A little assistance required. Oh and hello!

[Fragboy]

Hi everyone!

I have just came across this forum while trying to obtain as much information, help and details regarding how to apply for PR via Spousal sponsorship within Canada.

Here's a quick rundown of my current situation:

Born in the UK, hold a current UK passport and Brit Cit by birth.
Came to Canada (Toronto) 15-05-2014 to continue my relationship with my girlfriend who I met December 2011 while visiting Toronto and have visited two further times thereafter before on July 2013 and Dec 2013(No visa....just on UK passport for 6 months)
Successfully applied and had a visa granted for 6 months (Expired 05-05-2015)
Successfully applied and had a further extension (for 5 days!.....due to error in dates on form)
Applied again to have visa extended 31-5-2015 and awaiting answer (Inferred status)
Married Toronto 2-8-2015.

Currently going through the application forms (Its a minefield!) and need a bit of advice with what forms I do have to fill in and details required and so on.

Does anyone have a ready reckoner that gives a simple step by step guide to "In Canada Spousal sponsorship applications" ? Or a link to the right page on this site that may show this information would be greatly appreciated.

I'm used to government forms as worked within the UK government for 12 years in the passport office so I suppose this is payback for all the times I made our processes seem easy to unsuspecting applicants. However, these forms and processes are both a bit confusing and lack the easy to understand language of the layperson thus I may need a lot of help from time to time and for that I am truely grateful (In advance).

So please help a wee Glasgow boy stay with the love of his life and tell me how to make this process easier!

Many thanks and good luck to everyone else.

Frag

ps...........I may be able to give advice on UK passport issues if anyone needs help with that or immigration questions regarding the UK.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi

Successfully applied and had a visa granted for 6 months (Expired 05-05-2015)
Successfully applied and had a further extension (for 5 days!.....due to error in dates on form)
Applied again to have visa extended 31-5-2015 and awaiting answer (Inferred status)

Just trying to understand your timeline. You were granted an extension for 5 days, so you had status until May 10th? And you didn't apply again until May 31st? If so, you currently have no status in Canada, not even Implied Status. Did you apply for Restoration?

Does anyone have a ready reckoner that gives a simple step by step guide to "In Canada Spousal sponsorship applications" ? Or a link to the right page on this site that may show this information would be greatly appreciated.

I strongly suggest you apply outland.

Outland app: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp

 

[scylla]

Agreed with the above. You'll need to clarify your dates for us. Also agree that you should apply outland.

To answer your question, the only real guide available for completing the forms is the instruction guide on the CIC web site (posted alongside of the forms). If you feel uncomfortable going at it alone, you can certainly hire an immigration lawyer or consultant to assist you. But be prepared to pay quite a bit to make sure you get a decent one. Otherwise, just take your time reading through and understanding all of the forms - and ask specific questions here as you have them.

 

[Fragboy]

Hi and thanks for the reply....ok let me clarify things a little more as the timeline seems odd:

Extension was applied for in plenty of time (As was the original one applied for in Nov 2014).
The actual date the original extension expired was the 5th of May but the renewal was granted on the 26th May for 5 days only because my start and expiry dates were the same on the application. That took me to the 31st May 2015.
I submitted the new request to extend on the 27th May 2015 so my status is implied.

The above isn't an issue, as I assume that the application to extend my visa will be processed hopefully without any further problems. I did call the CIC helpdesk immediately in order to find out the best course of actions when the results of the visa extension came though and valid for only 5 days instead of the expected 6 months+. They advised me to make another application, to resubmitt everything I had previously and pay the fee again, which I did that day. They also advised me that because I would then have an ongoing application submitted to the CIC that my status would be implied. Again...this is simply me letting folk's know on this site where I am....and I am not looking for any advice regarding the aforementioned

So I came here Dec 2011, met my future wife, came back two times thereafter (July 2013 & Dec 2013) then came here May 2015 and have been here since. Last application to extend visa was end of May 2015 and I expect a reply from this soon. Got married beginning of this month and wish to apply for PR via a spousal application by my Canadian born wife.

What we are planning is to apply inland and apply for an open work permit while awaiting the decision via the pilot scheme for applicants of spouses and common-law partners living in Canada program that has been trialled since December 2014. I have no requirement to travel outwith Canada at present so applying as an "Insider" is acceptible, even though the outsider applications are quicker.

I also don't want to hire a solicitor as i'm sure with a whole lot of patience and a bit of help I can figure it out eventually. Plus the costs are too much for me to cope with since I am not able to work in Canada as yet.

