Travelling to Canada as a spouse, marriage not legally registered

Hello there,

I’m a british citizen and my husband is a Canadian citizen. We have completed the religious marriage (‘Nikah’) in the UK buy because of the covid situation, we couldn’t legally register the marriage because all registrations are suspended indefinitely.

My husband returned to Canada and my plan is to travel there to join him.

However, Canadian borders are closed to everyone other than family members and spouse of Canadian citizens.

Does anyone know if I would be allowed entry into Canada as the spouse of a citizen, using my Nikah certificate. I have had it notarised by a solicitor but the marriage itself is not registered in a court of law.

I contacted the Canadian consulate who did not answer the question. They just said that I can travel if I’m a spouse. Obviously I don’t want to get there and be turned away by border control!

Anyone else been in a similar situation?

Thank you

Hello

In the UK, nikah is considered as a personal arrangement. It's not valid as a marriage.

In Canada, there are situations where it's recognised. It has to be celebrated in a licensed mosque by a licensed imam who issues a certificate for that.

If you are coming from the UK with a document that is not recognised in the UK, I doubt the Canadian Government would accept it for face value.

Try to contact the Canadian Embassy/Consulate to see if they can guide you.

Thanks so much!

I’ve not heard back from the consulate but hopefully they will be able to shed light on it.

Not sure what else to do and how to get across now to begin my married life. I had wound everything up here - job, flat, car etc. to start life there!