inland sponsorship

[tabachoy2008]

what is the best thing to do on the inland sponsorhip, need to be married first or just use common-law? we are together for 2 years but the problem is we did not update our CRA account because we are still waiting for the divorce paper. Thanks

 

[truesmile]

You can do either. For common-law, the key is being able to prove it with joint tenant leases, joint bank accounts, etc. If you can't prove it, don't go down that road.

 

[tabachoy2008]

Thank you for answering my question, I appreciate it. We have all the proofs that we are in relationship for 2 years. But my partner will be expiring her work permit this june 2015, is it possible to get OWP? Can we send the application for sponsorship and OWP together? Thanks

 

[neilepps]

it's best to send them together i didnt and almost had to leave and im still waiting on a responce so send both together it will make it easyer for you both

 

[tabachoy2008]

Thanks for the reply. So we can send our sponsorship even if we did not declare that we are common-law on the Canada Revenue Agency?

 

[surleplateau]

Uh, wait, I'm pretty sure that either CIC or CRA are going to have an issue if you claim "common-law status" to one agency but not to the other for the same period.

I'm sure there was a question on one of the CIC forms about if the Canadian sponsor declared his/herself common-law to CRA for the appropriate year.

Lying to one agency or another will probably not be good for you.

If you have good proof that you were common-law, that's great, but not if you did not declare this status to CRA.

I suggest you look more closely at the definitions for both. I don't know how CRA deals with common-law vs waiting for a divorce to finalize.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Uh, wait, I'm pretty sure that either CIC or CRA are going to have an issue if you claim "common-law status" to one agency but not to the other for the same period.

I'm sure there was a question on one of the CIC forms about if the Canadian sponsor declared his/herself common-law to CRA for the appropriate year.

If you have good proof that you were common-law, that's great, but not if you did not declare this status to CRA.

CIC and CRA have different definitions of common-law; it is entirely possible to be common-law for the purposes of CRA but NOT for the purposes of CIC. The only way CIC would know a person's marital status with CRA is by the Option C and since many applicants either don't send one (living abroad) or weren't yet common-law when they filed their taxes, CIC doesn't care if the Option C states 'single'. And CRA would never even know that a person had a common-law sponsorship app processing anyways.

No, there is no question in the PR app asking whether they've declared common-law to CRA.

As said above, marital status listed with CRA doesn't matter to CIC.

 

[Rob_TO]

Unrelated to CIC, you are supposed to change your tax status with CRA to common-law in the month you become common-law. So by continuing to file taxes as 2 "single" people and not as common-law, you may be committing tax fraud. Especially if either of you are receiving any credits or benefits as "single", that you wouldn't qualify for under common-law. If CRA ever finds out you were getting credits/benefits you weren't entitled to, they can demand all that money back along with penalties.