Quebec Spousal Sponsorship Process Questions

[alansharpe]

Hello,
My fiancé (21M, natural Quebec resident) and I (21F, natural USA resident) are preparing to get married at the end of the week and want to begin the immigration process.

We’re considering the Quebec Spousal Sponsorship, but we’re confused about where to start after looking at both Canada and Quebec’s official websites.

First, I understand that he (the sponsor) needs to apply through Canada to confirm his eligibility. The website mentions this could take 24 months—does that apply only to the sponsorship application?

Additionally, I see that the undertaking application could take anywhere from four months to two years. Is that timeframe in addition to the 24 months for the sponsorship application? We really want to get started and need clarity on how long this process might take. Specifically, is the 24-month estimate for the initial application to ensure he can be a sponsor, or is it only for those going through the federal family sponsorship?

fall guys​

 

[canuck78]

Hello,
My fiancé (21M, natural Quebec resident) and I (21F, natural USA resident) are preparing to get married at the end of the week and want to begin the immigration process.

We’re considering the Quebec Spousal Sponsorship, but we’re confused about where to start after looking at both Canada and Quebec’s official websites.

First, I understand that he (the sponsor) needs to apply through Canada to confirm his eligibility. The website mentions this could take 24 months—does that apply only to the sponsorship application?

Additionally, I see that the undertaking application could take anywhere from four months to two years. Is that timeframe in addition to the 24 months for the sponsorship application? We really want to get started and need clarity on how long this process might take. Specifically, is the 24-month estimate for the initial application to ensure he can be a sponsor, or is it only for those going through the federal family sponsorship?

fall guys​

Would suggest spending some more time reading the IRCC website. Your only option is Quebec spousal sponsorship which has a long processing time compared to the rest of Canada. You apply for sponsorship in Quebec but you will still have status in the rest of Canada. You do have the option to apply for a WP once you receive AOR from the spousal sponsorship application so you can live with your spouse while the sponsorship application is processed. You would need to come to Canada as a visitor to apply for the work permit.

 

[Gekko]

Quebec doesn't have financial obligation tho when it comes to spouse sponsorship.
Also if you do it inside Canada, you can ask for a working permit, but the process takes longer, but at least you are together
If you do it from outside Canada, from her home country, usually shorter.

 

[SkyEarth]

Hello,
My fiancé (21M, natural Quebec resident) and I (21F, natural USA resident) are preparing to get married at the end of the week and want to begin the immigration process.

We’re considering the Quebec Spousal Sponsorship, but we’re confused about where to start after looking at both Canada and Quebec’s official websites.

First, I understand that he (the sponsor) needs to apply through Canada to confirm his eligibility. The website mentions this could take 24 months—does that apply only to the sponsorship application?

Additionally, I see that the undertaking application could take anywhere from four months to two years. Is that timeframe in addition to the 24 months for the sponsorship application? We really want to get started and need clarity on how long this process might take. Specifically, is the 24-month estimate for the initial application to ensure he can be a sponsor, or is it only for those going through the federal family sponsorship?

fall guys​

Congratulations~

So, my main recommendation is if you are able to apply from any other province than Quebec, your application will proceed more quickly.

For me (US citizen) and my husband (Canadian citizen), we were not in a position to apply from another province. As I have a US passport, I was able to enter Canada with legal Visitor status 3 times at the border before I was issued a Visitor Record and the CBP agents stipulated that I *must* apply for Permanent Residency within 3 months or I would not be able to lawfully enter Canada again for x number of years if I failed to do so.

As such, we applied Inland Quebec for the Family Class Spousal Sponsorship in November 2023. My full timeline is in my signature. I have been waiting for 19 months, and I am still waiting for my PR to be approved. At the time I submitted my application the wait for Inland Quebec applicants was estimated at 24 months (this is for the expected duration of the entire process start to finish). So I probably still have a few more months to go.

Contrary to what the person above me said, Inland is usually faster than Outland.

You will start your application by going through IRCC. You won't need to do anything with the Undertaking stuff for Quebec until IRCC instructs you to -- but it really should only take 1 month for the undertaking to process once you submit it, no longer than 3 months tops.

Hope that helps! And if you have more questions, I recommend my post here or feel free to message me directly if there's anything I can help clarify. Good luck!

