+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

What should I declare for Marital status ?

thandong19

Full Member
Oct 31, 2018
25
9
Hi everyone,

I am planing to apply for express entry latter when I graduated ( May 2019)
Currently, I am living with my girl friend. By the time I graduated ( also the time I apply for Express Entry), I would be live with her for 12 months so we would be considered as Common Law.

However, the problem is we do not have any evident of living together. We live in a friend house and pay cash to him so no rent agreement ( all utility is in include with the rent). The tax return for 2018, we would be both single as we are only live together for only 7 months by December 2018. We do not have life insurance policies or anything.

So by the time I apply, what should I declare for Marital status ? ( Either applying as a single or as Common Law, I would have sufficient point to exit the pool, so I am not worry about the point)

If I apply as Common Law and are not be able to provide sufficient evident, will my application be rejected?
If I apply as single and latter sponsor her, there may be a red flag since my girl friend address history would be the same as mine.

Thank you for your advice.
 

yourfather

Hero Member
Jan 31, 2018
371
217
You are not legally married on in a Common law. So you have to declare yourself as single, provided if you were never married before.

IRCC will not consider your common law status until you provide the documents.

Should not be a concern as you both are not legally in union. So better to apply as single and sponsor her later. You could just be roommates as of today.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thandong19

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,558
7,196
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
Hi everyone,

I am planing to apply for express entry latter when I graduated ( May 2019)
Currently, I am living with my girl friend. By the time I graduated ( also the time I apply for Express Entry), I would be live with her for 12 months so we would be considered as Common Law.

However, the problem is we do not have any evident of living together. We live in a friend house and pay cash to him so no rent agreement ( all utility is in include with the rent). The tax return for 2018, we would be both single as we are only live together for only 7 months by December 2018. We do not have life insurance policies or anything.

So by the time I apply, what should I declare for Marital status ? ( Either applying as a single or as Common Law, I would have sufficient point to exit the pool, so I am not worry about the point)

If I apply as Common Law and are not be able to provide sufficient evident, will my application be rejected?
If I apply as single and latter sponsor her, there may be a red flag since my girl friend address history would be the same as mine.

Thank you for your advice.
Hi

You will be required to declare your common-law partner. Note that you are required to update your marital status with CRA when it changes, so it doesn't matter what your 2018 tax return states.

There are many proofs to show common-law. I suggest you sign a rental agreement with your friend.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thandong19

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,558
7,196
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
You are not legally married on in a Common law. So you have to declare yourself as single, provided if you were never married before.

IRCC will not consider your common law status until you provide the documents.

Should not be a concern as you both are not legally in union. So better to apply as single and sponsor her later. You could just be roommates as of today.
OP has stated that they will be common-law by the time they apply. Stating that they are single in the app would be misrepresentation. IRCC will 100% ask questions about the shared address history in a sponsorship app and there is a high chance of refusal. It has happened many times before.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thandong19

thandong19

Full Member
Oct 31, 2018
25
9
Hi, thank you for your advice. I really appreciate your helps.
So what would happen to me if I summit a joint application with my girl friend (become a common law by the time of submission) but we cannot prove our relationship?

Will CIC deny my application?
 

EE456

Champion Member
Jul 4, 2018
1,095
448
Hi, thank you for your advice. I really appreciate your helps.
So what would happen to me if I summit a joint application with my girl friend (become a common law by the time of submission) but we cannot prove our relationship?

Will CIC deny my application?
You have to substantiate your common-law relationship with proof.
See my answers on common-law.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thandong19

thandong19

Full Member
Oct 31, 2018
25
9
Thank you, I will start to gather the document now. I just add her name to my saving account. What else do you think would be good idea for us to join together to prove our relationship?

Interm of renting document, my landlord( he is more like a friend to me) give us really good rate for rent so we can pay him by cash. Are there any other way rather than rental agreement that he can confirm that we live in the same apartment with him?
 

EE456

Champion Member
Jul 4, 2018
1,095
448
Thank you, I will start to gather the document now. I just add her name to my saving account. What else do you think would be good idea for us to join together to prove our relationship?

Interm of renting document, my landlord( he is more like a friend to me) give us really good rate for rent so we can pay him by cash. Are there any other way rather than rental agreement that he can confirm that we live in the same apartment with him?
Like I mentioned in my posts on that thread. Any docs that show where you and her have been living would count, they don't have to have both names, that is to say, these can be documents only showing your name and other documents only showing hers.

Tax papers, bank statements, phone bills, grocery bills, letters you receive monthly.

You don't have to use the same docs, for instance, she can show her bank statements showing her address as XX and you can show your phone bill showing your address as XX.

You can show your conversations from which it can be discerned that you have been leading a common household, assuming they're in English.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thandong19

thandong19

Full Member
Oct 31, 2018
25
9
Like I mentioned in my posts on that thread. Any docs that show where you and her have been living would count, they don't have to have both names, that is to say, these can be documents only showing your name and other documents only showing hers.

Tax papers, bank statements, phone bills, grocery bills, letters you receive monthly.

You don't have to use the same docs, for instance, she can show her bank statements showing her address as XX and you can show your phone bill showing your address as XX.

You can show your conversations from which it can be discerned that you have been leading a common household, assuming they're in English.
Thank you, I really appreciate your help :)