A few last minute questions!

[CaroM8]

We are almost ready to submit! Yay! We have a few specific questions before doing so. I am Canadian citizen sponsoring my husband from Guatemala. We are both living in Guatemala at the moment.

1. Should the applicant submit a letter from his current employer in his home country? Or is that not relevant?

2. Should the applicant submit a bank statement showing some savings?

3. We've printed about 25 wedding pictures and the rest are a mix of honeymoon in Europe, misc events and dates for a total of 50 pics.. Is that enough or should I print more?

4. Is 3 support letters enough? I have one from my father and 2 more from friends

5. I am still on the fence about chat logs. Some people have told me that they bear no weight in the application and are essentially useless since we've been living together for 2 years and married last spring. True or false?

6. Is it ok to add some handwritten information on our proof?

7. Where should I put the copy of our marriage certificate, with the "Proof of relationship" envelope?

8. Should we send in my husband's passport with the application to speed up the process if he is approved?

I might come up with more questions but these are it for now! Thanks

 

[CDNPR2014]

1. no, this is not necessary. it is not required and has no bearing on the application.
2. no, this is not necessary. it is not required and has no bearing on the application. there is nothing stopping you from submitting it as extra proof of how you will support yourselves when returning to canada. again, not required or necessary.
3. that's fine. quality over quantity is usually better.
4. sure.
5. true
6. yes
7. it really doesn't matter, as long as it's in there. it can go with whatever stack it is on the checklist for. if it's on both, put it in the sponsor's stack since that's looked at first.
8. no. do not send the passport until it is specifically requested. sending the passport now does not speed up the process nor does it guaranteed it won't get lost. remember, the application is being sent to mississagua first, not the visa office actually processing the visa.

 

[CaroM8]

Thank you for your answer!

So it sounds like I shouldn't even bother with chat logs at this point?

Any other thoughts by others on my initial questions are welcome!

 

[flx2015]

seconded. since this isn't a long distance relationship, i too would leave out the chat logs. there's no better way to maintain ongoing communication than to live together.

 

[CaroM8]

seconded. since this isn't a long distance relationship, i too would leave out the chat logs. there's no better way to maintain ongoing communication than to live together.

Thank you! Should I explain somewhere in the application that we do have them if they want to see them, and why we didn't include?

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thank you! Should I explain somewhere in the application that we do have them if they want to see them, and why we didn't include?

it's not necessary. did you mention using that form of communication in the application anywhere? if so, you can always say records are available if needed. if it wasn't mentioned, then don't worry about it. it's time to stop overthinking the application and send it off.

 

[CaroM8]

it's not necessary. did you mention using that form of communication in the application anywhere? if so, you can always say records are available if needed. if it wasn't mentioned, then don't worry about it. it's time to stop overthinking the application and send it off.

Haha yes I know! I am just waiting on that darn NOA or Option C thing from CRA and we will be good to go! The waiting has me questioning everything we have done so far! I requested it last week so hopefully it will come soon!

 

[flx2015]

don't forget to scan or take pictures of everything you're sending in, including proof of relationship. you may have to refer to those scans later on in the process.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Haha yes I know! I am just waiting on that darn NOA or Option C thing from CRA and we will be good to go! The waiting has me questioning everything we have done so far! I requested it last week so hopefully it will come soon!

i thought they will now accept the NOA from your online account now, so you don't have to wait for an original from CRA...

 

[CaroM8]

i thought they will now accept the NOA from your online account now, so you don't have to wait for an original from CRA...

Ugh I know.. My account was for some reason deactivated and to get a new one I need a new code, that they won't send me because I can't answer their security questions about past tax information and past addresses. All my stuff is in a box somewhere in my dad's basement in Canada, I'm in Guatemala.

Long story short they are sending me the NOA and Option C thing to my address in Canada, where my Dad will retrieve my mail for me and scan the documents, them email to me.

This is the price I pay for being a flake and not adulting properly

 

[Omegabyte]

don't forget to scan or take pictures of everything you're sending in, including proof of relationship. you may have to refer to those scans later on in the process.

+1

 

[canadianwoman]

1. Should the applicant submit a letter from his current employer in his home country?
2. Should the applicant submit a bank statement showing some savings?
3. We've printed about 25 wedding pictures and the rest are a mix of honeymoon in Europe, misc events and dates for a total of 50 pics..
4. Is 3 support letters enough? I have one from my father and 2 more from friends
5. I am still on the fence about chat logs.
6. Is it ok to add some handwritten information on our proof?
7. Where should I put the copy of our marriage certificate, with the "Proof of relationship" envelope?
8. Should we send in my husband's passport with the application to speed up the process if he is approved?

1 and 2. I would only send these in if you are worried that the visa officer will think you cannot support yourselves once you are in Canada. Then sending in a letter detailing your plans for your life together is a good idea. You can say where you will live, what you will live on, what jobs you hope to get, etc. The job letter will help show his credentials, and the savings will help show you will have money to live on.
3 and 4. This sounds like enough.
5. Since you have been living together, chat logs are not really necessary. You should have ample proof of cohabitation. You could say that you have chat logs, and that if the visa officer wants to see them you will send them in.
6. Yes.
7. I would put it with the proof of relationship.
8. No.

 

[MilesAway]

1. Check the applicant's regional guide. My spouse had to include letters from all employers not in her labour book.

I wouldn't send the passport now. A few people have done it, and CIC just sent it back to them so they could request it later.

 

[CaroM8]

1 and 2. I would only send these in if you are worried that the visa officer will think you cannot support yourselves once you are in Canada. Then sending in a letter detailing your plans for your life together is a good idea. You can say where you will live, what you will live on, what jobs you hope to get, etc. The job letter will help show his credentials, and the savings will help show you will have money to live on.

The proof of me returning to Canada once PR is received was bit tough for me to prove. But I got 3 letters from friends and family confirming so, as well as job/apartment searches that I've printed out. Obviously we will not apply to any of those specific jobs and/or apartments but just to show what we want and how relatively easy it will be to find.
I have about 20K in savings that I will show proof of. Hopefully that will be sufficient.

Thanks everyone for the replies!!