A few questions about sponsoring your spouse (Canada) and the application forms.

[Sabsical]

Hi everyone, I have a few questions about spousal sponsorship that I'd REALLY appreciate your thoughts on:

1. Some of the sponsorship forms mention that "all dependent children 18 years of age or older" must fill __ (ie. form IMM5406E). But in the guide document (guide 3900 on the canadian government website) "dependent children" are defined as children "under the age of 19"! Does this basically mean that only 18 year old children of the applicant+spouse need to fill in these forms??

2. If a form needs to be filled in by my step-mom's (principal applicant's) family members, does that include my dad and I, or just her family (children) from before she married my dad?

3. I know there isn't a minimum necessary income for sponsoring your spouse, but the forms do ask for your income in the last 12 months, and if I only count the 4 out of 12 months spent in Canada it won't be that much. So if the Sponsor lived in a different country for 8 out of the last 12 months before applying, should they mention the income they made in that country too? Will that be troublesome down the line in terms of tax here in Canada??

4. Lastly, where can I find my "Net personal income" for the last X number of months (I'm a Canadian citizen and have been working in Canada for the last 4 months but was self-employed in Iran for the 8 months before that)?

Thanks so much for ANY help!
Cheers

 

[Riley Haas]

Hi there,
Let me try to answer your questions.

1. Some of the sponsorship forms mention that "all dependent children 18 years of age or older" must fill __ (ie. form IMM5406E). But in the guide document (guide 3900 on the canadian government website) "dependent children" are defined as children "under the age of 19"! Does this basically mean that only 18 year old children of the applicant+spouse need to fill in these forms??

Yes, I believe that's exactly what it means.

If a form needs to be filled in by my step-mom's (principal applicant's) family members, does that include my dad and I, or just her family (children) from before she married my dad?

I'm not so sure about this one, but I would assume that Canadian citizens (except for the sponsor, who has to fill out the sponsor's forms) do not have to fill out any forms for this process.

I know there isn't a minimum necessary income for sponsoring your spouse, but the forms do ask for your income in the last 12 months, and if I only count the 4 out of 12 months spent in Canada it won't be that much. So if the Sponsor lived in a different country for 8 out of the last 12 months before applying, should they mention the income they made in that country too? Will that be troublesome down the line in terms of tax here in Canada??

Yes, if it was me, I'd submit that information. Always err on the side of more information, I think.
Two things about the taxes: first of all, if the sponsor wasn't a resident at the time, then that income isn't taxable, as far as I understand it. Also, IRCC would need the sponsor's permission to share that information with CRA under Canada's privacy legislation.

Lastly, where can I find my "Net personal income" for the last X number of months (I'm a Canadian citizen and have been working in Canada for the last 4 months but was self-employed in Iran for the 8 months before that)?

I guess you'll just have to add up your pre-tax income here and abroad for whichever number of months you are looking for (such as 12). Providing evidence of this would include anything official you've received from your employers regarding payment (such as paystubs).

Hope this helps.

 

[Sabsical]

Your answers are super easy to understand and useful! Thank you so much!!

 

[Riley Haas]

Thanks. Glad I was able to help.

 

[Sabsical]

I have 2 other quick question.

1. Is it true that the sponsor needs to stay in Canada for around 2-3 months after the day they send in their application? (2-3 months being the time it takes for a confirmation to be sent)

2. What are your thoughts on preparing for the interview on your own and without the help of a lawyer? A lawyer I spoke with told me that the interview is extremely tricky and he would need to prepare the applicant and sponsor for it. But as you know, lawyer fees are super high!

 

[Riley Haas]

Hi again,
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[*]If the sponsor is a Canadian citizen, the sponsor can do whatever they want. If anything, taking additional trips to visit the sponsored spouse abroad (and informing IRCC of those trips) is actually a positive, because it adds further evidence that the relationship is genuine.
[*]I have never been anywhere near a sponsorship interview, however from what my colleagues have told me, the questions are pretty routine - similar to the questions answered on the forms. The experience is stressful, obviously, but my impression is that the stress comes more from the fear of a refusal than what the officer asks. That being said: better safe than sorry, right? You can find sample questions online, for example we have some here: https://www.immigroup.com/family-class-sponsorship-canada, but if you really want to be prepared, a consultant or lawyer who has guided many people successfully through interviews might ease your mind.
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