Adding PR spouse on non-PR spouse's Canadian Experience Class application

[gbs2012]

Hello Forum,

I recently became a Canadian PR and landed in Aug 2012. My girlfriend has already submitted as "single" her own separate application under the Canadian Experience Class earlier this year around May/June 2012 and the application is currently in process.

We soon plan to get married.

My question is that , would we need to inform the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship department of our marriage on my girlfriend's application. If so, then what is the process for doing so. She is currently living and working in Canada.

looking for some advice from the forum

thanks much

 

[jes_ON]

Depends...

Since you are already a permanent resident, you can't be "included" as a co-applicant in the application. CIC doesn't provide clear guidance on how spouses who are already Canadian citizens/PR should be identified, only that they must be identified and failure to do so could be seen as misrepresentation.

If you have been living together for 1 year or more, you are already considered to be "common-law" spouses. Otherwise, once you get married (or become common-law spouses), she should contact her Visa office and notify them of a change in family status, clearly identifying you as a PR (include a photocopy of your PR card), and ask for further instructions. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think she'll need to do anything else.