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SOWP portal: where to upload marriage photos, intent letter and spouse documents, per members

Canada • Spousal Open Work Permit • work 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • Intent letter (purpose of travel)

    Goes in the purpose-of-travel folder, alongside selected relationship photos.

  • Relationship photos

    Curate the important ones — engagement, marriage, with family — rather than uploading everything.

  • Spouse's supporting documents

    IELTS, employment letter, bank statements, CA report — members pointed these to the client information tab.

Step-by-Step

An applicant preparing a spousal open work permit (SOWP) application on GCKey was confused about which portal folder takes what. The thread's guidance:

  1. The governing principle: prove the marriage is genuine. "Provide as much documents you can to prove your marriage is genuine" — the folder question matters less than making the relationship evidence complete.

  2. Purpose-of-travel folder: intent letter plus key photos. Members advised uploading the intent letter with a selection of important photos — engagement, marriage ceremony, family shots — rather than dumping every picture there.

  3. Client information tab: everything that has no other slot. For the spouse's supporting material (IELTS score, employment letter, bank statement, CA report), the advice for GCKey applicants: "there will be a client information tab — upload all the documents there which we cannot upload anywhere" else. Treat it as the catch-all for genuineness and financial evidence.


The thread reflects members' practice on the GCKey portal rather than an official filing spec — the slots exist, and the substance (genuine-relationship proof) is what officers assess.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Front-load genuine-relationship evidence: intent letter plus curated engagement/wedding/family photos in purpose of travel; spouse's financial and employment proof under client information.
  • Tip: Use the client information tab as the catch-all for documents with no dedicated slot — don't leave supporting evidence out because no folder seems to fit.

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