Hi all, I am on PGWP with a NOC A job and just got my nomination letter from OINP. In my application for OINP, I declared my marital status as “partner” but selected “no” for “do you have any dependent family members?” as at that time I assumed me and my girlfriend (same-sex) are conjugal partners rather than common-law partners thus not qualified as a dependent.
Later on I researched on ircc website and in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations it says " Interpretation — common-law partner (2) For the purposes of the Act and these Regulations, an individual who has been in a conjugal relationship with a person for at least one year but is unable to cohabit with the person, due to persecution or any form of penal control, shall be considered a common-law partner of the person." Given this, I believe I could argue my girlfriend is my common-law partner in my application to the federal. Worst case is they deem my girlfriend ineligible as common-law and I'd have to drop her from my application. am also planning to apply for spousal open work permit for her simultaneously.
To do so, should I contact OINP re this change in family status or should I just follow through and include a letter of explanation in my pr application?
context re our relationship: met online, met in person several times, including a 1-year cohabitation in our home country where same-sex marriage is illegal. Little "solid" evidence for that - we only have photos, message exchanges, tickets for travels, same online order address, her being my insurance's beneficiary, my financial support for her. I left for studies in Sep 2021 and am still in Canada but working. She is not likely to enter through TRV due to no stable job/income/bank statements and lack of family ties etc.
Any comment/insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!
Later on I researched on ircc website and in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations it says " Interpretation — common-law partner (2) For the purposes of the Act and these Regulations, an individual who has been in a conjugal relationship with a person for at least one year but is unable to cohabit with the person, due to persecution or any form of penal control, shall be considered a common-law partner of the person." Given this, I believe I could argue my girlfriend is my common-law partner in my application to the federal. Worst case is they deem my girlfriend ineligible as common-law and I'd have to drop her from my application. am also planning to apply for spousal open work permit for her simultaneously.
To do so, should I contact OINP re this change in family status or should I just follow through and include a letter of explanation in my pr application?
context re our relationship: met online, met in person several times, including a 1-year cohabitation in our home country where same-sex marriage is illegal. Little "solid" evidence for that - we only have photos, message exchanges, tickets for travels, same online order address, her being my insurance's beneficiary, my financial support for her. I left for studies in Sep 2021 and am still in Canada but working. She is not likely to enter through TRV due to no stable job/income/bank statements and lack of family ties etc.
Any comment/insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!