Form IMM 5532 Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation
Form IMM 5532 Relationship Information and Sponsorship Evaluation
The IMM 5532 has to be filled out by both the sponsor and the principal applicant, who is the spouse/partner being sponsored.
The first part of the form asks for basic personal information for both the sponsor and the principal applicant (the person being sponsored). The next section is where you realize that you are being evaluated for eligibility as a sponsor:
Completing the Sponsorship Evaluation and Information About the Sponsor in the IMM 5532
As you can see, your employment history is clearly key. We have given you a fairly solid example of someone who (until they married their spouse) was a single working person with a reasonably good income and a continuous history of employment.
You may not be so lucky as our fictional sponsor. But remember, DO NOT leave any gaps in this section, no matter if you were unemployed or worked at a low-paying job. If you leave out information, you are guaranteeing that IRCC officials will ask you to provide that information and may even in a few cases decide to deem you ineligible and reject your sponsorship application. At the very least, leaving gaps will delay your application.
We’ve omitted explanations of questions 2 and 3 but if you have questions about this section of the form, please post them in the comments and we will address them both in the comments and in an updated version of this chapter.
As well, remember to list your places of residence with your most recent location first (see image above).
For part 6, if you are currently living abroad (unlike our example who has been living in Canada since he arrived from England in 2010) then you must show:
- The date you plan to return to Canada. Clearly it should be within a reasonably short period of time indicating that you have a plan for settling again in Canada – even though you are a citizen. Immigroup strongly recommends that the sponsor lives in Canada for a sponsorship application. Remember, you CANNOT sponsor someone while living abroad if you are a permanent resident and don’t yet have your citizenship.
- The place you plan to live. Clearly, some sort of job in Canada and/or income you will receive that will enable you to support your spouse should be part of this plan, even if they don’t ask directly about your work in this part of the form.
For part 7, make sure you include any relationship that is one of the following:
- Common-law: you co-habited for at least 1 continuous year, OR
- Legally married
- Include dates of separation or divorce as well.
Finally for Part 8, you do not have to consent to allowing information about your relationship to be released (in case of marriage fraud) but we have accepted it seeing it’s both the sponsor and the principal applicant’s first marriage.
Remember to sign and date your part of this form, as the sponsor.
Completing Information About the Principal Applicant in the IMM 5532
Let’s now look at the Principal Applicant (the person being sponsored):
This section is important and admittedly sensitive from the perspective of certain cultures where marriage between members of the same family group may be an accepted social norm. Our sponsor and applicant are not related in any way, but you need to be aware that – despite recent changes to the laws – there remain certain limits on how closely you can be related to your spouse/partner.
These limits have been loosened over the past years, so that now the official legislation says the following:
No prohibition
- 2 (1) Subject to subsection (2), persons related by consanguinity, affinity or adoption are not prohibited from marrying each other by reason only of their relationship.
- Marginal note: Prohibition
(2) No person shall marry another person if they are related lineally, or as brother or sister or half-brother or half-sister, including by adoption.
- 1990, c. 46, s. 2
- 2005, c. 33, s. 13
Marginal note: Marriage not invalid
- 3 (1) Subject to subsection (2), a marriage between persons related by consanguinity, affinity or adoption is not invalid by reason only of their relationship.
If you the principal applicant have any relatives living in Canada (with valid legal status of course) you should list them next. This helps establish further ties to Canada and is generally a plus for your application.
As well, there is a consent to disclose and your signed and dated declaration for the principal applicant, exactly as the case above with your sponsor.
Completing Information about the Relationship in the IMM 5532
PART C is next, and this is where you outline the details of your relationship. Both the sponsor and the principal applicant need to fill out this section.
In the first question, you will be asked about the details of your first meeting in person (online meetings do not count in this case).
As well you will be asked about whether you are living together. Seeing Carmen – the principal applicant – is still living in Brazil you have to detail any visits that you’ve had which we’ve done below.
Questions 5 and 6 ask you to give details on the frequency and nature of your communication with each other. Be focused but provide as much detail as you can as this will help the credibility of your relationship.
Clearly having your parents and other relatives know about your marriage is good support for your claims to be a legitimate couple, although this will depend on the specific circumstances of any relationship. Sometimes because of cultural and/or religious and political norms, parents aren’t involved in a marriage. In this case, both parents knew of (and presumably approved of) the marriage.
Question 8 asks if the marriage was arranged. In our case it was not an arranged marriage.
Question 11 is where you can add supporting detail if you feel it is needed to validate your marriage or partnership in the eyes of Canadian immigration officials. Because Horatio and Carmen had a civil marriage with members of Carmen’s family present and members of Horatio’s family perfectly aware, we do not have to add any more detail here.
Question 11 is where you can add supporting detail if you feel it is needed to validate your marriage or partnership in the eyes of Canadian immigration officials. Because Horatio and Carmen had a civil marriage with members of Carmen’s family present and members of Horatio’s family perfectly aware, we do not have to add any more detail here.
The sponsor signs and dates question 12 while the principal applicant signs and dates question 13. It seems obvious and simple, but make sure you get this right or it will result in delays and additional requests. Make sure the right person signs on each respective line.
Section 14, Interpreter Declaration, has been left out seeing the couple communicate in English.
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