Please help - Need advice (sponsoring boyfriend)

[ushbosh]

Hello,

I am a Canadian citizen and I would like to sponsor my boyfriend from the Philippines, here in Canada. I don't really know much about how immigration/sponsoring works, so I don't know which is our best option to do. We plan on getting married, but I wanted to know is it better to marry first and then sponsor him as my spouse, or how would I be able to sponsor him as my boyfriend or fiance? If we get married first we would have to do it in the Philippines, but if we don't have to be married in order for me to sponsor him, could we marry in Canada after he comes here? Another thing is that we're also related; which our family knows of. I know some or a lot of people think that it's wrong to be in a consensual relationship with your cousin, but we are in love and we are happy. Now what I am worried about is what would immigration say or think? How can I prove our relationship is genuine and were not trying to fake our relationship just to get him into Canada. I also read stuff about applying a visa for him or inviting him to Canada but I know that isn't permanent.

I don't know where we would start or how we would do this, so I am asking for help or advice which is the best way for me to sponsor him to come to Canada. Thanks!

 

[Riley Haas]

Hi,
Yes, you should absolutely marry first. It doesn't matter where you get married though if you get married in Canada there are no translations issues with the marriage certificate.

I'm sorry to say I have no idea how IRCC would think of cousins marrying. I would expect that it depends whether or not you're first cousins (as opposed to second or third cousins), but they also may not care at all. Their concern is that the relationship is genuine.

You will need to submit a bunch of supporting documentation in addition to the sponsorship application. We have an article about that: https://www.immigroup.com/news/family-sponsorship-application-document-checklist

There are essentially two sponsorship processes: inland vs outland. Outland is when he's still in the Philippines. Inland is when you've successfully invited him, and he comes here on a visitor visa, and then you sponsor him while he's here.

Hope this helps.