Q. When assessing an application under the independent class, do they take into account what your spouse does for a living? If their occupation has a high ETF number, would this be helpful if my points were in the low – mid 60’s?

Answer: The scores are not combined in the manner you suggest. If your spouse is employable, this should affect the personal suitability rating given at the time of a selection interview. If your spouse is qualified in her own right, then it is possible to request that her qualifications be considered as well as your own in the evaluation of the case.

[Comment: In the case that a formal request is made for consideration of a spouse’s qualifications, documentation pertaining to those qualifications should be made available at the time of submission of the case. Application kits generally do not specify the requirement of education and employment documents for accompanying dependents.

These documents should adhere to the same content requirements, if appiclable, as the principal applicant’s documentation.]

See the following URL for additional information:

http://canadavisa.com/documents/selint.html