Canadian Spousal Sponsorship: What You Need to Know

There’s a lot that goes into having your Canadian spousal sponsorship approved. While the Canadian immigration officials are not looking at your work experience or language proficiency, this doesn’t make spousal sponsorship applications any easier. It is very important for you to prove that your relationship is genuine whether you are married or have been in a common-law/conjugal partnership. The immigration officials will only consider a relationship to be genuine if it follows a logical progression of how the couple met and got married.

What happens when reviewing spousal sponsorship applications?

One of the things that visa officers look out for when reviewing spousal sponsorship applications is a red flag that the relationship was a “marriage of convenience”. There are some unscrupulous individuals who are looking to use marriage or partnerships for immigration purposes. The IRCC has made changes to be able to protect the system from such people. Perhaps this is why your application is likely to be scrutinized by the visa officer very thoroughly.

Obvious indicators of marriage fraud

The visa officer will be looking out for several indicators of marriage fraud. For instance, if you and your partner or spouse do not share a common language that you can use to communicate, you should expect your application to be scrutinized even more. Visa officers are also likely to assess applicants with a major difference in age or cultural values more thoroughly because these are considered major red flags.

If the marriage is from a country that has a lower socioeconomic development, the visa officer will apply even more scrutiny when processing the application. Marriages that occur in countries that are highly known for fraud occurrences will also be heavily scrutinized by the IRCC officials. However, the fact that your application may require additional analysis doesn’t mean that you should give up altogether.

Avoid submitting insufficient or inconsistent information

If you do not submit sufficient documentation or the information you provide is contradictory, your application may be delayed or even denied. For instance, if both of you cannot provide the same intimate details of your marriage, it could be perceived as a warning that the relationship is not genuine. Something as simple as not knowing what make-up your spouse uses could be seen as a red flag. Again, providing too much documentation can work against you. For instance, applicants who submit so many love letters that show their admiration for each other can appear fishy. The immigration officer may see it as a strategy to surpass the immigration system.

Hire a qualified representative

You need help with your spousal sponsorship application and you can get this by hiring a qualified lawyer. Your spousal sponsorship lawyer will tell you the best ways to approach every situation and how to address some of these red flags. You will get advice on how to present your information in a clear and concise manner and increase the credibility of your application. Remember there’s always a chance that things could go wrong even if you have a legitimate and genuine relationship. Hiring a lawyer ensures you have someone watching out for you.