Is that enough proof for Common Law sponsorship?

[Anya833]

Hi guys!
So here is the deal, I am from Europe, my boyfriend is born here in Canada he is citizen. I came to Canada as international student in 2017, I lived in Windsor-Ontario at my relatives place for 2 years. I was studying in Windsor full-time. When I came to Canada we met in person and we started with 2 year long distance relationship. He lives in Toronto so 4 h away from where I was. We visited each other regularly, I sadly threw away all Via Rail-train tickets, he has some of them on his Visa-card. So we can use that. We have photos of us together from that time and Skype conversations, we were mostly on Skype video chat and writing. I dont have Facebook, he has it but is hardly on it. I graduated in June 2019 and got my Work Permit in beginning of Sept. 2019, on the Work Permit is my now old Windsor address. By the end of Sept. 2019, I came to Toronto to live with my boyfriend and I am to this day living with him. End of Sept. 2020 it will be 12 months of us living together under same roof, and we would like to do common law sponsorship.

We dont have lease/joint home contract, (we can get statements that we lived together in this building for 12 months from the Building Committee or from the neighbours, in the building that we are living in, would that need to be notarized?). We dont have joint bank accounts or credit cards.

Here are documents that we have right now:
- We have lots of photos of us being together in different locations.
- We are planning to write letter of explaining how our relationship started and everything.
- Skype conversations during the time where we were apart (when I was studying in Windsor for 2 years)
- We can get letters from family and friends, they can prove that I moved to be with my boyfriend in Sept. 2019. Do this letters need to be notarized?
- I was working here in Toronto for several months, I have payslips for 5 months, there is an address on it from where I live now. Would I need to have payslips for all 12 months, or is it enough to just send what I have?
- I got my tax returns for year 2019, its the same address that that we live together, but because we dont live together for 12 months yet (12 months will be by the end of Sept. 2020. I put on my CRA that I am single and not in common law. Could we change that by the end of Sept. 2020 with CRA? So we would be recognized as common law.
- We are planning to get Cohabition Agreement, will that help?
- On my bank statements I still have my old Windsor address, do I need to change this? Can I get reference from my bank to prove that I live now under different address?
- I started in my first job here on the 15th of Oct. 2019 and stopped working there when Covid19 pandemic started. So on my work contract there is the same address too.
- We purchased together a painting and a small couch, we both payed half for it, we have receipts.
- I have also my study permit from 2017-2019, but it has my old address on it.

I still have my work permit for another 2 years and 2 months. I would be really thankful if you can give me any more advice what we should do, or what kind of documents should we gather? Or do you think what we have right now should be enough? We are planning to apply somewhere in october, november this year if we manage to gather all the documents.

Thank you in advance!

 

[scylla]

Hi guys!
So here is the deal, I am from Europe, my boyfriend is born here in Canada he is citizen. I came to Canada as international student in 2017, I lived in Windsor-Ontario at my relatives place for 2 years. I was studying in Windsor full-time. When I came to Canada we met in person and we started with 2 year long distance relationship. He lives in Toronto so 4 h away from where I was. We visited each other regularly, I sadly threw away all Via Rail-train tickets, he has some of them on his Visa-card. So we can use that. We have photos of us together from that time and Skype conversations, we were mostly on Skype video chat and writing. I dont have Facebook, he has it but is hardly on it. I graduated in June 2019 and got my Work Permit in beginning of Sept. 2019, on the Work Permit is my now old Windsor address. By the end of Sept. 2019, I came to Toronto to live with my boyfriend and I am to this day living with him. End of Sept. 2020 it will be 12 months of us living together under same roof, and we would like to do common law sponsorship.

We dont have lease/joint home contract, (we can get statements that we lived together in this building for 12 months from the Building Committee or from the neighbours, in the building that we are living in, would that need to be notarized?). We dont have joint bank accounts or credit cards.

Here are documents that we have right now:
- We have lots of photos of us being together in different locations.
- We are planning to write letter of explaining how our relationship started and everything.
- Skype conversations during the time where we were apart (when I was studying in Windsor for 2 years)
- We can get letters from family and friends, they can prove that I moved to be with my boyfriend in Sept. 2019. Do this letters need to be notarized?
- I was working here in Toronto for several months, I have payslips for 5 months, there is an address on it from where I live now. Would I need to have payslips for all 12 months, or is it enough to just send what I have?
- I got my tax returns for year 2019, its the same address that that we live together, but because we dont live together for 12 months yet (12 months will be by the end of Sept. 2020. I put on my CRA that I am single and not in common law. Could we change that by the end of Sept. 2020 with CRA? So we would be recognized as common law.
- We are planning to get Cohabition Agreement, will that help?
- On my bank statements I still have my old Windsor address, do I need to change this? Can I get reference from my bank to prove that I live now under different address?
- I started in my first job here on the 15th of Oct. 2019 and stopped working there when Covid19 pandemic started. So on my work contract there is the same address too.
- We purchased together a painting and a small couch, we both payed half for it, we have receipts.
- I have also my study permit from 2017-2019, but it has my old address on it.

I still have my work permit for another 2 years and 2 months. I would be really thankful if you can give me any more advice what we should do, or what kind of documents should we gather? Or do you think what we have right now should be enough? We are planning to apply somewhere in october, november this year if we manage to gather all the documents.