 

[canuck78]

Congratulations~

So, my main recommendation is if you are able to apply from any other province than Quebec, your application will proceed more quickly.

For me (US citizen) and my husband (Canadian citizen), we were not in a position to apply from another province. As I have a US passport, I was able to enter Canada with legal Visitor status 3 times at the border before I was issued a Visitor Record and the CBP agents stipulated that I *must* apply for Permanent Residency within 3 months or I would not be able to lawfully enter Canada again for x number of years if I failed to do so.

As such, we applied Inland Quebec for the Family Class Spousal Sponsorship in November 2023. My full timeline is in my signature. I have been waiting for 19 months, and I am still waiting for my PR to be approved. At the time I submitted my application the wait for Inland Quebec applicants was estimated at 24 months (this is for the expected duration of the entire process start to finish). So I probably still have a few more months to go.

Contrary to what the person above me said, Inland is usually faster than Outland.

You will start your application by going through IRCC. You won't need to do anything with the Undertaking stuff for Quebec until IRCC instructs you to -- but it really should only take 1 month for the undertaking to process once you submit it, no longer than 3 months tops.

Hope that helps! And if you have more questions, I recommend my post here or feel free to message me directly if there's anything I can help clarify. Good luck!

Processing time you should expect is current processing time not the processing time when you applied. The best way to determine the actual processing time is to compare to applicants with a similar timeline to yours.

 

[SkyEarth]

Processing time you should expect is current processing time not the processing time when you applied. The best way to determine the actual processing time is to compare to applicants with a similar timeline to yours.

That's incorrect -- at least according to IRCC. As well, the current processing times of others near my application date aligns with the 24-month expectation given at the time of my application's submission.

 

[canuck78]

That's incorrect -- at least according to IRCC. As well, the current processing times of others near my application date aligns with the 24-month expectation given at the time of my application's submission.

Applicants may still be being processed within around 24 months but when trying to figure out your own processing time it is the current processing time not when you applied.

 

[SkyEarth]

Applicants may still be being processed within around 24 months but when trying to figure out your own processing time it is the current processing time not when you applied.

It's from the time of submission to the time of final decision. You do not use the current processing time to determine how long your already-in-progress application will take (they even say, the longer you've been waiting, the closer you are to the front of the line). The current anticipated processing time for Family Class Quebec Inland is 38 months if you apply today.

For me, when I applied, the anticipated processing time was 24 months. So that is how long I should still expect my application to take (and, as I mentioned, I've been monitoring the progress of other applications near mine and it seems likely I will receive final decision between 22-24 months. Which is consistent with the expected processing time for when my application was submitted.)

 

[canuck78]

It's from the time of submission to the time of final decision. You do not use the current processing time to determine how long your already-in-progress application will take (they even say, the longer you've been waiting, the closer you are to the front of the line). The current anticipated processing time for Family Class Quebec Inland is 38 months if you apply today.

For me, when I applied, the anticipated processing time was 24 months. So that is how long I should still expect my application to take (and, as I mentioned, I've been monitoring the progress of other applications near mine and it seems likely I will receive final decision between 22-24 months. Which is consistent with the expected processing time for when my application was submitted.)

In reality that is not actually what is happening especially at the moment due to backlogs and decreased quotas.

 

[Randomname222]

Hello,
My fiancé (21M, natural Quebec resident) and I (21F, natural USA resident) are preparing to get married at the end of the week and want to begin the immigration process.

We’re considering the Quebec Spousal Sponsorship, but we’re confused about where to start after looking at both Canada and Quebec’s official websites.

First, I understand that he (the sponsor) needs to apply through Canada to confirm his eligibility. The website mentions this could take 24 months—does that apply only to the sponsorship application?

Additionally, I see that the undertaking application could take anywhere from four months to two years. Is that timeframe in addition to the 24 months for the sponsorship application? We really want to get started and need clarity on how long this process might take. Specifically, is the 24-month estimate for the initial application to ensure he can be a sponsor, or is it only for those going through the federal family sponsorship?

fall gu​

I have a question about using the federal stream for outland spousal sponsorship:
My sponsor currently lives in Québec but we intend to live in Ontario upon my arrival—closer to my family and easier for integration (I don’t speak French). She can’t move before I do.

There’s a section at the start of the application asking where we plan to live. Can stating our intention be enough to avoid being sent to the Québec sponsorship route?

