Common Law Sponsorship questions RE: various form questions

[psynergy]

Hey guys and gals,

So me (british citizen) and my girlfriend (Canadian) are doing an outland application while I'm living with her here in Canada. I have a bunch of questions that I'm hoping will be the last bunch I need to ask before we send it off. I hope someone wouldn't mind answering them as We're getting close to the wire now:

• Question 8 of IM1344E, it asks for the sponsor's current marital status. As we're applying for a common law visa, should we be putting 'common law' and listing the date we began living together?

• Do we need to fill in form IMM5409E? does it need to be signed by a notary?

• On form IMM5406E it asks for the details of my spouse of common law partner. Should I be filling in my girlfriend's details here?

• Am I correct in thinking that, as I am the only person being sponsored (i.e. I have no children or family) that I do not need to have IMM0008DEPENU filled or sent in?

• What is the best way to present facebook messages as evidence? How many should I be providing?

• How should I write the personal letter explaining our relationship? As a formal document, or as a story etc? Third person? first person?

• What's the best way to present photos? hard printed copies or paper copies, multiple photos on one page?

• form 3901e states that I should 'Provide national identity cards, birth certificates, baptismal certificates or other official document confirming relationship for you and each of your family members'. However it then says that 'if you are in a common-law relationship, provide proof of that relationship'. Is this section asking me to include proof of our relationship, or for national identity documents?

• In fact, looking at this stupid guide for partners living outside Canada, it asks me for proof of relation about three different times! Am I going nuts

• Does 3901e replace the standard IMM5491e document checklist form? or is it just for me?

• WHY ARE THESE FORMS SO CONTRADICTORY!?!

Right, that's it. Thanks in advance!

*edited for legibility

 

[taffy7]

1)common law , have you been living together for 365 days
2) have you had your police check from the U.K.
3) X8 immigration photo's
4) you do not need anything notarized you are a Brit
To many questions sorry i can't focus on your thread lol

 

[taffy7]

you don't have to fill in the dependent part because you don't have any. you need to send a copy of your passport a copy and your birth certificate. Yes you are the only one being sponsored. I wrote about my relationship like a story , how we first met , all the trips we did together, how i met his family and how compatible we are and our plans for our life together in Canada.For photos i sent hard copies but many forum members put them all on paper with description besides them.

 

[psynergy]

Updated the post to make it easier to read, sorry!


And yes, I've had my police check and medical

 

[taffy7]

your not going nuts. Your girlfriend fills in the sponsor part then you fill in the rest of the forms. Just a piece of advice when it asks for address for the last 10 years go back till your where 18.The same for jobs. It has been known for them to ask you.Better do it now rather than they ask you later. Print out the check list and any bit you don't complete put N/A on it.

 

[psynergy]

Even though I don't need it to be notorised, do I still need to have IMM 5409 filled in and signed by us?

 

[taffy7]

The IMM5490 Is the questionnaire for the sponsored person and family member.. So this will just be for the spouse, or common law partner.

 

[Yaak]

For Facebook, we took screen shots of various postings with the associated comments/likes and pasted them into a Publisher document, about 3 to a page. We tried to get photo postings of the two of us made by family and friends, or photos that we posted of ourselves as a couple that received comment. I considered tagging who each commenter was (friend of mine, friend of sponsor) but in the end did not go to the trouble of doing so.

Where they asked for the "detailed relationship history" I went back to my calendar planner and basically described our relationship over the past five years with names, dates, places, and other detail, in more-or-less chronological order, with a focus on things we did together and with one another's family and friends. It ran to 17 pages. Felt I should apologize to the VO for the length, even though the writing style was pretty tight.

 

[Annaj]

Wow 17 pages for relationship history!!

I know people in this forum who only used the box provided! I personally did about One page but now I'm thinking maybe it's not enough.....

Also on the sponsor questionnaire at the bottom where it says 'provide additional details to prove your relationship is genuine and continuing', - I feel like all the questions I answer in the spousal section and photos I include and documents, plane ticket receipts, letters, emails,facebook msgs etc are pretty much what should cover this. I feel if my sponsor has to add anything additional it will just be duplicates of what I have already done. What has everyone else done for this extra section??

I love these forums So much more valuable than any immigration lawyer could have been!! Thank god I came across this site before thinking I needed to hire one

 

[canuck_in_uk]

• Question 8 of IM1344E, it asks for the sponsor's current marital status. As we're applying for a common law visa, should we be putting 'common law' and listing the date we began living together?
  
• Do we need to fill in form IMM5409E? does it need to be signed by a notary?
  
• On form IMM5406E it asks for the details of my spouse of common law partner. Should I be filling in my girlfriend's details here?
  
• Am I correct in thinking that, as I am the only person being sponsored (i.e. I have no children or family) that I do not need to have IMM0008DEPENU filled or sent in?
  
• What is the best way to present facebook messages as evidence? How many should I be providing?
  
• How should I write the personal letter explaining our relationship? As a formal document, or as a story etc? Third person? first person?
  
• What's the best way to present photos? hard printed copies or paper copies, multiple photos on one page?
  
• form 3901e states that I should 'Provide national identity cards, birth certificates, baptismal certificates or other official document confirming relationship for you and each of your family members'. However it then says that 'if you are in a common-law relationship, provide proof of that relationship'. Is this section asking me to include proof of our relationship, or for national identity documents?
  
• In fact, looking at this stupid guide for partners living outside Canada, it asks me for proof of relation about three different times! Am I going nuts
  
• Does 3901e replace the standard IMM5491e document checklist form? or is it just for me?

1. Yes, put common-law. The date that you became common-law is one year after you started living together.

2. No, you do not need IMM5409. It's only required if the sponsor's common-law partner is a co-signer, which isn't possible in your case.

3. Yes, fill in her details.

4. You do not need the Additional Dependents form. Write N/A on the checklist.

5. You live together, so don't bother with the Facebook messages.

6. Just write it from your perspective, doesn't need to be formal or fancy.

7. Put your photos into Word, multiple photos on each page, grouped into trips, events etc. Write captions saying who/what/where/when.

8. When the application says "Family members", they are referring to dependents being sponsored along with you, such as children. You don't have any, so that part (baptismal, national IDs etc.) doesn't apply. Your common-law proofs will be included anyways, so just tick the box off.

9. Yes, it asks a few times. You aren't required to duplicate everything, just include your proofs once.

10. No, it does not replace IMM5491. One checklist is for the sponsor and one for the applicant. BOTH must be included in the app.