SchnookoLoly

Updated you both - do let us know how you progress!!

Ginger34

Thanks! Forgot to mention, in case it's useful - we're married.

KuroKuro

I've been sitting on this question for a while, not wanting to distract from people that have immediate questions, because I'm just really pondering this as it won't affect me for at least a year yet. I just wanted to ask what people's experiences have been comparing applying as common-law or married. My bf & I will be applying for spousal sponsorship in 2014/2015 (he being a Canadian citizen), and I'm just wondering the pros & cons of doing it either way. I would imagine that applying as married is easier, because you basically only need the marriage certificate and don't need as much proof of relationship as for common-law, right? I'm also wondering about the paperwork aspect of getting sponsorship as CL first then getting married & dealing with a name change, etc.

Our current plan is to get married in the next few years and apply for sponsorship as married. We're "youngsters" so would need to plan ahead financially for what we want to do... If common-law is actually way easier than I'm imagining, then it means we can save for longer and have a nicer wedding! I'm just thinking about this from a practicality point of view. Of course, this is all dependant on me getting a second IEC. We'll most likely be forced to push for common-law if that falls through. I'm already being mindful of collecting and keeping paperwork to help us prove our official 1 year together (even though we've technically been together for over 2 already).

Thanks to anyone who can share their experience or insight on this.

Orlaith

Ginger,
I am on a very similar time line so I"ll be curious to know when yours comes through.

Mary louise

Hi SchnookoLoly,

You can finally put me on the spread sheet if you want - Application for spousal sponsorship sent off on 11th Nov and, through postal tracking, it was received in Mississauga on 14th Nov.

that's all I have for now

SchnookoLoly

All updated!! Good luck!!

This was pretty well the same situation my now-husband and I were in about two years ago. We qualified as common-law, but debated whether to wait until we were married.

From CIC's point of view, it doesn't matter if you're CL or Married, one isn't more likely to succeed than the other. In their eyes, it's the same.

In terms of paperwork, there's not a lot of difference. You have to provide proof of relationship for both CL and M applications, so that's the same. The extra paperwork you have to do for CL is to prove that you have been living together for at least 12 months, so that means providing things like your lease, utility bills, joint bank statements, etc, showing at least 12 months of cohabitation. A lot of the evidence you provide here overlaps with what you show for proof of relationship, though, like the joint bank accounts and perhaps insurance policies with each other as dependents or beneficiaries. So from that point of view, a teeny bit more work to apply as CL, but we're talking a sliver.

Processing times don't change much between the two - you can look at the spreadsheet in my signature and compare for yourself, there's very little difference. I think in 2013 married applications were processed faster, but in 2012 CL apps were faster (might be reversed, going on memory). As I said, CIC doesn't really distinguish. (In fact, an argument can be made that CL apps are easier to approve because of the time required to live together, whereas any two people can rock up somewhere and elope.)

My personal advice, which you can take or leave, would be to apply as CL if you qualify and just get the application going. That was ultimately what we decided to do - applied January 2012, married April 2012, COPR in hand August 2012.

In terms of the "paperwork aspect" of getting married and name change etc, once you're married just scan a copy of your marriage certificate and drop an email over to CIC. I did this about a week after our wedding, sent the certificate and said I was going to be taking my husband's name. (In my case, it looks like CIC never linked the two though, because an officer called my husband to verify if we did get married as we'd said in our application we had the wedding scheduled for April 2012, Husband told them that I'd emailed but I guess they never put them together! Wasn't an issue for us in any case.) THe email address and the info you need to include is in one of the guidebooks, which I suggest you read cover-to-cover.

Hope that helps!

tomashenko

Thanks all for these helpful comments. We have only just found this and the helpful spreadsheet and it makes us think things will happen quicker than first thought.

I am in UK at the moment still working whilst my wife and children are now in Toronto and it is quite hard being apart when you have no idea on an end date.

Happy to be added to the sheet too. Our application was received in missisagua on 13th June and sponsorship was approved on 17th July. We now seem to be in the queue but from what others are experiencing it seems that it could be not too long now?

SchnookoLoly

Glad you find the spreadsheet useful - I certainly did when it was us applying!!

I've added you to the spreadsheet - you can see quite a few just before you have heard recently, so I'd guess you aren't too far off... hopefully by the end of the year, but don't forgoet things slow down in December because of the holidays, but hopefully by the end of 2013 or else I'd think early 2014!! Not too far away though!!

Ralphstars

Welcome tomashenko - I know only too well how it feels - I am stuck in the UK with my son playing the waiting game and my husband has been back in Canada since January although our application was received August 2013

Ginger34

I promise I'll keep you posted - and vice versa too please!

christmasoompa

You're not just waiting for the 'end date' though are you? i.e. you have another reason for staying in the UK such as work?

You could move there if you wanted to, and wait for PR in Canada. I'm sure you're aware and have other reasons, but just thought I'd mention it.

tomashenko

Thanks guys. Yes I'm still Woking here in London while I wait. Plan then to look for work once (fingers crossed) I get approved. In the meantime my wifd is there settling our girls in and doing the same.

KuroKuro

Thank you so much for all this information! For a while, I was dead set on getting married soon, just to make this whole process easier, but you've convinced me that it won't really make much difference either way! Of course, things might still turn out that way, but my bf & I can at least start actively making sure we'll have things that prove our 12 months co-habiting.

Thank you again!

(If anyone else has any other advice or experiences, please let me know)

groovy_moose

Hey, long time lurker, here. Just wanted to let you know my dates so you could add them to the spread sheet if you like. App received Oct 30th, Sponsor approval 22nd Nov! Now i just have all my fingers and toes cross that it will go through despite our lack of joint bills of any kind (though plenty of other evidence!) :s

(applying for common law, incidentally)

Orlaith

Hi there,

I was wondering if someone could throw some light on something for me. I got a reply from London today in response to an email saying


"Please be advised that the initial review has been completed and the application is now awaiting review by the Immigration Officer."

Could this be an indication that there will be some movement soon?
Many thanks