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We are in Ontario, Canada. I am a Canadian citizen, born and raised here. My friend and her brother are from India. She has her permanent residency, he does not.
Her brother’s visa is expiring soon, very very soon. He will have to go back to India, which he does not want to do. If he goes, my friend will have to go with him, for various reasons.
They have consulted an immigration lawyer throughout this process, who advised them of their options. They resorted to paying a Canadian girl to marry the brother (on paper only), only for her to take off with the money and never contact them again. No marriage occurred. Now they’re out the money, desperate, and running out of time.
I am willing to sign a marriage certificate with my friend’s brother to help him keep his visa. It would be for one year only.
Could this end in any trouble for me? How about my friend or her brother?
I really don’t have the money to consult a lawyer of my own right now, so I’m looking for even a shred of direction here.
Answer
If you sponsor your spouse, you must give them financial support for 3 years even if the marriage or relationship fails. Sponsorship is a legal contract with the Government of Canada. You must meet its terms.
In some cases, sponsors and foreign applicants set up a “marriage of convenience.” This is a marriage or common-law relationship whose sole purpose is to let the sponsored spouse or partner immigrate to Canada.
Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are in a marriage of convenience for immigration reasons may be charged with a crime.
It’s a crime for a foreign national to marry a Canadian citizen or permanent resident only to gain entry to Canada.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/marriage-fraud.html