I have to share!

[MonikaR]

Hey everyone! Thank you for all the help you've provided throughout this process. I just wanted to show you all what my day looks like:

I'm getting so close! I just want to get it all in the envelopes and get it out!! haha

I'm an American, and I my fiancé is Canadian. We've lived together in the States for 4 years and just moved to Calgary, where I have a WP/TRV. I'm submitting an inland application as common-law.

So far, I have all the forms filled out by hand, I just need to type them all in and validate them.

I have photos and random ticket stubs from our trip through Europe in 2009.
I also have plane/hotel itineraries and photos from our 2 trips to Las Vegas (2010 & 2011) and our 2 trips to Mexico (both in 2011).

I also have photos from a couple of other smaller trips we took, one to Black Lake in NY with my aunt and grandparents, one overnight to a resort near our home in the states for a friends wedding, and one also near our home where we went caving with a friend of my fiancé's from Ontario.

Plus a bunch of other random photos of us, of course!

He proposed to me in Disney World this past November, so I have photos from that trip, as well as a screenshot of the "official" announcement we made on Facebook an all of the comments we received.

I have bank records from 2009-today. In 2009 we started our joint account, but the bank we used was really small, so only the first name on the account shows up on all the statement, which is his :-[ That makes me a little nervous, but we do have the sheet from when we opened the account which has both of our names as well as the same account number that's on all the statements- I put those little post-it flags on the account number so they will hopefully notice. You can also see 2 paychecks ae being deposited bi-weekly.

I also have:

• Gieco car insurance statement from 2010 which shows both of us covered
• Statement from stock the we hold in Disney from January 2012, also an envelope regarding the same shares from 2010
• Our form from when we opened our joint PO Box in 2008, plus the envelope we received when we closed it this year
• Photocopies of the front and back of every set of cards that we have that are linked to the same account
• Statements from 2 different credit card accounts with both of our names on them (been open for a couple of years)
• A letter from our old Human Resources manager stating that we lived together in company housing since 2008
• Non-notarized original letters from my mom, my grandparents, and his mom supporting our relationship
• Copies of both of our US tax forms from 2009 showing the same address (Couldn't find any for 2010 or 2011 though )

I also have my police report and a copy of the sheet from when I went to get my medical done, and he has his job offer letter stating his salary etc. We don't have an Option-C because he's worked in the States for so long, so I just included copies of his US tax forms for 2012 and a copy of his most recent pay stub showing his YTD pay since he started his new job.

I think I just need to get my photos done...

I think I'm going to write a "cover letter" for each trip that we took, just talking about where we stayed and what we did. I started to write one big story of our relationship, but it was on it's way to being novel-length (kind of like this message... )

My organization is probably going to look something like:

Envelope 1: Principal Applicant (me) Forms and Papers-

• Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008)
• Additional Family Information (IMM5406)
• Schedule A- Background/Declaration (IMM5669)
• Spouse/Common Law Partner Questionnaire (IMM5285) -With all supporting documents/photos/trip info in Envelope 3??
• Passport & birth certificate photocopies
• Work permit & TRV photocopies
• Police Certificate
• Proof of medical

Envelope 2: Sponsor (fiance) Forms & Papers-

• Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement & Undertaking (IMM1344)
• Sponsorship Evaluation (IMM5481)
• Job offer letter with current salary etc.
• Tax forms from the States
• Photocopy of passport

Envelope 3: All trip information, photos, bank statements, etc etc.
Like I said, I think I'll make a little packet for each trip with a cover letter, any ticket stubs/intineraries/etc that I can find, and the photos, and paperclip each packet together.
I also want to make a cover letter for some of the other groups of documents I have, like our bank statements/credit card info and all of that.

Should I put the tip info in a separate envelope and all the other "proof" in a different one, just to keep it more organized? I'm going to label every envelop and use a "table of contents" for each one. I'll admit, I'm going a little crazy with the paperclips, but I want everything to be in order :

OH, and I 'm going to fill out the forms for an OWP and put them in their own envelope.

All of these big envelopes will go in a big accordion folder in a box.

And then into the mail! AHHH the day I send it out can't come soon enough. So, do you guys think I'm on the right track, or do you have any suggestions/tips/etc for me? Notice anything I'm doing wrong that I need to change?

Just writing all this out makes me feel more organized. It's like a nice little bit of procrastination... now, back to it.