We’re planning to include:

• My sponsor’s Letter of Intent
• A house search summary in Ontario
• A letter from Ontario relatives confirming support

Any advice?

 

[SkyEarth]

I have a question about using the federal stream for outland spousal sponsorship:
My sponsor currently lives in Québec but we intend to live in Ontario upon my arrival—closer to my family and easier for integration (I don’t speak French). She can’t move before I do.

There’s a section at the start of the application asking where we plan to live. Can stating our intention be enough to avoid being sent to the Québec sponsorship route?

We’re planning to include:

• My sponsor’s Letter of Intent
• A house search summary in Ontario
• A letter from Ontario relatives confirming support

Any advice?

I'm no expert or anything, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt, but from my understanding Outland applications are based on where you intend to live after you formally land in the province (aka after you receive your PR approval). But your sponsor needs to have a presence/residence in that province that can be proven. But I'm not familiar enough to know if the documents you plan on providing would be enough to establish the intention without the sponsor physically being in Ontario.

You can, as well, start out with an Outland Quebec application and then reach out to IRCC to let them know your intended province has changed after you guys move to Ontario.

But imo, if you are going to apply Outland, I'd probably wait until your Sponsor has made the move (with you, it sounds like?) to Ontario. That way they are formally established in the new province for residency purposes. If you are living in Ontario as well, either on a visa or as a visitor with a valid passport, I would personally recommend applying Inland rather than Outland. I know the processing times are a bit flipped right now from normal, but I'm still of the opinion that a new Inland application is going to be swifter than a new Outland application (but that's pure speculation).

If you're unsure -- due to the timing of your living arrangements and such -- I would also recommend potentially seeking out assistance professionally from an immigration lawyer as they may be able to better advise you on the sort of documentation to provide and what is usually considered the appropriate stream to apply to when a provincial move is involved.

 

[Aziz Matus]

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question.

I got my PR through Quebec and applied for family sponsorship (outside Canada) also through Quebec. But since the process takes about 38 months, I’m thinking of switching to Ontario to speed things up.

Will this cause any issues later on? And if not, how can I change the process from Quebec to Ontario?

Thanks a lot!

 

[canuck78]

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question.

I got my PR through Quebec and applied for family sponsorship (outside Canada) also through Quebec. But since the process takes about 38 months, I’m thinking of switching to Ontario to speed things up.

Will this cause any issues later on? And if not, how can I change the process from Quebec to Ontario?

Thanks a lot!

Duplicate

 

[Randomname222]

I'm no expert or anything, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt, but from my understanding Outland applications are based on where you intend to live after you formally land in the province (aka after you receive your PR approval). But your sponsor needs to have a presence/residence in that province that can be proven. But I'm not familiar enough to know if the documents you plan on providing would be enough to establish the intention without the sponsor physically being in Ontario.

You can, as well, start out with an Outland Quebec application and then reach out to IRCC to let them know your intended province has changed after you guys move to Ontario.

But imo, if you are going to apply Outland, I'd probably wait until your Sponsor has made the move (with you, it sounds like?) to Ontario. That way they are formally established in the new province for residency purposes. If you are living in Ontario as well, either on a visa or as a visitor with a valid passport, I would personally recommend applying Inland rather than Outland. I know the processing times are a bit flipped right now from normal, but I'm still of the opinion that a new Inland application is going to be swifter than a new Outland application (but that's pure speculation).

If you're unsure -- due to the timing of your living arrangements and such -- I would also recommend potentially seeking out assistance professionally from an immigration lawyer as they may be able to better advise you on the sort of documentation to provide and what is usually considered the appropriate stream to apply to when a provincial move is involved.

We discussed and figured I apply now with those documents and if later down the line IRCC requests additional information or wants to route it through Montreal, then she’ll just make the move, stay with a relative in the meantime and get the required documents. Does that make sense? That way she doesn’t have to make the move way before I arrive. Please let me know your opinion on this

 

[canuck78]

We discussed and figured I apply now with those documents and if later down the line IRCC requests additional information or wants to route it through Montreal, then she’ll just make the move, stay with a relative in the meantime and get the required documents. Does that make sense? That way she doesn’t have to make the move way before I arrive. Please let me know your opinion on this

She should do more than stay with relative since that does not set up very strong ties. For example work in Ontario.