Proving genuine relationship in Sponsor Questionnaire

[NiHao]

Hi there,

I'm Canadian Citizen and my wife Chinese and I'm temporary living in China with her at the moment. I got a job offer to start next month in Canada and we are preparing the PR Spouse Sponsorship application so I can send the whole package when I'm back in Canada. I hope that's the right thing to do ? I was thinking to apply from China by saying I'm living outside Canada at the moment but planning to settle down in Canada next month... I guess if I wait and I say I'm living in Canada and working, sounds better ?

Also, we have quite a lot of stuff to prove that our relationship is genuine, more than 50 photos since 1 year and half, lived together for 6 months in Australia, many travels, telephone bills, emails, txt message 2 times a day while apart, she came to visit family in Canada, flight tickets, visas photocopies, proof of gifts for birthday, engagement ring, no wedding/ceremony pictures though, but all of this is for HER application as Principal Applicant for the Beijing Office. But I'm reading MY application in Sponsor Questionnaire and it says: On a separate sheet of paper, provide additionnal details of your current relationship that you believe would help to prove your relationship is genuine and continuing. So is that means we have to copy ALL of her proofs to MY application as well ?

So we will have 2 enveloppes proving our relationship is real containing exactly the same things, one for me and one for her... ? Just trying to find the best way to organise it in the whole package...

Many thanks !

 

[canadianwoman]

I'm Canadian Citizen and my wife Chinese and I'm temporary living in China with her at the moment. I got a job offer to start next month in Canada and we are preparing the PR Spouse Sponsorship application so I can send the whole package when I'm back in Canada. I hope that's the right thing to do ? I was thinking to apply from China by saying I'm living outside Canada at the moment but planning to settle down in Canada next month... I guess if I wait and I say I'm living in Canada and working, sounds better ?

If you are not living in Canada when you send in the application, you have to provide proof you will move back to Canada. So if it is only a month or two, I would wait until you are back in Canada before sending in the application. People get refused because the visa officer doesn't believe they will go back to live in Canada - it's a lot easier to just be back in Canada already when you apply.

Also, we have quite a lot of stuff to prove that our relationship is genuine, more than 50 photos since 1 year and half, lived together for 6 months in Australia, many travels, telephone bills, emails, txt message 2 times a day while apart, she came to visit family in Canada, flight tickets, visas photocopies, proof of gifts for birthday, engagement ring, no wedding/ceremony pictures though, but all of this is for HER application as Principal Applicant for the Beijing Office. But I'm reading MY application in Sponsor Questionnaire and it says: On a separate sheet of paper, provide additionnal details of your current relationship that you believe would help to prove your relationship is genuine and continuing. So is that means we have to copy ALL of her proofs to MY application as well ?

Your evidence sounds good. You do not have to duplicate it. Your application and her application will be mailed together, and they stay together. People organize the evidence in different ways. One way is to have a separate section with the relationship proof, and number the pages. Then in the essay you can talk about your relationship and give page numbers for the proof.

 

[NiHao]

Thanks canadianwomen !

We're also thinking to open a Joint Bank Account, but it is quite hard here in China since this option is not available to any local banks. We have to go for HSBC or Citi Bank, those are the 2 only ones provinding Joint Account.

But is this a good idea to open this account only 1 month before applying the PR ?

I'd think that the most important factor would be how long our Joint Account is open right ? Not just the fact that we have one opened with almost no money or transactions in it...

Thanks again !

 

[waitingintz]

Regarding the Joint Bank Accounts - we don't have a joint bank account because it was quite complicated to get it done but what we did find was evidence that we'd both been using my partner's account (money transfer from Canada into his account from my Canadian account, payment from the account for both of our plane tickets, etc). If you've got anything like that it might be worth including as what they're looking for us joint finances.

 

[silverbee]

You will definitely have to prove that you intend to move back to Canada.

Regarding the relationship proof, you do not have to duplicate the photos/proof, but you should write a letter from your perspective about the relationship, a relationship narrative that is personal. Don't forget to include E-mails and letters.

As for the bank account, you can open one online in Canada.

 

[BeShoo]

Even if you've just opened the account, it's at least symbolic that you have some kind of joint financial arrangement. You're right that it would be better if it had been open for some time, but even a short time is better than no time at all. HSBC seems to be a good choice. Many of the big Canadian banks don't easily open accounts for non-permanent residents or non-residents.

 

[Aroundtown22]

Correct me if I am wrong.

When we went to see if I could add my partner to my bank account, we were told no because she doesn't have a SIN number? Can she actually get an account without having a sin number? If so, what bank?

 

[silverbee]

You can open an account as an international student so you definitely don't need a SIN. Try ING online. It's not daily banking but it's easy to open from outside Canada.

 

[giggles1985]

Correct me if I am wrong.

When we went to see if I could add my partner to my bank account, we were told no because she doesn't have a SIN number? Can she actually get an account without having a sin number? If so, what bank?

I was told this from my husband's bank too. They wanted proof of Canadian status. He banks with a credit union so that might be the reason, perhaps a bigger multinational bank would allow it.

 

[silverbee]

OH, now I remember. On joint accounts some banks recently changed the rules that you need to have Canadian ID, which can be a liquor card or drivers license, but it takes a few weeks to get that sort of ID and you have to be in Canada for that. Try ING.

 

[BeShoo]

My partner has been living with me in Canada on a visitor record for 6 months now. We were told by 3 different banks (including RBC Royal Bank) that he couldn't open an account without a SIN. Then I read this page on RBC's web site:

http://www.rbc.com/canada/financial/accounts/open.html

and I went to the bank to add him to my account. It went smoothly once the advisor at the bank checked on what to do. They require 2 pieces of I.D. (one from List A and one from List B), among which are the following:

List A
• Canadian or foreign passport
• Canadian or U.S. driver’s licence
• Canadian or U.S. birth certificate

List B
• Confirmation of identity by a client in good standing with RBC Financial Group or by an individual of good standing in the community where the bank is situated, in the opinion of RBC
• Introduction letter, with signature, from previous bank.

The bank employeee asked if we were common law. We said we weren't sure because we've only been living together 6 months. She shrugged and wrote "common law." This was a good outcome because I originally opened that account to have a bank account in the U.S. (RBC Bank (USA)) that was attached to it and I used it to pay his U.S. utility bills.