Common law partner visa for PR holder (new) please help

[carl321]

I recently got my PR and moving to Canada soon; my girlfriend is in the US and she'll be completing her studies mid next year and I would like her to come and live with me in Canada. I've read about common partner visa but not sure how to file everything. Do I need a lawyer or can I file everything the same way I did for my EE.

We've been together for 4.5yrs and living together in the US for 3yrs+ and we have a leased car together, joint bank accounts, house-lease agreement together(I have proof). Do I need anything else? Also funds and other documents I may need? I would like to make a list of things and get everything ready so by the time she graduates she can come over. She also has a 9.0 IELTS and BS degree in biology.

Im a bit tensed since I don't know the visa category well. Hope someone can share their experience or show the right path to take. I know this is the best place for that Smiley

2 points to mention:

1. I didn't declare her on my application thinking you only need to declare if I'm including her in my application
2. Also the total funds I had at the moment was $13k (12k was pof per 1person)

Thank you in advance

 

[MilesAway]

Unfortunately, you have committed misrepresentation by not declaring her. You can never sponsor her for PR. She will need to find her own way to immigrate.

 

[truesmile]

It seems to me (from a previous post), that the OP may NOT have "landed" yet. If you have not landed, you are not yet PR. In that case I believe you still have a chance to fix this. If you are in a serious relationship, don't blow this!!

 

[MilesAway]

Ah, okay. The OP said that he got his PR already, so I assumed that he had landed.

If you have not landed, DO NOT LAND!!! Contact CIC and tell them that you have a common-law partner. They might wonder why you suddenly realized that after living together for 3 years, but at least you will be able to get your PRs at the same time. Failure to do so will result in your partner being forever excluded from sponsorship.

 

[Rob_TO]

and living together in the US for 3yrs+

To reinforce what's already been said, you are officially common-law NOW to CIC. This is not an optional declaration, it's mandatory to declare it in any app you do. If you have applied and officially landed as a PR as "single", when you are in fact "common-law", that is misrepresentation. The consequences for this are:
1. Your partner can NEVER be sponsored by you to Canada, ever. Even if you got married that would not change anything.
2. If CIC finds out about this, your own PR can be investigated for the misrepresentation

As mentioned if you only have your COPR and have not yet officially landed in Canada to become a PR, then immediately contact CIC to cancel your COPR and add your partner into the application. She will need to do medical and police checks, and when approved you will both get COPRs together as a common-law couple.

If you've already landed as a PR, then you are out of luck. If your partner can't qualify to immigrate on her own, then your only other option would be to voluntarily renounce your own PR status and try to go through the whole process again, this time doing it correctly with her listed as a common-law partner.

 

[carl321]

Thank you all

I will contact CIC asap

Thanks again

 

[Ponga]

Thank you all

I will contact CIC asap

Thanks again

You are soooo lucky to have found this forum before it was too late!