Legal Married Status in Canada after Spousal Sponsership?

[haddad287]

Hi All.

After the spousal sponsorship is completed. And the PA receives their COPR and lands in Canada. Is the Sponser and the PA automatically registered as "Legally Married" In canada? Or do we need to schedule a legal marriage appointment and get a licence from the City Hall of the city we are in? How does it work.

 

[MJSPARV]

Do you mean do you basically have to get remarried in Canada? I'm 99.9999999% sure that the answer is no.

 

[haddad287]

Do you mean do you basically have to get remarried in Canada? I'm 99.9999999% sure that the answer is no.

Do we need to go to City Hall and apply/get legal marriage certificate?

Like for example, if my wife wants to assume my last name, the application there asks for a Ontario Marriage Certificate, and we do not have one

 

[MJSPARV]

I'm pretty sure that you'd just use whatever proof of marriage you showed ircc in your sponsorship. You can try calling your local city hall and asking them. They should know for sure. Pretty sure Canada recognizes marriage from other countries so I don't think you have to do anything besides showing whatever docs IRCC found as acceptable proof of your legal marriage

 

[Western Mountain Man]

Hi All.

After the spousal sponsorship is completed. And the PA receives their COPR and lands in Canada. Is the Sponser and the PA automatically registered as "Legally Married" In canada? Or do we need to schedule a legal marriage appointment and get a licence from the City Hall of the city we are in? How does it work.

You should have acquired a legal marriage certificate from your country/city prior to the sponsorship process.
That would be just fine and no need to re-register at the government office upon arrival.

 

[haddad287]

You should have acquired a legal marriage certificate from your country/city prior to the sponsorship process.
That would be just fine and no need to re-register at the government office upon arrival.

Yes I have my legal + certified marriage license from Iraq. And that is what I used to sponser my wife.

So I can use that when my wife assumes my last name?

 

[armoured]

Yes I have my legal + certified marriage license from Iraq. And that is what I used to sponser my wife.

So I can use that when my wife assumes my last name?

There's no process to register marriages performed abroad.

Your marriage certificate should be recognised but whether it will suffice to assume your name depends on province and their procedures.

If it isn't, no big deal - just do a legal change of name procedure. In most provinces not complex at all.

 

[haddad287]

There's no process to register marriages performed abroad.

Your marriage certificate should be recognised but whether it will suffice to assume your name depends on province and their procedures.

If it isn't, no big deal - just do a legal change of name procedure. In most provinces not complex at all.

I was just thinking of having my wife assume my last name, then removing her middle name from her first name on OHIP, drivers licence, other documents etc... But in the future, her passport and citizen will still show her full name with middle name

RIght now Her legal first name is (based off her iraqi passport) is: Sandra James Michael. and her legal last name is Michael

So right now her Full Legal Name is Sandra James Micheal Micheal (i don't like that)

I want to remove the James Michael, and just call it Sandra, then change Micheal to be my last name. So it would be Sandra Miller.

Wouldn't the assumption of last name due to marragie be better then legal name change?

 

[armoured]

Wouldn't the assumption of last name due to marragie be better then legal name change?

In some jurisidictions it's possible to do a name change by signing papers at same time as marriage or just after. I don't think you can do that since you married elsewhere (assuming was not changed there).

But as far as 'assumption' depends on province. While in at least some provinces it's possible to effect a name change just by using it consistently, because your spouse's primary docs are foreign docs (and the PR card which comes from that), frankly it will likely be a LOT more consistent everywhere to do it with a formal legal name change. It's mostly not that complicated or expensive and will be a lot cleaner to do it that way.

Not an expert though and if you want legal advice, that costs money.