British Columbia, Canada (near Vancouver) Many couples meet each other via the Internet (Online) every day since it has become one of the most popular ways to meet.

Although it is fine to meet each other via the Internet/Online, an Internet relationship alone without other convincing evidence that the couple has established and maintained a conjugal relationship and spent time together, will raise serious concerns as to whether a conjugal relationship exists.

For example, a couple (a Canadian and a foreign national) meet via the Internet/Online and believe that they are deeply in love even though they have not met and spent any time in person. The Canadian submits an immigration application to sponsor the foreign national as a conjugal partner.

This type of application will raise serious concerns as to whether a conjugal relationship exists. This is because a conjugal partner is defined as a life partner in a committed relationship for at least one year. Although no cohabitation is required, a relationship needs to be interdependent in physical, financial, emotional, and social aspects. In order to prove your interdependency, your application should include supporting documents such as a joint bank account statement, a joint credit card statement, a Will, Power of Attorney, pictures, letters from your family and friends verifying the relationship, proof of taking trips together, etc. (Please keep in mind that each and every relationship is unique and different, so you may not have everything that is stated here). Without meeting and spending any time together and without submitting any of the above supporting documents, the couple in this example will not qualify.

Another example, a couple (a Canadian and a foreign national) meet via the Internet/Online and just like the previous couple believe that they are in love even though they have not met and spent any time together in person. They get married on the first day they meet each other in person and submit an immigration application to sponsor the foreign national as a spouse on the next day.

This couple mistakenly believe that marriage will strengthen their immigration application and a marriage certificate alone is convincing enough as a relationship document. This immigration application will raise serious concerns as to whether this relationship is a relationship of convenience (bad faith) just like the previous example. Without spending enough time together and without submitting any of the above supporting documents, the couple in this example will not qualify. (This does not apply to an arranged marriage. For more information, check Marriage and Immigration)

For more information about sponsoring your spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner, please check Family Class page.

If you would like to sponsor your spouse/partner, please fill out a Family Class Free Assessment.

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