Is my foreign marriage valid in canada?

[Jordan12300]

I got married at 17 in a foreign country, I am now moving to canada are we still married legally there?

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your question with us.

We appreciate your interest in this information. You may find the article Will the Canadian government recognize my foreign marriage? helpful.

Here is an excerpt:

Generally, your foreign marriage will be recognized by the Canadian government, if the marriage:

• Is legal according to the laws of the place where it occurred; and- Complies with Canada’s federal laws on marriage.
  According to Canada’s federal laws on marriage:

• Close relatives by blood or adoption (grandparent-grandchild, parent-child, brothers-sisters) cannot marry each other.- You can be married to only 1 person at a time.
  You can find more information about how Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) evaluates foreign marriages in sections 5.27-5.32 of OP 2 - Processing Members of the Family Class [PDF].

If there is any doubt as to whether your marriage is legal in the place where it occurred, it is your responsibility to prove that it is legal in that place.

We hope this information is helpful, if you have any additional questions, please feel free to follow up with us.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org team