Advice needed - US->CAN Out/In/etc

[Majromax]

Ah, that makes sense. And Seems to agree with me theory that if we apply in Jan 2016, outland, should be expecting a response around Oct 2016.

That's a safe but pessimistic assumption. Last year, the January 2014 applicants had their permanent residency in the June-August timeframe; that timeline seems to be roughly repeating itself this year.

 

[bunny82]

CIC's guides are actually contradictory here. The police certificate page says the report must be from within the past six weeks, whereas the immigration guide says three months. As I understand it, six months is a new-ish policy and not all the documentation is updated.

I am going thru the same thing right now with my husband, we wish to do Inland but I cannot support us in the time it would take for him to get the open work permit. It's a real bummer to be apart like this..

I just wanted to ask Majromax, so it is now 6 months for the police check? Cannot be any older than 6 months? I hope this is the case, because my husband applied for the police certificate a while back, knowing it could take a really long time to receive. We probably won't be able to apply until September, and if it cannot be older than 3 months, then it would be useless. I really hope that is not the case as we would be put back many more months...

 

[Majromax]

I just wanted to ask Majromax, so it is now 6 months for the police check? Cannot be any older than 6 months? I hope this is the case, because my husband applied for the police certificate a while back, knowing it could take a really long time to receive. We probably won't be able to apply until September, and if it cannot be older than 3 months, then it would be useless. I really hope that is not the case as we would be put back many more months...

You'd be fine regardless. The validity period would begin when the certificate is issued, not from when the original application is made. The FBI isn't sitting on complete certificates before mailing them, it's sitting on the unopened requests.

 

[bunny82]

Ok. Thank you.

 

[ayrazar]

Couple more quick questions for you guys:

If we decide to do outland, is there any issue with sending out out like.. right after we get married? Like if that's happening Dec 19, could we send the application out Dec 21 or is that a no-no?

Also, the IC told us part of our inland package should include thirty (30) letters of support for our relaitonship, evidence of a joint bank account, receipts of all the gifts we've ever bought each other, a printout of all the times he's been across the border to visit me in Canada, pictures of trips we'eve taken together, etc. I'm assuming it's all the same outland or inland, but was wonder on your opinion on these items, or other things that should be attached in the application other than what's on the checklist from what you guys have experienced.

 

[keesio]

The only issue of trying to send it out right after you get married is that it is very likely you didn't get you marriage certificate yet. You will need that for sure. It took almost a month for me to get mine in the mail.

THIRTY letters of support?? What? That is a lot. We sent in none. US/Canadian couples do not have to send in as much supporting documents as perhaps other couples. The bar is low.

Here is my opinions:
-thirty (30) letters of support for our relaitonship: see my comment above. Maybe one or two if you want.
-evidence of a joint bank account: that is helpful but not a deal breaker. My wife and I had joint accounts but we didn't even mention it to CIC
-receipts of all the gifts we've ever bought each other: nope, we didn't do this at all. Maybe send in one or two receipts for some big expensive gifts if you want
-a printout of all the times he's been across the border to visit me in Canada: This can be helpful. I just included boarding passes for my flights when I went to visit my wife and vice versa
-pictures of trips we'eve taken together: quality pictures are good. Pictures of you two together on major vacations is always good.

extra things my wife and I sent (beside the usual pictures and phone logs):
-receipt for payment for the booking of the wedding reception hall
-our wedding invitation we sent out
-A welcome letter from the resort where we had our honeymoon. The letter congratulated us on our marriage

 

[KelseyTVS]

Wedding and honeymoon stuff is a good idea. You can send a couple of letters from family/friends that say your relationship is genuine, but that's really more important for common law applications. Other recommendations are joint bank accounts or joint leases, records of visits, photos, maybe some chat or Skype logs, or letters you sent each other.

There's no specific guideline to relationship proof, but as long as you include enough to convince them that you really are in love, it'll be enough.

 

[Majromax]

For a married couple, CIC's interest is that the marriage is genuine and not conducted specifically for the purpose of immigration. For a US/Canadian couple specifically, the degree of suspicion is low because the US has a very similar quality of life as Canada, so there is no economic pressure to come to Canada fraudulently.

Provide evidence that you had a relationship before being married and that the relationship did not end once the license was (will be) issued. Records of visits are good, records of meeting family are good (to show the relationship isn't a creation of Photoshop), cohabitation is good. Evidence of shared finances is probably good, but one-sided evidence might not be (if it could look like the sponsored person was paying to get into Canada).

