Visitor Visa before Spousal Sponsorship

[soakimi]

Hello,

My fiance and I are marrying in a year's time. I am a Canadian citizen, she is a Tongan citizen. I have been staying in Tonga for more than 1 year now. We will marry in New Zealand.

We want to be able to go to Canada directly after our wedding. I understand that the point of a visitor's visa is only for a visit, and one has to show that they have ties to their home country. My question is about applying for a visitor's visa to gain initial entry and then applying for an inland spousal sponsorship visa - if this is not the route that I should go for, then what else should I do?

If she does not get a visitor's visa and has to wait until we are married to apply for the spousal sponsorship visa, would it be a matter of having to wait 12 months before we can go to Canada?

I had consultations with visa firms, and they led me to believe that she could apply for a visitor visa, enter on the visitor's visa and then apply for the spousal sponsorship to stay. From what I have been reading on this website it does not look like we can do that, it would most likely get denied. I assume that the immigration officer would think she is using this visitor visa to get in and then want to stay.

Another visa firm told me that we should apply for our spousal sponsorship now, because if we weren't in Tonga (against the culture & religion) then we would be living together in a common law relationship - but the other firm told me this was not possible.

Any suggestions on what to do would be appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[soakimi]

Follow up:

I just read this on a immigration firm's website:

"However, your spouse can apply for a temporary visa to come to Canada while his or her outland sponsorship application is being processed if they choose."

How should I go about wording the purpose of a temporary visa to come while our outland sponsorship application is being processed?

Thanks,

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hello,

My fiance and I are marrying in a year's time. I am a Canadian citizen, she is a Tongan citizen. I have been staying in Tonga for more than 1 year now. We will marry in New Zealand.

We want to be able to go to Canada directly after our wedding. I understand that the point of a visitor's visa is only for a visit, and one has to show that they have ties to their home country. My question is about applying for a visitor's visa to gain initial entry and then applying for an inland spousal sponsorship visa - if this is not the route that I should go for, then what else should I do?

If she does not get a visitor's visa and has to wait until we are married to apply for the spousal sponsorship visa, would it be a matter of having to wait 12 months before we can go to Canada?

I had consultations with visa firms, and they led me to believe that she could apply for a visitor visa, enter on the visitor's visa and then apply for the spousal sponsorship to stay. From what I have been reading on this website it does not look like we can do that, it would most likely get denied. I assume that the immigration officer would think she is using this visitor visa to get in and then want to stay.

Another visa firm told me that we should apply for our spousal sponsorship now, because if we weren't in Tonga (against the culture & religion) then we would be living together in a common law relationship - but the other firm told me this was not possible.

Any suggestions on what to do would be appreciated.

Thanks,

She can try for a TRV but with a Canadian partner, chances are low. If approved, she can come to Canada and you can apply inland.

Unless you are common-law or married, you cannot apply now. It doesn't matter that living together is against her culture. There are no barriers preventing you from marrying.