A Spouse Open Work Permit (SOWP) refusal citing insufficient proof of common-law partnership is a common issue for couples from countries like India, where legal and cultural norms (no joint bank accounts for unmarried couples, property/utilities typically in one person's name) make it harder to produce the kind of paperwork IRCC expects from married couples.
What the group suggested:
- Add affidavits — sworn, notarized statements from parents and close friends who can personally confirm the relationship and shared living arrangement. This adds a category of evidence (personal testimony) that wasn't in the original submission.
- Recognize what's missing from a typical submission: rental agreements, delivery receipts, and travel bookings can look like strong friends might share too — the file needs something that specifically signals a couple, not just two people living together. That could include social media relationship status/public acknowledgment, family letters explicitly describing them as partners, or dated joint photos spanning the full claimed relationship period.
- Explain the local constraints directly in your submission — for example, note that Indian banks don't permit joint accounts for unmarried couples and that utility accounts are commonly left in the property owner's name, so the absence of those documents shouldn't be read as absence of the relationship.
The core lesson: match your evidence type to what specifically proves a
romantic, cohabiting partnership rather than just shared address and travel logistics, which can equally describe close friends or roommates.