Visit to Canada while processing application

[marcie]

My husband is Serbian and I am Canadian. We were just married and getting ready to send our immigration package shortly. Originally, I was under the impression that once the sponsorship was approved, he would automatically be granted access to Canada but now I'm told that it makes no difference (is this true??) and there is still a change that the immigration officer might refuse his entry to Canada once he arrives at the airport. This is a very scary thought for us as I am 5 months pregnant and desperately want him to be there for the birth of our first child, at the very least. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or any advice on things he can do to help the immigration officer let him in the country (ie. timing and length of his visit)???

 

[waikiki]

hi marcie, I have the same problem, you can check out some threads about this in this forum

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/moving-with-spouse-while-application-is-pending-t102071.0.html;msg1405839#msg1405839

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/spousal-pr-app-stuck-outland-options-t104878.0.html

there are more, just use the search tool ("visitor" f.e.)

 

[OhCanadiana]

My husband is Serbian and I am Canadian. We were just married and getting ready to send our immigration package shortly. Originally, I was under the impression that once the sponsorship was approved, he would automatically be granted access to Canada but now I'm told that it makes no difference (is this true??) and there is still a change that the immigration officer might refuse his entry to Canada once he arrives at the airport. This is a very scary thought for us as I am 5 months pregnant and desperately want him to be there for the birth of our first child, at the very least. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or any advice on things he can do to help the immigration officer let him in the country (ie. timing and length of his visit)???

To enter Canada your husband, as any non-Canadian, needs to (i) have a visa status that authorizes him to enter Canada once he is granted entry by a border officer and (ii) will need to be granted entry at the border.

Once he is approved as an immigrant (at the end of step 2), a visa will be stamped in his passport for one entry into Canada as an immigrant. With that he can land as a permanent resident. Before that occurs, he could visit you - entering as a tourist if he has a temporary residence visa.

The instructions to get a tourist (temporary resident visa) are available at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/apply-how.asp. You should be aware that folks have reported often having their temporary resident visas applications denied once they are applying for sponsorship given that questions arise about their intent to only stay temporarily (even though dual intent is allowed). Therefore, you may want to prioritize the tourist visa so that you get that in asap while you complete your sponsorship application. Make sure you submit lots of evidence of his ties to go back to Serbia (or wherever he is living now) at the completion of his visit. Has he ever visited Canada before?

Once he has a temporary residence visa, then he'll want to bring much of the same evidence with him to ensure they grant him entry at the border since the border officers will have to be similarly convinced.

Also, note that once he is in Canada as a tourist, he won't be able to work, etc (ie, he'll have to be a tourist) and shouldn't actually move his belongings during the trip he is visiting. However, should he decide to extend his stay he'll be able to do that

There's lots of folks on here with experience doing this so take a look at their posts and ask specific questions on this and you'll get lots of perspectives and advice. Good luck

 

[Robyn]

You should try to apply for a visa. But when we applied for a visitors visa when our perminant resident application was already submitted he was denied for the visitors visa. I just think it depends on the visa officer for us I had to go by myself to Canada to give birth as my husband did not get the visa.

My advice is to apply for a visitors visa as soon as possible so you can weight your options as you are already 5 months pregnant.

Good luck