Thanks for the information so far and appologies for the initial confusion

F

 

[Oak]

Hi and thanks for the reply....ok let me clarify things a little more as the timeline seems odd:

Extension was applied for in plenty of time (As was the original one applied for in Nov 2014).
The actual date the original extension expired was the 5th of May but the renewal was granted on the 26th May for 5 days only because my start and expiry dates were the same on the application. That took me to the 31st May 2015.
I submitted the new request to extend on the 27th May 2015 so my status is implied.

The above isn't an issue, as I assume that the application to extend my visa will be processed hopefully without any further problems. I did call the CIC helpdesk immediately in order to find out the best course of actions when the results of the visa extension came though and valid for only 5 days instead of the expected 6 months+. They advised me to make another application, to resubmitt everything I had previously and pay the fee again, which I did that day. They also advised me that because I would then have an ongoing application submitted to the CIC that my status would be implied. Again...this is simply me letting folk's know on this site where I am....and I am not looking for any advice regarding the aforementioned

So I came here Dec 2011, met my future wife, came back two times thereafter (July 2013 & Dec 2013) then came here May 2015 and have been here since. Last application to extend visa was end of May 2015 and I expect a reply from this soon. Got married beginning of this month and wish to apply for PR via a spousal application by my Canadian born wife.

What we are planning is to apply inland and apply for an open work permit while awaiting the decision via the pilot scheme for applicants of spouses and common-law partners living in Canada program that has been trialled since December 2014. I have no requirement to travel outwith Canada at present so applying as an "Insider" is acceptible, even though the outsider applications are quicker.

I also don't want to hire a solicitor as i'm sure with a whole lot of patience and a bit of help I can figure it out eventually. Plus the costs are too much for me to cope with since I am not able to work in Canada as yet.

Thanks for the information so far and appologies for the initial confusion

F

Check your inbox!

 

[Fragboy]

Thank you Oak, I did

 

[Leon]

The forms are actually not that bad. I suggest you start somewhere and as your questions come up, just come back here and ask. It's hard for someone here to give you a step by step guide from A to Z but a lot easier to answer specific questions if you are getting confused by something along the way.

English being your first language and having worked in government already gives you quite a head start on most other applicants and somehow they managed to do it too

 

[Fragboy]

Hi Leon,

I have completed about 5 applications thus far..........its not so much the forms that are bad, moreso the lack of good guidance notes to hold your hand as you stumble through the minefield that is Canadian immigration blurb.

I will, as advised, ask for assistance when I do get caught up in parts that I am completely lost at. Perhaps I am simply used to flying through these things in a few minutes thus my initial panic and frustration

Ok and a big thanks to Oak, who sent me a breakdown of the process and what all the acronyms mean......it all starts to make much more sense.

Great forum btw.....and super busy too.

Thanks everyone!

F

 

[half21]

i have question about filling my spouse sponsorship application for my husband, i fill it out all in computer but some of the boxes my answer wont fit can i fill it out by hand written??

 

[KelseyTVS]

i have question about filling my spouse sponsorship application for my husband, i fill it out all in computer but some of the boxes my answer wont fit can i fill it out by hand written??

Yes. It is recommended that you fill it all out on your computer because it will detect any missed boxes, but you can write by hand too, just be extra careful not to leave anything blank!

 

[kangamoose]

i have question about filling my spouse sponsorship application for my husband, i fill it out all in computer but some of the boxes my answer wont fit can i fill it out by hand written??

I would advise against hand writing it. What we did was write 'see attached' in the box and in a word document typed up the answer (make sure to include the form number, your name and the question number at the top of the page) and added it to the end of the form.

 

[Fragboy]

Oh!

I took it that if it greys out boxes and sections that the application is determining that these sections do not apply due to your previously chosen options beforehand.....is this correct or not?

 

[kangamoose]

Yes this is true, if it greys out you don't fill it in. I think once its greyed out you can't type in the box if I recall correctly... Once you hit the validate button on those forms it will tell you if you missed anything. If you hand write it you don't have that option, so you need to go over it to ensure you answered correctly.

When filling out the forms that don't have the validate button, put an N/A in sections that don't apply to you. Eg the military service section on the background declaration if you've never served.

 

[Fragboy]

How I discovered this was being unable to type into the fields greyed out when chosing certain answers to sections that had for example "Section 5a - 5b and so on. If you say yes or answer 5a then 5b will be greyed out and if you answer no it allows you to move on the 5b".

It also greys out all signature sections as once printed, you have to physically sign the forms.....although it allows a date to be entered.

This is both clever and annoying as at first you don't automatically pick up on it....well it took me a minute or two to double check I wasn't doing something completely wrong.