd also encourage you to do a search for "conjugal" on this forum. There are many people who have asked similar questions to yours. It may help to read through those.

[maggie123]

I have one question Maggie...
Do you love him???

YES!! very much so!!

[maggie123]

BUT...you started daing Mar 25, 2008...that does not mean that you had progressed to the point where your relationship would have qualified THAT very day.  If you started dating him that day...AND gave him a bank card, put him on your will, and signed the lease with him all at the same time I would be very surprised.

And since they require you have maintained a conjugal relationship with that person for at least one year you still would not qualify. 

Nicely put! See, this is why forums are good, because I'm so involved in our situation that I just didn't see it that way even though now it has been pointed out to me, it's so very obvious!!

[maggie123]

I think you are going to have issues if you keep applying for visitor visas - and then apply for a conjugal visa at a later date.  The very fact that you will have to prove your relationship during the time frame he applied for visitor visas and never mentioned your relationship.  This is not going to go over well with immigration.

As most people in this forum suggest, I think we are going to go with the Spousal visa (get married in the late summer) and apply after we have a certificate of marriage.  How would the visitor visas "look" to an IO processing a spousal application if we previously stated our relation to each other as "friend"?

He successfuly applied for one visitor visa in the fall of 2008; he arrive and left on the dates he said he would on his original application.  He is about to apply for another visitor visa (3 year multi entry exit visa).  My name is under his list of contacts for people he knows in Canada.  Now we are stuck...do we put "friend" or "girlfriend" or "partner" next to my name under "relationship status".  This of course will send the red flags waving for any IO processing a multi entry exit visitor visa.  I'm thinking 95% chance it would get denied...any IO would not think it would be a "temporary visit". 

Anyone have any experience with visitor visa's being granted to boyfriends/girlfriends of non visa-exempt countries? (Don't know if that is the right terminology, but it's Monday...)

[Flori]

I have one question Maggie...
Do you love him???

YES!! very much so!!

Then, you have a lot less to worry about, if your relationship is genuine, and he feels the same way. Things should turn out better. And also, if you love him, then marry him. It doesn't guarantee that you would have his visa approved, but it certainly increments the chances.

The visitor visa could raise some doubts, but I think my best advice would be... be completely honest about it. If you lie that could hurt you too anyways. Your relationship is true, and your intentions are honest also, there is no reason to lie for that then. If he explains the officer whats going on your relationship, that you are gonna apply later for the PR but that you wanna get married before you move in together
that you are in love and he is not just gonna overstay because you guys wanna do it the right way. That right now you want to make all the arrangements for the wedding, but also, you have to show the IO he is not gonna become illegal once he gets there. Like if he is working, proof that he would come back to work, that he is economically stable and that this relationship is not a way to get out of his country, but rather is genuine love (Im not sure if I agree with love should be the reason why the'd give a persona  visa, but anyways), cause thats what they wanna know. Just show the IO your honest intentions and your obvious efforts to make things right, and you should not have to worry about.

[frolic]

Nicely put! See, this is why forums are good, because I'm so involved in our situation that I just didn't see it that way even though now it has been pointed out to me, it's so very obvious!!

I was actually sorry to point it out, but better you hear it here than find out after working on the application and getting it refused.  Since I've been in the same situation I know how it goes.  

Don't worry about what the I/O thinks in regards to the spousal application...really the fact that you visited each other is helpful proof that you met and established a relationship and it progressed over time.  Just remember to save things for proof.  Friends can become more anytime and often do.  Thats just life.  

Hopefully since he has already shown that he follows the rules and visits Canada and then leaves they will grant him the visa again.  

I wouldn't put partner because remember...you don't qualify.  

[P.C.]

My wife and I were in the same situation Maggie.
She visited from the UK 4 times before we married.
Concerning what to say for the visa, here's what we did.
Although British citizens don't require visas per se, immigration at the airport usually asks a few questions.
On the first two trips, my then girlfriend said she was travelling to see friends, and staying with me.
This was truthful.
On the 3rd trip, she said she was coming to see and stay with her boyfriend. She had a return ticket.
On the fourth trip, she said she was coming to see her boyfriend, but when questioned why she didn't have a
return ticket, answered honestly that she may have to return to the UK at any time for business/family matters.
Again, this was true. The officer made sure to stamp her passport, and write in a 6 month leave date.

We managed to get her divorce and settlement done while she was here on 6 months visa exempt status,
and we decided to marry in a civil ceremony in Ontario. The marriage certificate took only 8 weeks as we
wrote a cover letter asking to expedite it if possible explaining the immigration situation. It would have arrived
sooner had they not mailed it to the wrong address. Our MPP helped with this!!
We then applied to extend her temp status, stating that a sponsorship/PR application was in the works.

Here we sit. Waiting like everybody else, fingers crossed.
I will keep you aware of our progress.

Good luck.