;D

 

[DGT]

I'll tell you something. CIC could do with taking a lesson from your organisation skills!

Thanks for sharing, and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[RajaJi]

I don't think you need to separate forms, documents etc. in different parts and put them in separate envelopes. Gather all the documents and organize everything in order as per checklist.

 

[zardoz]

We even used different colour paper clips for the different groups of documents.
Pink for the sponsor docs (girl)
Blue for the principal applicant (boy)
Black for generic items.

I think we are insane...

 

[DGT]

I just put it all in envelope and threw it into a post box.

A great analogy for the way I love my life really.

 

[Namachii]

Hey everyone! Thank you for all the help you've provided throughout this process. I just wanted to show you all what my day looks like:

I'm getting so close! I just want to get it all in the envelopes and get it out!! haha

I'm an American, and I my fiancé is Canadian. We've lived together in the States for 4 years and just moved to Calgary, where I have a WP/TRV. I'm submitting an inland application as common-law.

So far, I have all the forms filled out by hand, I just need to type them all in and validate them.

I have photos and random ticket stubs from our trip through Europe in 2009.
I also have plane/hotel itineraries and photos from our 2 trips to Las Vegas (2010 & 2011) and our 2 trips to Mexico (both in 2011).

I also have photos from a couple of other smaller trips we took, one to Black Lake in NY with my aunt and grandparents, one overnight to a resort near our home in the states for a friends wedding, and one also near our home where we went caving with a friend of my fiancé's from Ontario.

Plus a bunch of other random photos of us, of course!

He proposed to me in Disney World this past November, so I have photos from that trip, as well as a screenshot of the "official" announcement we made on Facebook an all of the comments we received.

I have bank records from 2009-today. In 2009 we started our joint account, but the bank we used was really small, so only the first name on the account shows up on all the statement, which is his :-[ That makes me a little nervous, but we do have the sheet from when we opened the account which has both of our names as well as the same account number that's on all the statements- I put those little post-it flags on the account number so they will hopefully notice. You can also see 2 paychecks ae being deposited bi-weekly.

I also have:

• Gieco car insurance statement from 2010 which shows both of us covered
• Statement from stock the we hold in Disney from January 2012, also an envelope regarding the same shares from 2010
• Our form from when we opened our joint PO Box in 2008, plus the envelope we received when we closed it this year
• Photocopies of the front and back of every set of cards that we have that are linked to the same account
• Statements from 2 different credit card accounts with both of our names on them (been open for a couple of years)
• A letter from our old Human Resources manager stating that we lived together in company housing since 2008
• Non-notarized original letters from my mom, my grandparents, and his mom supporting our relationship
• Copies of both of our US tax forms from 2009 showing the same address (Couldn't find any for 2010 or 2011 though )

I also have my police report and a copy of the sheet from when I went to get my medical done, and he has his job offer letter stating his salary etc. We don't have an Option-C because he's worked in the States for so long, so I just included copies of his US tax forms for 2012 and a copy of his most recent pay stub showing his YTD pay since he started his new job.

I think I just need to get my photos done...

I think I'm going to write a "cover letter" for each trip that we took, just talking about where we stayed and what we did. I started to write one big story of our relationship, but it was on it's way to being novel-length (kind of like this message... )

My organization is probably going to look something like:

Envelope 1: Principal Applicant (me) Forms and Papers-

• Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008)
• Additional Family Information (IMM5406)
• Schedule A- Background/Declaration (IMM5669)
• Spouse/Common Law Partner Questionnaire (IMM5285) -With all supporting documents/photos/trip info in Envelope 3??
• Passport & birth certificate photocopies
• Work permit & TRV photocopies
• Police Certificate
• Proof of medical

Envelope 2: Sponsor (fiance) Forms & Papers-

• Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement & Undertaking (IMM1344)
• Sponsorship Evaluation (IMM5481)
• Job offer letter with current salary etc.
• Tax forms from the States
• Photocopy of passport

Envelope 3: All trip information, photos, bank statements, etc etc.
Like I said, I think I'll make a little packet for each trip with a cover letter, any ticket stubs/intineraries/etc that I can find, and the photos, and paperclip each packet together.
I also want to make a cover letter for some of the other groups of documents I have, like our bank statements/credit card info and all of that.

