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erinnny

Newbie
Jan 20, 2014
3
0
Hi all,

My (Canadian) partner and I are planning to apply for PR status sometime later this year. He is currently living with me in the UK (I'm British) but we will be moving to Toronto come August. I have a temporary visa to work there for a year, which I obtained to cover the time during our application processing. I was pretty certain we were eligible to apply for PR but now I'm a bit confused in regard to the income requirements. What exactly is defined as government assistance?

Some background on us: we've been together for almost two years. The first part of this had been long-distance, but come the time of applying we will have been living together for over a year. We've technically already been living together a year but we didn't have a lease for the first part so no documents to prove anything. My partner is currently studying (albeit much later in life, he's 26), so he has had some student loans (from OSAP) to cover his fees. He has never defaulted on any of these or failed to make payments where required. In the UK, he's currently an international student, doing part of his studies at a British university. He's mostly using personal savings to cover the costs here, with some help from myself and family when needed.

He currently studies full time, so doesn't tend to work during the academic year. He was previously an engineer in the Canadian military, however. He has never received government assistance - at least not employment insurance. Would there be a problem for us income wise? By the time we come to apply we'll both be in Canada, him finishing his last year of education and me hopefully working. I will have money of my own at the time of applying. Will it simply be a matter of us signing a waiver acknowledging that I cannot receive government assistance and he must agree to cover my expenses where necessary for however many years (3 I believe)?

Any info on this would really be appreciated!
Thanks :)
 
hi there, government assistance is welfare when it comes to CIC. EI, disability, or student loans are not considered social assistance. otherwise, there is no income requirement technically required by CIC when sponsoring a spouse. if your sponsor is not on welfare, you're a-ok. hope that clarifies it for you.
 
Thank you so much! Out of curiosity, do you know if they ask to look at your bank accounts? Or do they require you to declare assets?
I'm wondering if just putting 'student' on your application looks badly, but I guess we won't know that until we try.

Thanks again, and good luck with your application (:
 
in terms of applying to be a sponsor, if your partner is working when you apply, you'll need to include a letter of employment. you are required to send an Option C printout from CRA whether your partner is working or not - it's mostly just to ensure the sponsor hasn't received social assistance. but you don't need to supply your bank account information or assets. it's not a invasion of personal finances so don't worry :)

take a look at your documents checklist - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5491E.pdf
and your country specific guide - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp (scroll to part 3)

these things will tell you everything you'll need to submit. are you planning to submit your application before or after you return to Canada? if it's before, be sure to include details about how your partner plans to reestablish in Canada and support you financially. it's fine to write student and declare you have no income since the income requirement is technically waived for spouses, but you will need to detail your plan for living in Canada together. if you have any proof, letters from family saying they'll help you, etc., that would be a plus.

good luck!