To elaborate on KelseyTVS's response, for common law relationships you need to prove that you actually cohabited for a year in a "marriage-like" relationship. That's a higher burden, since you could have a completely sincere relationship that just doesn't meet that bar.

 

[ayrazar]

The only issue of trying to send it out right after you get married is that it is very likely you didn't get you marriage certificate yet. You will need that for sure. It took almost a month for me to get mine in the mail.

UGG. She told us we could just send a copy of the marriage licence, and that we didn't have to wait for the certificate..

Here is my opinions:
-thirty (30) letters of support for our relaitonship: see my comment above. Maybe one or two if you want.
-evidence of a joint bank account: that is helpful but not a deal breaker. My wife and I had joint accounts but we didn't even mention it to CIC
-receipts of all the gifts we've ever bought each other: nope, we didn't do this at all. Maybe send in one or two receipts for some big expensive gifts if you want
-a printout of all the times he's been across the border to visit me in Canada: This can be helpful. I just included boarding passes for my flights when I went to visit my wife and vice versa
-pictures of trips we'eve taken together: quality pictures are good. Pictures of you two together on major vacations is always good.

extra things my wife and I sent (beside the usual pictures and phone logs):
-receipt for payment for the booking of the wedding reception hall
-our wedding invitation we sent out
-A welcome letter from the resort where we had our honeymoon. The letter congratulated us on our marriage

Yeah our IC was kind of a nincompoop. We're realizing this more and more. So probably just the receipt of the engagement ring I proposed with for receipts? Lately we've been able to drive to see each other, so we don't get visa stamps anymore, thus why we have to request the printout. Not booking a hall for our wedding (yay parent living rooms XD) but the invitation is a good idea.

Wedding and honeymoon stuff is a good idea. You can send a couple of letters from family/friends that say your relationship is genuine, but that's really more important for common law applications. Other recommendations are joint bank accounts or joint leases, records of visits, photos, maybe some chat or Skype logs, or letters you sent each other.

There's no specific guideline to relationship proof, but as long as you include enough to convince them that you really are in love, it'll be enough.

Okay. Skype logs are good, would show how often we video chat rather than them having to actually read our text conversations. I really don't wanna share all of those XD I was thinking of printing of some Facebook statuses where we've tagged each other or pics, since theres a date attached to those, but my facebook name isn't my real name. If I just make a note that it's my nickname, would it cause strife?

For a married couple, CIC's interest is that the marriage is genuine and not conducted specifically for the purpose of immigration. For a US/Canadian couple specifically, the degree of suspicion is low because the US has a very similar quality of life as Canada, so there is no economic pressure to come to Canada fraudulently.

Provide evidence that you had a relationship before being married and that the relationship did not end once the license was (will be) issued. Records of visits are good, records of meeting family are good (to show the relationship isn't a creation of Photoshop), cohabitation is good. Evidence of shared finances is probably good, but one-sided evidence might not be (if it could look like the sponsored person was paying to get into Canada).

To elaborate on KelseyTVS's response, for common law relationships you need to prove that you actually cohabited for a year in a "marriage-like" relationship. That's a higher burden, since you could have a completely sincere relationship that just doesn't meet that bar.

Mmhmm, so it's just to prove it's not 'marrying for a green card'. Just wondering what other people have included. Again though, does this mean I shouldnt apply right after we get married?

 

[Majromax]

UGG. She told us we could just send a copy of the marriage licence, and that we didn't have to wait for the certificate..

CIC needs to know that the marriage was actually conducted, legalized, and registered in the host country. In Ontario, the marriage license is the authorization to marry, the record of solemnization is the form that says the ceremony was done, and the certificate is proof that both of those were properly recorded.

Yeah our IC was kind of a nincompoop. We're realizing this more and more.

Yeeeeah. If they are registered (which they really have to be if they took money for the advice), you may wish to file a complaint at the outdated and marginally useless information.

Really, 30 letters of support? Even if that was a good idea, what would CIC possibly glean from letters 28, 29, and 30 that they did not get from 1, 2, or 3?

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't know how to advise for a simple file. Some of this advice makes sense if you are trying to sponsor your spouse that you just met in person for the arranged marriage in a poverty-stricken country, but not for a US/Canadian couple who can drive across the border to visit whenever they want.

Again though, does this mean I shouldnt apply right after we get married?

Applying right after should be fine, since you'll have and will submit proof that you had a romantic relationship with a long-planned wedding well in advance of the actual date. Just wait long enough to get all the proper paperwork.

