missmayej

Hi everyone,

My fiancé (UK citizen) and I (Canadian/UK citizen) have nearly finished our common-law sponsorship application for us to move to Canada. Form IMM 5532 asks "Were there formal ceremonies or events to recognize or celebrate your relationship, e.g., engagement ceremony, traditional or customary marriage, ceremony, commitment ceremony, partnership ceremony, reception, honeymoon, etc....Did any of the following people [friends, family etc.] attend the event? If not, explain why not."

I can't tell if a marriage proposal is considered an "engagement ceremony" or not. My thinking is no, it's not. I did mention that we are planning an engagement party in Canada this summer, and provided lots of other evidence of our relationship and wedding plans, but the proposal itself was just the two of us in private. So it feels weird to answer the question "If any of the people listed above did not participate, explain why," and then go on to describe the "number of guests." It seems obvious that a proposal is usually between the two people, rather than a family event, and there are no "guests." In other words, do I really need to explain why our extended family was not present when my fiancé proposed? Or is it better to say no, there have been no formal ceremonies yet, and explain about the wedding plans in the following question?

Just wondering if anyone else has addressed this issue in their application. Thank you!

christmasoompa

No, a proposal isn't an engagement ceremony - you'd just put 'N/A' for that question.

HTH.

missmayej

Thanks, that's what I figured but was just second-guessing myself!