My girlfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship. We met online, and she’s from New York and I’m from Canada. We’re both turning 23, and have talked about how we’d like to move in together and start living together, but because of the distance this would require that she emigrate to my province and city. We’re not married yet, so one of our worries is completing the emigration process while being unmarried. She’s also currently finished school (I am preparing to graduate) and is employed, though the job she has right now isn’t within the field she graduated for. I am unemployed but am going to start looking for work after grad, and I am also on disability because of long term, lifelong health issues.
My girlfriend is also transgender and in a position where she cannot change the name on her birth certificate, so our question there is because she currently cannot change the name presented on that piece of documentation, how can this affect her emigration process and what (if anything,) can be done to rectify this so that the process is not slowed down more than it already may be because we are not married and are not currently living together (as common-law or otherwise)? In this case I believe we’d be classified as what’s known as a 'conjugal relationship', or a relationship where (by definition) there are external barriers that are preventing us from presently living together as any other couple would, and with respect to our situation that largest barrier is indeed the distance put between us, myself within a province and she within a state, and the border between the U.S. and Canada between us. If my definition of a conjugal relationship is incorrect and that is not what I and my girlfriend fall under, please correct me and let me know so that if I need to I can start to look for help in other places.
I am not sure if the term ‘conjugal relationship’ fits us because yes we are unable to live together or present publicly together because of distance and being a long distance relationship, living in two separate areas (again a province and a state,) but it is not due to separation because of war or other armed conflict within our places of origin and so this is also why I am not sure that we are a conjugal relationship or not, because all we are dealing with is long distance and not war or armed conflict.
We are also confused as to how long our relationship needs to have been before we can be considered for the process of her emigrating and me sponsoring her. I have read that as of October 2012, a partner who applies to emigrate and a partner who sponsors the person emigrating to Canada need to proceed through a time-period in which conditional permanent residence occurs. It is then my impression that both partners need to have cohabited or lived under the same roof in a conjugal relationship for a period of two years that starts after the day they are confirmed a permanent resident in Canada. I have read that these circumstances apply if we are married for two years or less (but are currently unmarried) have dated for four years but have been married for two years or less, have been in a conjugal relationship for two years or less, or has lived together in common law for two years or less. We do not have any children. So, knowing all of this information and because we are not married, how long has our relationship had to have existed before she can emigrate and I can sponsor her, and we will actually be considered? Will we have to have dated for four years in order to be considered for the process, even though we are not and have never been married?
When we are able to we are planning to get married as soon as possible, whether that be through signing papers to a marriage license or actually getting to have a formal ceremony and reception (or both). I am aware however, that even if a couple decides to marry by the signing of papers and by a marriage license, wherever this takes place (ie: in a courthouse or city hall,) that there is still a verbal confirmation of the marriage that occurs regardless of the method and setting of the marriage and whether or not the pair has a formal ceremony to commemorate their marriage or not.
If you can provide any information in regards to our situation or answers to our questions, it is greatly appreciated by us both. I know we’re not alone and that our situation is not uncommon, but the more we talk about wanting to live together and wanting to get married, everything just seems so bleak because we don’t have the right answers we need to get the process started and move forward and closer to one day getting married and living together. So, thank you in advance for your input.
My girlfriend is also transgender and in a position where she cannot change the name on her birth certificate, so our question there is because she currently cannot change the name presented on that piece of documentation, how can this affect her emigration process and what (if anything,) can be done to rectify this so that the process is not slowed down more than it already may be because we are not married and are not currently living together (as common-law or otherwise)? In this case I believe we’d be classified as what’s known as a 'conjugal relationship', or a relationship where (by definition) there are external barriers that are preventing us from presently living together as any other couple would, and with respect to our situation that largest barrier is indeed the distance put between us, myself within a province and she within a state, and the border between the U.S. and Canada between us. If my definition of a conjugal relationship is incorrect and that is not what I and my girlfriend fall under, please correct me and let me know so that if I need to I can start to look for help in other places.
I am not sure if the term ‘conjugal relationship’ fits us because yes we are unable to live together or present publicly together because of distance and being a long distance relationship, living in two separate areas (again a province and a state,) but it is not due to separation because of war or other armed conflict within our places of origin and so this is also why I am not sure that we are a conjugal relationship or not, because all we are dealing with is long distance and not war or armed conflict.
We are also confused as to how long our relationship needs to have been before we can be considered for the process of her emigrating and me sponsoring her. I have read that as of October 2012, a partner who applies to emigrate and a partner who sponsors the person emigrating to Canada need to proceed through a time-period in which conditional permanent residence occurs. It is then my impression that both partners need to have cohabited or lived under the same roof in a conjugal relationship for a period of two years that starts after the day they are confirmed a permanent resident in Canada. I have read that these circumstances apply if we are married for two years or less (but are currently unmarried) have dated for four years but have been married for two years or less, have been in a conjugal relationship for two years or less, or has lived together in common law for two years or less. We do not have any children. So, knowing all of this information and because we are not married, how long has our relationship had to have existed before she can emigrate and I can sponsor her, and we will actually be considered? Will we have to have dated for four years in order to be considered for the process, even though we are not and have never been married?
When we are able to we are planning to get married as soon as possible, whether that be through signing papers to a marriage license or actually getting to have a formal ceremony and reception (or both). I am aware however, that even if a couple decides to marry by the signing of papers and by a marriage license, wherever this takes place (ie: in a courthouse or city hall,) that there is still a verbal confirmation of the marriage that occurs regardless of the method and setting of the marriage and whether or not the pair has a formal ceremony to commemorate their marriage or not.
If you can provide any information in regards to our situation or answers to our questions, it is greatly appreciated by us both. I know we’re not alone and that our situation is not uncommon, but the more we talk about wanting to live together and wanting to get married, everything just seems so bleak because we don’t have the right answers we need to get the process started and move forward and closer to one day getting married and living together. So, thank you in advance for your input.
