Conjugal Partners

I get a lot of enquiries from Canadians who wish to sponsor their significant other when they are not married or living together. The only option in these cases is the conjugal partner category.

This can be a tough category of immigration in which to succeed however. Unlike the common law or marriage category, the significant other in the conjugal partner category must reside outside of Canada.

In addition, there must be considerable evidence of physical, social and emotional interdependence -- evidence that the relationship involves a long term commitment on behalf of the couple.

Successful conjugal applications always include most or all of the following:

• Mutual commitment to a shared life;
  
• Exclusive – cannot be in more than one conjugal relationship at a time;
  
• Intimate – commitment to sexual exclusivity;
  
• Interdependent – physically, emotionally, financially, socially;
  
• Permanent – long-term, genuine and continuing relationship;
  
• Present themselves as a couple;
  
• Regarded by others as a couple;
  
• Caring for children (if there are children);
  
• Naming one another as beneficiaries of insurance policies or estates;
  
• Joint ownership of possessions;
  
• Joint decision-making with consequences for one partner affecting the other;
  
• Financial support of one another (joint expenses or sharing of income, etc.);
  
• Passage of time (that 1 month relationship won't do!)

As a couple, you must ask yourselves if you are truly committed for a lifetime, and if you don't have some or all the evidence above, you must seriously question if you are in a conjugal relationship or if you are simply dating as a pre-cursor to a more committed relationship from a Canada immigration point of view.