June, 2010
     Pride Events in Toronto

• LEGIT-Toronto is holding special Pride Week meetings on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at the 519 Church Street Community Centre in Toronto for Pride Week visitors to Toronto.
  
  From 6-8 pm there will be a meeting to provide information for couples that are both foreigners looking to immigrate to Canada.
  
  From 8-10 pm the second meeting will review family class options where one of the couple is already a Canadian or Canadian Permanent Resident wishing to sponsor their partner for Canadian Permanent Residence.
  
  There is a prize draw for those who arrive on time. These meetings are Pride Toronto Affiliate Events.
  
  
• We will also have our fabulous booth in the Community Fair of Pride Toronto on both Saturday July 3 and Sunday July 4. We'll post photos of our booth on the LEGIT Facebook group so you will recognize us when you see us. Drop by to say hello and tell us your story!

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August, 2009
     Pride Events in Vancouver

• Walk with us at the Dyke March, Aug. 1, noon at McSpadden Park.
• After the Pride Parade on Aug. 2, drop by our booth at Sunset Beach. Once again, we’ll be joined by the Rainbow Refugee Committee. Come out and say hello!

  

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June, 2009
     Pride Events in Toronto

• Pride Weekend, June 27-28. If you are in Toronto on the weekend drop by our Pride booth and say hello. You can ask us questions about your situation, pick up literature or tell us about your success story. Ours is the most colourful and fabulous booth there, as it is topped with Canadian and Rainbow flags as well as the flags of more than 60 countries that we have helped couples come to Canada from. We are not sure yet what spot Pride Toronto will give us but you can call us the week before to ask (Toronto and international: 416-944-8801. Toll Free in North America: 1-877-944-8801).

  

• Pride Week, Thursday, June 25 – an Official Event of Pride Toronto. Visitors to Toronto are invited to our special Pride Week information meeting to learn about Family Class sponsorship of your foreign partner or regular immigration to Canada by foreign couples. These meetings will be held at the world-renowned 519 (the 519 Church Street Community Centre) on the evening of Thursday, June 25.

The first meeting from 6 to 8 pm will be for couples where both of you are foreigners and will go over your options and what is required regarding your relationship. The second meeting from 8 to 10 pm will be for partners where one is already a Canadian or Canadian Permanent Resident and they will sponsor their foreign partner under the Family Class. We will go over the options and how to prove your relationship.

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February, 2007
     More Same-sex Marriages Recognized

A Canadian citizen or a permanent resident can apply to sponsor their same-sex partner as a spouse if:

• a marriage certificate was issued by a Canadian province or territory, or
• the marriage outside Canada is legally recognized according to both the law of the place where the marriage ceremony occurred and under Canadian law. This applies to same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, South Africa, and the U.S. state of Massachusetts (this list will change as other jurisdictions legally recognize same-sex marriage in future).
See the CIC website for details.

Another important CIC policy change is that same-sex marriages will be recognized for immigration purposes in all classes, not just within the Family Class. A “spouse” in any class or category will include persons of the same sex who are legally married in the specified jurisdictions. CIC has not published details of this change. Watch the CIC website for these changes.

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May 7, 2006
     Reduced Right of Permanent Residence Fee

Effective May 3, 2006, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee was reduced from $975 to $490. If you paid the Right of Permanent Residence Fee and you haven't yet become a permanent resident, you are entitled to a refund. Contact CIC for more information.

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February 18, 2005
     New Policy for Partners in Canada

Spouses or common-law partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, regardless of status, are able to apply for permanent residence while remaining in Canada.

Under the previous policy, the Spouse or Common-Law Partner In Canada Class was only available to spouses and common-law partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who had valid temporary immigration status in Canada. Read CIC's FAQ on the policy changes.

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September 2004
      Same-Sex Marriage

Now that same-sex marriage is legal in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Yukon, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan cross border same-sex couples are wondering how these changes will impact Canada's immigration practices.

The road from legislation, to policy and practice for same-sex spousal applications has been neither smooth nor speedy. Initially CIC delayed processing spousal applications from married same-sex couples while they developed a policy. LEGIT raised objections to this delay and in May 2004, LEGIT received assurances that Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) has instructed all processing centres to process spousal applications from same-sex couples. To make a spousal application, one of the partners must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

LEGIT has concerns that CIC practices continue to discriminate against same-sex marriages. For heterosexual marriages the record of marriage is typically accepted as proof of the marriage, but spousal applicants in same-sex marriages are being asked to provide their marriage certificate as proof. Applying for a marriage certificate can take several months in some provinces. LEGIT will continue to pressure CIC to treat all spousal applications in the same manner.

We are often asked if getting married will help an immigration application. In fact, spousal, common law, and conjugal partner applications are treated the same and are processed in the same manner. Immigration Canada evaluates ALL relationships for their genuineness.

For more information please check the CIC website.

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December 10, 2003
      Human Rights Award

The B.C. Human Rights Coalition and the United Nations Association presented the Renate Shearer Award to: LEGIT and The Rainbow Refugee Committee for their outstanding contribution in the field of human rights, notably for their work towards ending discrimination of same-sex couples immigrating to Canada, and in assisting refugees who have experienced persecution due to their sexual orientation, HIV status, or gender identity.

November 2003
      legit.ca Launched

Development of this web site was made possible by a grant from the Law Foundation of British Columbia.

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