Although a personal statement is not a mandatory part of your Spousal Sponsorship application package, it would be beneficial for you to submit one. A personal statement will give you further opportunity to explain the nature of your relationship and further show the genuineness of it.
In the personal statement for Spousal Sponsorship, you should include general information surrounding your relationship, as well as any discrepancies or, if you are in a relationship that may be more difficult for a visa officer to believe in, for example, long distance relationships where you and your partner have never met or arranged marriages, you might want to delve deeper into explaining this aspect of your relationship.
Information to include in application to sponsor your spouse:
- how you and your partner met
- your methods of communication (via phone, email, Facebook, etc…)
- any trips you took and the details of those trips
- the relationship between your partner and your family members and friends (and vice versa)
- whether you visited your partner during the relationship
- what your future plans are
In terms of relationships that, on the face, may seem less genuine, you may wish to explain a little deeper how your relationship started, when it become serious, how you communicated, how often you communicated, and the circumstances that led you to your partner.
For instance, if you were in an arranged marriage, you should help the visa officer understand the nature of an arranged marriage. As it is not a common practice in Canada, you need to explain why an arranged marriage is important to your culture or family; you may also wish to address the ceremony and common occurrences surrounding the arrangement of an arranged marriage and provide details regarding the progression of the relationship between you and your spouse.
Again, although a personal statement is not required of you, it would not only be beneficial, it would not be harmful to your application to contribute more details about your relationship.
At Akrami & Associates, our legal professionals have assisted many clients with their spousal sponsorships applications and personal statements. Book a consultation with us today and have your needs answered.