amante

My partner and I are spouses, and we are applying for the family class outside Canada application.

We have written the forms
- undertaking
- sponsorship agreement
- sponsorship evaluation
- receipt (not done yet)
- sponsorship questionnaire
- application for PR
- Schedule 1
- Spouse/partner questionnaire
- additional family info.

We also have known how to do the supporting documents showing physical, emotional, social and financial interdependence.

but i have questions about

1. The statutory declarations of individuals with personal knowledge that our relationship is genuine and continuing. => can we ask friends or my boss to write letter ? if can't ask friends or boss, who should we ask ?


2. Must we have letters of supports from our friends or employers or others to prove our relationship to the immigration officer?



Hmm, sorry for asking too many questions
I just really want to make sure.

Thanks very much

amante

Snape

hi there im currently applying for PR but as commonlaw, from what i have read on the forms you need two individuals to write letters confirming what you say and have them signed and witnessed by a solicitor or lawyer so that they are sworn under oath.

Have you not got a copy of you marrige cert ??

You can also get letter of support if you wish, i have got two from both of our parents and some family members and i have got two stat decs from two close friends thats all i think you need.

Hope that helps you out a little.

Thanks
Ian

thermophile

My understanding is that you don't need the statutory declarations if you are legally married-only if you are a commonlaw applicant.

amante

Hi Snape

What kind of the statutory declarations papers?

How do we start to do it?
First get any friends to come with me to the lawyer or the notary public then friends start to write the letter then swear about blah blah
or
get the statutory declarations papers to my friends to sign , is that all?

can you example it clearly? thanks very much

Jonny

That's right, we have just completed a spousal application and never provided these letters. Just show the marriage certificate and as much "stuff" as possible to show that you are in a relationship. We used letters we had written to each other, photos of ourselves on holiday, flight tickets, postcards written to each other, joint bills, joint tenancy agreement etc...

Rhodes

We are married (Mrs Rhodes is the Canadian half) and we provided copies of a couple of wedding photos, copies of our two children's birth certificates, and something from the building society showing that we have a joint mortgage. That was about it. They just need to be satisfied that you are genuinely married and did not marry for immigration purposes. If you've been married for a few years, it shouldn't be a problem.

Snape

Hi Rhodes, i basically got two close friends whom i have known for 5+ years, and basically got them to write a letter saying that they have known me for so many years and can declare under oath that me and my other half have been together for so many years and basicallly living together here in the Uk, im sure that is all immigration want in the letter.

Then they went to a solicitor or lawyer and basically swore under oath that this is true and binding and then they sign and the lawyer signs and stamps the letter and bingo thats all, i costs like £5 or somthing one of mine did it for free woot haha.

Good Luck, im just about to send all my forms off.

Ian

Jameso

Can any of the experts confrim on this issue. I feel there is a lot of confusion on "Statutary declaration of common law union" I understood that this was only needed if the sponsor had a common law partner co-signor for their sponsorship application and that proof of a common law relationship between sponsor and sponsored common law immigrant partner was only required to be supporting letters from friends and family and respected public citizens ( i.e not notarised) (and the other proof in terms of bills, joint accounts, rental agreements etc etc)

Can any of the experts confirm???

the-smiths

Hold up......Before you send those forms away, make sure you include pictures of you and you spouse, the whole family ( your family and your spouses family ), vacations together, joint accounts and all that, anything that can help keep the doubt away, when they are looking at you application.

Just getting your friends to attest to your legitimate relationship, is not going to cut it. Surely after all you've heard here regarding how long things are taking, the last thing you want to do, is not provide enough info.

Common law is always a tough one, from what have heard from people. Good luck !

Snape

It says on one of the checklists that if you are not married and applying as commonlaw to provide 2 letters from close friends or relatives stating your status of you relationship and they must be stat declarations.

Or if you are married then the marrige cert is enough.

Thanks
Ian

Jameso

So does that mean you have to go to a sollicater with your two friends and get the letters notarised???

Thanks again.

the-smiths

But you are going to send more than that aren't you? Otherwise, everybody else would be doing, and getting people to say they've known them for donkeys. Listen to the people here that have been through it, and had their forms returned, or accepted.

There are a lot of things on the forms, that don't go into detail, it's only later on that they tell you that it was a mistake.

Jameso

Yes we are going to send a copy of my canadian partners "unmarried partners" visa (that she is on in the UK at the moment. We are also going to send proof of joint bills, bank account and a letter from our landlord. Also photos and flight stubs from holidays. We also have a letter from my current employer showing my canadian partner as my "next of Kin".

What I am not clear on is whether the letters from friends, family and respected public citizens have to be signed/notarised by a sollicitor and do we have to fill out the "statutary declaration of common law union" that is part of the actual application form but states that it is for the sponsors "co-signor" to fill out.???

Thanks again

Snape

You do not need to fill out the common law union form, its only if you are the sponors co signer etc.. Just get to close relatives or friends to write a letter and get it notorised. And the other evidence you have sounds good.

We have sent a few letters, hundreds of photos, ticket stubs, phone bills, Utillity bills, works letters as much as we can think of you can never have to much to prove it.

Thanks
Ian

Jameso

to get the letters notarised do you have to go to a sollicitor with the friends??