Advice required about immigration from britain from inside or outside Canada

[Bridgeen]

Hello!
I need some advice please regarding immigration to Canada. I find the Canadian immigration website very confusing! My husband is Canadian, I am British and we previously lived in England for 6 years. We are married now 5 years and have been together for 11 in Oct!
I was to immigrate to Canada when my husband returned in Sept 08 but I fell pregnant and due to finances kept my job as a school teacher in England and whilst on maternity leave, I joined him in Canada and we had our daughter in Canada. She is Canadian (we had to pay for the medical fee's because I was a British Citizen). I stayed in Canada for 8 months, I extended my visitors visa and it was accepted. I returned to England with our daughter and finished my leave at work (8 weeks). My daughter and I are now back in Canada - me on a visitors visa again-and ready to apply for permament residency. I have all the necessary documents including my poilice check and relevant certificates. My husband will be sponsoring me in family class immigration.
Am I better to apply from within Canada or from England? Is there a difference in the price of the application and the length of the process? Do I have to stay in Canada if I apply for residency from within Canada? Can I apply for a temporary work visa and work whilst waiting for my permanent residency status? If yes how long does this take and how much will it be? It is complicated because we have an infant daughter and I would never want to be away from her.

Any help/advice would be wonderful...we found an immigration lawyer and they wanted to charge 250 dollar's per hour!!! We just need to know we are doing everything correctly and in the best way to make things easy for us.

Regards
Bridgeen

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hello!
I need some advice please regarding immigration to Canada. I find the Canadian immigration website very confusing! My husband is Canadian, I am British and we previously lived in England for 6 years. We are married now 5 years and have been together for 11 in Oct!
I was to immigrate to Canada when my husband returned in Sept 08 but I fell pregnant and due to finances kept my job as a school teacher in England and whilst on maternity leave, I joined him in Canada and we had our daughter in Canada. She is Canadian (we had to pay for the medical fee's because I was a British Citizen). I stayed in Canada for 8 months, I extended my visitors visa and it was accepted. I returned to England with our daughter and finished my leave at work (8 weeks). My daughter and I are now back in Canada - me on a visitors visa again-and ready to apply for permament residency. I have all the necessary documents including my poilice check and relevant certificates. My husband will be sponsoring me in family class immigration.
Am I better to apply from within Canada or from England? Is there a difference in the price of the application and the length of the process? Do I have to stay in Canada if I apply for residency from within Canada? Can I apply for a temporary work visa and work whilst waiting for my permanent residency status? If yes how long does this take and how much will it be? It is complicated because we have an infant daughter and I would never want to be away from her.

Any help/advice would be wonderful...we found an immigration lawyer and they wanted to charge 250 dollar's per hour!!! We just need to know we are doing everything correctly and in the best way to make things easy for us.

Regards
Bridgeen

1. You can apply "outside" Canada while residing in Canada you know. The sponsorship is sent to Mississauga, and you choose London as the processing office. You give a UK residential address and a Canadian mailing address. The only hitch could be if you have to attend an interview, which would be in London. Processing time about 2-8 months for 80% of cases.
2. Once you receive your COPR (PR visa) then you either "land" at CIC in Canada or go to a US/Canadian border port to "land"
3. If you apply in Canada via Vegreville, Approval in Principle will take 6 months, then the processing time at the local office. If it is Mississauga or Etobicoke your are in for a very long long wait.
4. You can't work until your a Permanent Resident (if apply outside Canada) or you are able to obtain an LMO from an employer, and then you apply for an work permit outside Canada.
5. If you apply "inside" Canada you submit a work permit request with the application, you will not be able to work until you receive back from Vegreville about 6 months into the process.
6. The price is the same, $550 + $490.

PMM

 

[lbw]

Hi,

We just completed the process and my husband has his permanent residency. His application was started in Feb 08 and decision was made in June 09 through the London UK office. We moved to Canada in Sept 08 (I have dual citizenship) and he had to return to England prior to his 6 month Visas expiring while we were waiting the decision.
We were advised to go through the London office rather than inland, as he would have to stay in Canada during the process. As it happened he had to go back to the UK for family reasons and we are glad that we used the London office.
Each time he returned to Canada (sometimes with me and other times alone), he had to see an Immigration officer at Pearson airport and they had all his file details on hand. He did not encounter any problems leaving or entering Canada during this time.
As for your comment on the solictor / lawyer fees, we used Campbell Cohen and were charged flat rates, certainly not an hourly rate.

Good luck.