Should I put the tip info in a separate envelope and all the other "proof" in a different one, just to keep it more organized? I'm going to label every envelop and use a "table of contents" for each one. I'll admit, I'm going a little crazy with the paperclips, but I want everything to be in order :

OH, and I 'm going to fill out the forms for an OWP and put them in their own envelope.

All of these big envelopes will go in a big accordion folder in a box.

And then into the mail! AHHH the day I send it out can't come soon enough. So, do you guys think I'm on the right track, or do you have any suggestions/tips/etc for me? Notice anything I'm doing wrong that I need to change?

Just writing all this out makes me feel more organized. It's like a nice little bit of procrastination... now, back to it.

;D

I wish I had this seen this post and then had sent my application. I could have added a few more stuff in helping my application.
Nice Work, MonikaR! Good luck!

 

[Namachii]

I just put it all in envelope and threw it into a post box.

A great analogy for the way I love my life really.

Haha! Nice one, I like that attitude!

 

[MonikaR]

Haha thanks everyone... and yeah, I'm sure it doesn't HAVE to be separated... but the thought of clumping all of this into one big stack makes me haha

 

[mickeyindia]

I just put it all in envelope and threw it into a post box.

A great analogy for the way I love my life really.

I second you. Actually I did the same.

 

[godisFin]

"Spouse/Common Law Partner Questionnaire (IMM5285) -With all supporting documents/photos/trip info in Envelope 3?"

Keep it with the other Principal Applicant forms. It is more clear for the person who goes through your application. They might first think it's not there at all if it's not with all the other forms.

What I did was: all the proof that were attachment to IMM5285 I attached after the form with numbered stickers to show to which question it is attachment for (except pictures.. those I just attached on their own, like your envelope 3. I also had a note in every question that had some picture evidence to check the picture attachments).

All the other stuff I gathered like in your envelope 3.

Good luck with it!!

 

[MonikaR]

"Spouse/Common Law Partner Questionnaire (IMM5285) -With all supporting documents/photos/trip info in Envelope 3?"

Keep it with the other Principal Applicant forms. It is more clear for the person who goes through your application. They might first think it's not there at all if it's not with all the other forms.

What I did was: all the proof that were attachment to IMM5285 I attached after the form with numbered stickers to show to which question it is attachment for (except pictures.. those I just attached on their own, like your envelope 3. I also had a note in every question that had some picture evidence to check the picture attachments).

All the other stuff I gathered like in your envelope 3.

Good luck with it!!

Perfect, sounds good to me!! I have A LOT of "Trip Info" ticket stubs/photos/etc, so I think I might just make an envelope for all of it, and put a note in with the IMM5285 in my main Principal Applicant Forms envelope to have them "See Trips Envelope for all details and evidence." Because really, it is a lot.

Then all the other "stuff" like bank statements, other assorted pictures, insurance, all that I'll just put in a "Proof of Relationship" envelope. So a total of 4 envelopes. :-\

 

[godisFin]

Perfect, sounds good to me!! I have A LOT of "Trip Info" ticket stubs/photos/etc, so I think I might just make an envelope for all of it, and put a note in with the IMM5285 in my main Principal Applicant Forms envelope to have them "See Trips Envelope for all details and evidence." Because really, it is a lot.

Then all the other "stuff" like bank statements, other assorted pictures, insurance, all that I'll just put in a "Proof of Relationship" envelope. So a total of 4 envelopes. :-\

Seems like a good way to organize it if you have a lot of "trip info".
Good luck again with the final touches!!

 

[BC_guy]

Organizing your application

I don't think you need to separate forms, documents etc. in different parts and put them in separate envelopes. Gather all the documents and organize everything in order as per checklist.

Agreed. This is the proper way to submit your application. Don't make up your own system for organization. Just put everything in order of the checklist. Include a typed Table of Contents at the beginning of the application with hand-written page numbers for EVERYTHING.

This way the VO can see all the standard forms plus the additional information you've provided. Use cling film / wrap to hold everything together. DO NOT use multiple envelopes, paper clips, colour coding, etc. Just one big pile of paper with Table of Contents at the top.

 

[MonikaR]

Cling wrap? How?

 

[pa19007]

Cling wrap? How?

Cling wrapping application form - LOL This is quite the event! I hope the folks in CIC take time to read some of these blogs - its incredible! Good luck with the application process - I know I spent one entire month and 2 weeks sleepless filling out those forms!