Navigating an international marriage can be difficult, and legally ending one can be equally complex. If you reside in Canada and your spouse is a foreign national, you may not know how to obtain a divorce.
Fortunately, a Toronto international divorce lawyer could help you start and highlight important issues to consider. With the assistance of our team of lawyers at The Riley Divorce & Family Law Firm, you could manage any disputes that arise during your divorce.
A divorce dissolves the legal relationship of marriage, resulting in the division of what each spouse contributed to that relationship. For example, parenting time and decision-making responsibility for children must be allocated between spouses with the best interest of those children in mind.
An international marriage adds a layer of complexity, both in procedure and substance. A court already has to determine how to split parental relationships with children fairly, and that supports the children’s growth and development, but creating structure can be more difficult for an international divorce.
Enforcing visitation across borders can prove challenging, and determining if the court has jurisdiction over a child and can maintain the structure it has created can prove difficult for you and your spouse. As a result, international divorces can raise tougher questions about providing for the welfare of a child beyond those that arise during ordinary divorce proceedings.
Another issue to consider is immigration and sponsorship. If you sponsor your spouse and they remain in the country as a permanent resident, you may still be responsible for their care and support for several years after the divorce.
Ultimately, a Toronto divorce lawyer could help you navigate these issues surrounding an international divorce. By evaluating your specific circumstances, a lawyer could advise you of what you will need to do and how to do it.
Perhaps the most complex part of an international divorce is sorting out property each spouse holds in multiple countries. Whether the court where you file for divorce can reach assets held elsewhere can complicate an already challenging process.
Having a prenuptial agreement in place can help clarify some aspects of property division, and you and your spouse could make a post-divorce agreement to avoid a court dividing your assets. Without an agreement, however, the process of valuing assets around the world that you, your spouse, and business entities under your control hold could take a significant amount of time.
You also might disagree with your spouse as to who owns what assets and how they should be valued in the divorce because of differences in currency and in rating systems in various countries. In addition, you could face a variety of tax issues moving forward depending on how the court divides property between you and your spouse.
Working with an international divorce lawyer could help you navigate these issues should you file for divorce in Toronto. Whether cooperating with your spouse to form an agreement for dividing property or seeking a division that is beneficial and fair to you, a lawyer could make the process easier to manage.
Determining how to end a marriage and provide for yourself and your spouse is hard enough. Doing so in the context of an international marriage creates more challenges. Fortunately, a Toronto international divorce lawyer could help you navigate the process.
From deciding how to care for children across borders to dividing property in various nations, one of the lawyers at The Riley Divorce & Family Law Firm could walk you through each possible issue and work on your behalf to protect your interests. We are available 24 hours a day. To discuss your particular situation with a lawyer, contact our offices to schedule a consultation.
Now you can have your Consultation with Paul Riley any time from the comfort of your own home. With video calls from Zoom, your Team at The Riley Divorce & Family Law Firm can meet with you virtually, and learn about your case. All you need is a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop with a built-in camera and microphone.
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