Thank you in advance!

It feels like you're light on common law proof right now.

Common law requires proof you have at least one year of continuous cohabiatation. Things like photos, a letter about your relationship and skype calls don't prove common law - they just show you are in a relationship. Unfortunately they won't be of much help.

The tax return with the shared address is good. Pay slips are good. You don't need them for the full 12 months. What's most important is pay slips from the early part of when you started living together - specifically September last year. Get a letter from your landlord stating you have been living there together since September of last year. Yes, get the letters from family and friends and have them notarized since your evidence is on the weak side. What about utilities? Any chance they are joint?

Anything with your old Windsor address on it won't be helpful. The reference letter from your bank won't be helpful since it will be dated as of now. You need proof that goes back to September last year if you want to apply as common law in September of this year.

 

[Anya833]

Thank you for your comment. We will for sure get a letter from people that are in the committee here in our building proving that we have been living together since Sept. 2019. We are talking about utilities now with my partner if we can join something.

I am currently looking for work now that restrictions of Covid19 are a little bit lighter here in Toronto, so hopefully I will get a new job soon, and more payslips to prove I am living here now.

Do you think if we have some of the utilities or at least one joined like internet that would be good enough? And if I get more payslips? I would really like to build a strong file before we actually apply. Tnx again!

 

[scylla]

Thank you for your comment. We will for sure get a letter from people that are in the committee here in our building proving that we have been living together since Sept. 2019. We are talking about utilities now with my partner if we can join something.

I am currently looking for work now that restrictions of Covid19 are a little bit lighter here in Toronto, so hopefully I will get a new job soon, and more payslips to prove I am living here now.

Do you think if we have some of the utilities or at least one joined like internet that would be good enough? And if I get more payslips? I would really like to build a strong file before we actually apply. Tnx again!

Utilities / joint internet would be good evidence, provided it goes back to the start of the period you began living together last year. If it's recent (i.e. if you set it up now), then it won't help. Again, always keep in mind that you're trying to prove a full year of living together. So you want evidence that proves you've been living together since September / October of last year.

 

[Anya833]

Thank you for that, and yes I understand that utility like internet would have to be from Sept./Oct. 2019, we dont have that sadly. What evidence would be also strong enough? Unfortunately we dont have shared payed utilities since Sept. 2019, what else can we get to be a strong evidence? Do you recommend that we start to pay shared now something for like at least 3, 4, 5 months and than apply? Or would we have to do this for another 12 months from now on?

 

[scylla]

Thank you for that, and yes I understand that utility like internet would have to be from Sept./Oct. 2019, we dont have that sadly. What evidence would be also strong enough? Unfortunately we dont have shared payed utilities since Sept. 2019, what else can we get to be a strong evidence? Do you recommend that we start to pay shared now something for like at least 3, 4, 5 months and than apply? Or would we have to do this for another 12 months from now on?

What do you have that dates back to September last year?

Sounds like some paystubs? And I assume you can get your landlord to write a letter stating you've been living together since then. Anything else?

 

[Anya833]

I have 8 paystubs, from Oct, Nov, Dec. 2019 and beginning of this year, I have job contract from 15th of Oct. 2019. I have Tax return from 2019, it also has the same address on. Yes we live in a condo building, so we can ask people that are in the board here and a neighbor also stating that I have been here since late Sept. 2019.

Besides this, we bought couple of things together for the condo, nothing big. And as I mentioned we have bunch of proof in form of photos, but as you said that only proves that we are in a relationship.

Is there anything else we can do? I have read we can get library card, or gym membership or Costco joined membership. My partner already has Costco membership but its not joined with me.

 

[scylla]

I have 8 paystubs, from Oct, Nov, Dec. 2019 and beginning of this year, I have job contract from 15th of Oct. 2019. I have Tax return from 2019, it also has the same address on. Yes we live in a condo building, so we can ask people that are in the board here and a neighbor also stating that I have been here since late Sept. 2019.

Besides this, we bought couple of things together for the condo, nothing big. And as I mentioned we have bunch of proof in form of photos, but as you said that only proves that we are in a relationship.

Is there anything else we can do? I have read we can get library card, or gym membership or Costco joined membership. My partner already has Costco membership but its not joined with me.

The absolute earliest you should consider applying is October. It still feels like your evidence is a bit thin.

Yes, there are a number of things you can apply for including joint utlities, joint bank account, costco membership, library card, gym, etc. However these would all be dated now. So they don't help you to prove common law from last year (they only help to prove now forward).

If your work permit is valid for another two years, you could consider delaying your application to this time next year to build a stronger case. It's a bit of a hard call... We've seen people approved with thin evidence and others refused.

Any chance you plan to get married?

 

[Anya833]

I know, if we would apply, we would do it than in Dec. this year, something like that, with new evidence, as you said joined things. But it would only prove common law from now on.

Yes my work permit is valid for another 2 years and 2 months. Would you advice me to apply anyway this December with the evidence we have right now and some of the joint like Costco card, library card things like that? Or is it better to wait for another year as you said to built a stronger case?

If we get refused, could we apply again?

Yes we did thought about getting married maybe next year. I've read that if you are married than they dont need no proof of 12 month common law right? You just prove that you are a real couple with letters and photos?