Proof of cohabitation if we stay at dozens of places

[Boracay]

Odd question!

one of the ways we intend to prove our common law relationship is the fact we've been cohabiting for at least 1 year.

We will have receipts from the hotel we've been staying at for 9 months here in Boracay Philippines. As well as letters from the landlords stating the fact we have been a couple and living together etc.

It's actually more expensive to stay here than it is to go "Backpacking" throughout SE Asia for a few months.
To do so we would likely stay in several cities/countries for short terms.

So would I include receipts from all these separate hotels, even if there's like 30 of them? I'm just concerned it would seem odd to the immigration officer.

Would I have to have every receipt in both our names? We plan to stay in simple guest houses and beach huts. Some of these places may not even issue proper receipts but rather on regular pieces of paper!

Or...would it be sufficient to photocopy our passport stamps and airline tickets and that can prove we've been traveling together?

Thanks!

 

[canadianwoman]

You have to have been living together for one year to get accepted for a PR based on a common-law relationship. The proof of this one year is the most important evidence you will have to provide. So for the 9 months, you have the receipts - and a letter from the owner or manager, as you mentioned.

For the rest of the time, you will have to prove it. So yes, you need receipts from every place you stay. You can ask them when you check in to write both your names on the receipt. If it is not an 'official' receipt, at least get them to write the contact details for the beach house or whatever, plus your names and the dates you stayed.

You should also send in photocopies of your passports showing matching entrance and exit stamps and visas, and matching travel receipts.

 

[Boracay]

perfect....I guess we can go overboard just to be safe. Such as take a pic of us in front of every hotel sign we have a receipt for etc

Another related question.

Can I take a 2 week vacation with my sister without my partner? I know I don't have to mention it anywhere on the forms and the only way they would find out about this is passport stamps. But of course if they come across this info I want to ensure its allowed. I'm not sure what the rules are for being away from each other just for short periods of time. She will still be occupying our home.

thanks!

 

[canadianwoman]

Short periods apart are allowed, so a 2-week vacation should be OK.

 

[Boracay]

perfect that's what I thought.

And I thought of another question....

Our address here in The Philippines. By the time we apply we will have no fixed adress. Although it would be a hassle we could likely use someone else's address, and they could notify us when mail comes. However I'm not sure if this is allowed.

We could also use a P.O. Box, but once again I'm not sure if that's allowed.

Even at our current fixed address we live on a tiny 8km x 1km island, receiving mail here is difficult, I've always had problems. Once we had a package show up 3 months late!

So a friends place or a PO Box in a big city in Manila would be ideal. Possible?

 

[canadianwoman]

Yes, because you can specify a mailing address on the forms, as distinct from your residential address. Using a friend or relative's address is fine - in particular, because you can ask them to open anything from immigration, scan it and send it to you, or tell you what it is over the phone.
Some people will also get things sent to a Canadian address (parents, usually) if the mail system in the country they are residing in is unreliable.

 

[Boracay]

great great great! If I read that right I can have absolutely everything sent to my parents adress in Canada, even if I am applying outside of the country?
It is likely that I will be applying here in The Philippines, but will have to move home to Canada during the waiting process, so that will work out best.

I have a lot more faith in the Canadian postal system lol

 

[canadianwoman]

great great great! If I read that right I can have absolutely everything sent to my parents adress in Canada, even if I am applying outside of the country?

Yes, and it sounds like it would be the safest way to make sure you get everything. I had all my husband's mail from CIC and the embassy sent to my mailing address in Canada, simply because the Nigerian postal system is useless.
Especially since you will probably be moving home, the VO won't think there is anything strange in getting the applicant's mail sent to your mailing address in Canada.

 

[Boracay]

Hi Canadian Woman or anyone else who may know an answer.

I came across this statement while Reading the OP2 Manual

What is cohabitation?
“Cohabitation” means “living together.” Two people who are cohabiting have combined their affairs
and set up their household together in one dwelling. To be considered common-law partners, they
must have cohabited for at least one year. This is the standard definition used across the federal
government. It means continuous cohabitation for one year, not intermittent cohabitation
adding up to one year. The continuous nature of the cohabitation is a universal understanding
based on case law.
While cohabitation means living together continuously, from time to time, one or the other partner
may have left the home for work or business travel, family obligations, and so on. The separation
must be temporary and short.

The "one dwelling" part concerns me!
Our story is I'm a traveller who found enjoyment in life by backpacking through different countries here in SE Asia. I've settled down in Boracay, Philippines with my partner. It will have been 9 months that we have lived together in our apartment here.

Reality set in about a month ago from now that I will eventually have to go home to Canada because I simply don't have an income to stay here forever. This is when I did some studying and realized that it's possible to sponsor my partner so she can come back to Canada. So we're now doing what we can to ensure that we can gather enough proof of our relationship. I'm quite nervous that everything can go downhill on an overlooked technicality such as staying in one dwelling for 9 months and 3 months of travel together.

The island we're staying at right now is expensive for us, and the truth is we're growing rather bored of it. We've actually found it cheaper to travel abroad in cheaper countries and we will find much more enjoyable!

So I feel if we must stay in one place that impends on our freedom of choice of what to do with our lives.

Does anyone know if this situation can become a problem for us, if we took the advise posted above of getting proof, contact details etc, of everywhere we stayed and photocopied, passport stamps, airline tickets etc

Thanks!

 

[canadianwoman]

They mean "setting up a household in one dwelling" as opposed to you living in one place and your partner living in another. If a couple lived for 6 months in one country, then 6 months in another, as long as they were both together for that whole time, it would count as the one year cohabitation required.
Similarly, if a couple rented an apartment for a year, lived their together, and during that stay took 3 one-month vacations - as long as they were together during the vacations, that would be fine.

But you want to get rid of your dwelling place and just travel for 3 months. I think this will still count as living together for a year. The only problem is that you will have to prove that you were together during all your travels: it won't be as easy to prove that as it would be to just provide a one-year lease and utility bills with both names. Your situation will be different than what the visa officer is used to, so make sure you can prove you were staying together every day of that trip. (Though as I mentioned, short trips apart, such as with your sister, are allowed.)