About to send off application. Help please!

[christian9536]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if you’d be able to clarify a couple of points for me before I send off my application.

1. I am nearly ready to submit all of my forms and evidence to immigration for my common law permanent residency application. I completed and printed all of my forms about 6 weeks ago and the dates on the forms were from the time I completed them. My question is, will I have to now re-print all of the forms with a current date or will the forms be okay being back-dated that amount of time?

2. I have seen a couple of threads on here that suggest putting the application in different orders. I understand that there needs to be 3 envelopes, 1 for the applicants forms, 1 for the sponsors forms and one for evidence. Does anybody have an ideal order that the forms should go in in each individual envelope?

3. Do I need to print and complete the IMM5409 (Declaration of Common Law) form and include this if I am applying through family class? I understand that this is not necessary according to the government guidelines but I just wanted to see what other people had done.

4. I have 6 letters from friends and family endorsing our relationship. Do I need to get any further letters or forms signed by a notary public or will those letters suffice on their own?

5. My common law partner and I recently moved into a shared house (August 2014). Would it be advisable to include our current lease (which has 6 people including the 2 of us on it) as well as our year lease from a previous apartment (just the two of us on the lease)? Does anybody think that submitting a lease with multiple people on it would be a detriment to our application?

6. Is it advisable to create a contents page for each envelope, to show the order of each document? Would this be something you would stick on the outside of the envelope or include inside?

Many thanks for your help in advance

Christian

 

[andrew-brit]

1. As long as the forms are the most up to date version then you are fine.

2. There does not need to be 3 envelopes. Some members suggest doing it that way as it seems clearer and neater to them. However, CIC will reorganize the application as they see fit. Personally I put everything into one envelope. Follow the order of the document checklist. That is what it is there for.

3. This form is not needed if you are married.

4. This is up to you. Some people get these letters notarized while some do not. Personally I did not get them notarized (except for one but that was my friends decision as she is a lawyer).

5. Yes include your current lease. It does not matter that you live with other people. What matters is both of your names are on it.

6. Again I did not separate my application by envelopes. Nowhere on CIC website does it say to do this. If you include envelopes and contents pages then include the contents page in each envelope.

Good luck!

 

[SchnookoLoly]

I'll second everything andrew-brit said, but with one exception:

The checklist says to have two letters notarized, so send two letters notarized. It is not advisable to go against what the checklist says to send. If you're in the UK, this should only cost you £5 per copy, it's actually a controlled thing, so it's not going to cost you much. I called up a law firm on Fleet Street and found one that would do it, I got two copies and handed her a tenner. Another friend got a friend of hers to notarize hers for £5. A bit of effort and maybe 20 quid is not worth risking having your application rejected because you were too lazy to follow the instructions.

 

[andrew-brit]

I'll second everything andrew-brit said, but with one exception:

The checklist says to have two letters notarized, so send two letters notarized. It is not advisable to go against what the checklist says to send. If you're in the UK, this should only cost you £5 per copy, it's actually a controlled thing, so it's not going to cost you much. I called up a law firm on Fleet Street and found one that would do it, I got two copies and handed her a tenner. Another friend got a friend of hers to notarize hers for £5. A bit of effort and maybe 20 quid is not worth risking having your application rejected because you were too lazy to follow the instructions.

Really? I did not see this on the document checklist when I applied. Is this detailed in the country specific checklist or IMM5491?

 

[SchnookoLoly]

Document checklist in the country-specific information, under item 10:

If you are a common-law or conjugal partner, provide evidence that your relationship is genuine and
continuing and has existed for at least 12 months prior to your application. Also provide details of the
history of your relationship and at least two statutory declarations from individuals with personal
knowledge of your relationship supporting your claim that the relationship is genuine and continuing.

I don't know if this is specific to only Western Europe, not having read the other country-specific guides, but it's certainly a requirement for anyone applying in Western Europe, including London.

 

[draxz1289]

Really? I did not see this on the document checklist when I applied. Is this detailed in the country specific checklist or IMM5491?

I was just going to ask. is the two letters notarized in a country specific guide? cause I didnt have it

 

[andrew-brit]

Document checklist in the country-specific information, under item 10:

If you are a common-law or conjugal partner, provide evidence that your relationship is genuine and
continuing and has existed for at least 12 months prior to your application. Also provide details of the
history of your relationship and at least two statutory declarations from individuals with personal
knowledge of your relationship supporting your claim that the relationship is genuine and continuing.

I don't know if this is specific to only Western Europe, not having read the other country-specific guides, but it's certainly a requirement for anyone applying in Western Europe, including London.

Ah okay, I am married so I skimmed past that part! Thanks!

 

[SchnookoLoly]

Ah okay, I am married so I skimmed past that part! Thanks!

No worries - worth brushing up on the differences between married and common-law applications before you give advice that may apply to one case but not another. There are some subtle differences between Married and CL applications, and you don't want to go giving out duff advice accidentally!