This is a legal opinion letter written by a divorce lawyer in Ontario, stating that in the lawyer’s opinion, the foreign divorce is legally valid and should be recognized in Ontario.
Your lawyer will carry out research into the legal system of the country from which the divorce was given.
They will seek further information about where the married couple lived and the laws that applied to them. Following the assessment of all the required factors and relevant legal regulations, your lawyer will also give a legal opinion-whether or not the foreign divorce is recognized in Canada.
The Legal opinion letter will list of reasons why the divorce lawyer is confident that the foreign divorce should be considered valid in Canada.
The opinion letter is based on facts and laws establishing either the party has a strong and substantial connection to the country granting a divorce, or the person domiciled.
The foreign divorce letter can only be written and signed by a Lawyer in Ontario who has authorization from the Law Society of Ontario.
The Registrar General of Ontario will reject any letter that is written by yourself or by a lawyer who does not have the relevant qualifications or authority.
To allow your lawyer to be able to start drafting a letter, you must be able to provide certain documents. Be sure to bring along the following:
- A Statement of Sole Responsibility with both parties as signatories.
- The Application for Marriage
- A signed statement from the person who was divorced, or from both parties if you have both been divorced outside of Canada, confirming that you lived for at least a year in the country where the divorce was granted, prior to submitting the application for divorce.