 

[ayrazar]

Applying right after should be fine, since you'll have and will submit proof that you had a romantic relationship with a long-planned wedding well in advance of the actual date. Just wait long enough to get all the proper paperwork.

Hokay. So we gotta wait the month or two for the certificate to come, so I guess we're looking at a February submission date. And yeah, good point. I'll submit the receipt of the deposit for the officiant, which I should get in a few days.

 

[keesio]

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't know how to advise for a simple file. Some of this advice makes sense if you are trying to sponsor your spouse that you just met in person for the arranged marriage in a poverty-stricken country, but not for a US/Canadian couple who can drive across the border to visit whenever they want.

I'm sure most immigration consultants/lawyers specialize in clients with more complex cases and hence have a checklist of requirements that they apply to everyone. Many/most standard US/Canadian couples would not need a lawyer so they don't cater to them.

 

[keesio]

Yeah our IC was kind of a nincompoop. We're realizing this more and more. So probably just the receipt of the engagement ring I proposed with for receipts? Lately we've been able to drive to see each other, so we don't get visa stamps anymore, thus why we have to request the printout. Not booking a hall for our wedding (yay parent living rooms XD) but the invitation is a good idea.

I don't think the receipts are really needed but I guess they can help.

The key thing CIC wants to know is that you two visit each other. You can prove this in many ways. For example when my wife visited me in Toronto, I had pictures of us in front of obvious Toronto monuments (CN Tower, City Hall, TIFF building, St. Lawrence Market, etc). We had pictures from the summer and winter which shows she visited me more than once. Vice visa for when I visited her in NYC. If you can get a printout easy, that's great. But don't feel obligated to get one.

Okay. Skype logs are good, would show how often we video chat rather than them having to actually read our text conversations. I really don't wanna share all of those XD I was thinking of printing of some Facebook statuses where we've tagged each other or pics, since theres a date attached to those, but my facebook name isn't my real name. If I just make a note that it's my nickname, would it cause strife?

As long as CIC can figure out that the profile is indeed you, then that is key. Note that CIC tends to prioritize facebook chats and such pretty low. They don't value them so much so don't feel the need to print tons of pages of Facebook chats/messages.

For skype, you should be able to pull your history where it shows that you had many video chats. A log of that can be helpful.

Mmhmm, so it's just to prove it's not 'marrying for a green card'. Just wondering what other people have included. Again though, does this mean I shouldnt apply right after we get married?

No you can apply as soon as you have everything you need.

 

[ayrazar]

I don't think the receipts are really needed but I guess they can help.

The key thing CIC wants to know is that you two visit each other. You can prove this in many ways. For example when my wife visited me in Toronto, I had pictures of us in front of obvious Toronto monuments (CN Tower, City Hall, TIFF building, St. Lawrence Market, etc). We had pictures from the summer and winter which shows she visited me more than once. Vice visa for when I visited her in NYC. If you can get a printout easy, that's great. But don't feel obligated to get one.

As long as CIC can figure out that the profile is indeed you, then that is key. Note that CIC tends to prioritize facebook chats and such pretty low. They don't value them so much so don't feel the need to print tons of pages of Facebook chats/messages.

For skype, you should be able to pull your history where it shows that you had many video chats. A log of that can be helpful.

No you can apply as soon as you have everything you need.

I dont think we have any pictures with notable Canadian monuments in the background. I dont live in TO.. and from Facebook, I meant printing out posts, pictures and stuff, not facebook messenger chats.

And thanks! Good to know. We'll get all the paperwork all ready and set to go as soon as the certificate comes in

 

[deweysmith]

Yeah our IC was kind of a nincompoop. We're realizing this more and more.

Most are.

Seriously. CBSA officers have told me more than once that they're basically useless when it comes to things this straightforward like sponsorship applications.

We sent about 200 photos of us during dating and our wedding, a link to the YouTube video of me proposing, and receipts for 6 (I think) flights that either of us took to visit each other while we were dating/engaged. At this point all is well, and I'm just waiting for them to get my CSQ in the system and I should have my COPR.

Also note, my application was received on March 18th, started April 22nd, approved for sponsorship May 12th, started processing for PR on May 28th, and I got a request for my CSQ (which hadn't even applied for yet, because I was expecting much more processing time) that same day.

My theory for the relative processing speed is that I'm a NEXUS member and I cross the border almost weekly… YMMV, but don't be too pessimistic when it comes to the time estimate.