Common-Law Application for Digital Nomad

[jtyvie]

My boyfriend(sponsor) and I both work online. Since we met on April 2018, we've been living together since May and till now, which is over 500 days.

We keep travelling and didn't stay in a same place for a long time. So the question is, how are we going to prove the cohabitation? We don't have joint account, lease, bill, insurance or any official documents. We only have lots of travelling photos/videos, photos with his friends and family, flight tickets, hotel invoice, Airbnb, and social media posts that can show we are together.

Are these enough to proof our cohabitation?

 

[canuck78]

My boyfriend(sponsor) and I both work online. Since we met on April 2018, we've been living together since May and till now, which is over 500 days.

We keep travelling and didn't stay in a same place for a long time. So the question is, how are we going to prove the cohabitation? We don't have joint account, lease, bill, insurance or any official documents. We only have lots of travelling photos/videos, photos with his friends and family, flight tickets, hotel invoice, Airbnb, and social media posts that can show we are together.

Are these enough to proof our cohabitation?

You will have to try. You will also have to prove that you no longer want to be digital nomads and plan on settling in Canada.

 

[smallcoffee]

In my opinion this is not enough proof. You need to get married or move in together for 12 months

 

[canuck78]

In my opinion this is not enough proof. You need to get married or move in together for 12 months

Agree it would be much easier if you got married.

 

[Jnicole45]

Not likely. They want to see that you are as committed as any traditionally married couple, hence why they want to see that you share financial burdens as well as physically live together. So while you can probably prove to their standards that you have physically been living together for 12 months (which is the hurdle for some people), in my book you're missing that proof of serious commitment. It's great that friends and family know of your relationship, that's a start, but won't be enough.

If you dont want to settle down in one place together, or get married to prove your relationship, I would at least start by opening a joint account (or adding your partner to your existing bank account) and paying almost solely out of that account for at least a few months while you travel. That's at least a decent starting point to apply from, but be prepared that they would very likely still ask for more proof of your relationship.