Inland Spousal Sponsorship — Limited Cohabitation Evidence (Visitor Visa Applicant)

[MapleDonut63]

Hi everyone,

My spouse (the sponsor), a Canadian Citizen, and I (the applicant) are in the process of submitting our inland spousal sponsorship application. We got married in Pakistan in February 2025. I arrived in Canada on a visitor visa on May 29, 2025, and we’re now working through IMM5533 – Section 7 (Proof of Relationship to Sponsor), which requires at least two sets of cohabitation documents.

Since we’ve only recently started living together in Canada, we don’t yet have a wide range of shared documentation. Here's what we currently have:

• A rental agreement with the sponsor’s father, who owns the home and is also listed on our Nikah Nama (marriage certificate)
• A joint bank account (opened about two weeks ago)
• A life insurance policy listing both of us (signed recently)
• A Scene card addressed in my name (the applicant) issued to our current shared residence
• A Shared phone plan

CONCERN: We’re temporarily living in the sponsor’s family home under a formal rental agreement (for up to 1 year) until we find more suitable long-term housing. The sponsor had been living at this address prior to my arrival. We were hoping to get the community's input on the following:

1. Could the rental agreement with a family member raise concerns with IRCC?
2. Would it help to include a letter of explanation about our housing situation and family connection?
3. Are there any other supporting documents or workarounds we should consider to help meet the requirements?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share insights or personal experience - means a lot!