I abandoned sponsoring spouse in 1999, will it be a problem?

[Lemondrop78]

I am applying to sponsor my spouse from the US.  Back in 1999, we got married in Canada and I submitted an application to sponsor him.  Then 8 months later before even getting an answer back, we moved to the US because my husband's father needed immediate help with his restaurant as my husband's brother opened his own business and couldn't help their dad anymore.  Few weeks after we moved back to the US, my parents said immigration Canada sent a letter to us at their home asking us to go in for an interview.  We didn't go as we decided it was best for us to be in the US at that point.  Should I state all that on my application this time?  we are for sure wanting to move to Canada now.  Will that hurt my chances of sponsoring him?  I didn't know i needed to call to inform them we were abandoning it until now redoing the application process this time.

[canadianwoman]

Definitely mention and explain your previous sponsorship and why you abandoned it. Since your family had a perfectly good reason to decide to not immigrate to Canada previously, your sponsorship now should be OK.

[Lemondrop78]

Thank you!

[sakamath]

There are pros and cons in your situation. Good things first: By moving with your spouse to help out his dad, you have proven strong ties not only to each other but it extends to each other's families. It is very important to articulate strong ties for an application to process without a hitch.

The minor draw back that I see is that the 'intent' to reside in Canada was lacking when you abandoned the earlier application. By stressing on your strong ties, you should be able to clear the doubts in the visa officer's mind that your intent to settle is now clear.

Lastly, as Canadianwoman said, you have to mention and explain why you abandoned the previous application. Wish you all the best!

[computergeek]

If you clearly document everything - why you abandoned the previous application and why you are now REALLY ready to settle in Canada, you will likely not even be called for an interview.  You don't mention if you have children together, but if you do that will further ensure they understand the legitimacy of the relationship. 

At this point (13 years later) the only real "issue" they can raise is your genuine intent to move back to Canada, so you want to address that most strongly.  NOBODY would stay married for 13+ years as a marriage of convenience, and a visa officer that suggested otherwise would look ridiculous before anyone reviewing such a decision.

[Lemondrop78]

Thanks!  And we just had our 3rd child 3 months ago.  I will make sure we let them know how badly we want to be in Canada.