Am I on the Right Track? Canadian Sponsoring Japanese Wife.

[v-globe]

First, thanks to all of the awesome people who contribute to this forum I've already been able to learn a TON from the posts. Thank you.

Here's my situation, I'm looking for some advice on if my plan seems ok or if there are things I am not thinking about.

I currently live and work in Canada, my fiance is back in her home country, Japan. I plan on going back to Japan in March to get our Marriage Certificate and start the spousal sponsorship process for PR.

We plan on applying outland in March, preparing everything beforehand so that as soon as we receive the Marriage Certificate we can apply. Then I will return back to Canada and begin the waiting game while the application gets processed.

In July of 2013, I plan on heading BACK to Japan for an actual wedding ceremony. I will stay for a month and plan on returning to Canada in August with my (who will then be) wife.

What are the odds that she will be returning with me with PR in hand? If not, from what I understand, she's allowed in Canada as a visitor until the PR is received, in which case, she would have to exit then re-enter Canada. Is this true?

Has anybody done anything similar? How is the application process for Japanese coming to Canada in terms of approval rates and turnaround times? Has anybody on here recently sponsored a Japanese spouse using the Outland Application? Is there anything I should know before starting everything? Any tips, things I should look out for or be careful of?

Thank you again for all of the help and insight.

 

[canadianwoman]

The marriage certificate you will getting in March is all you need to be married in Japan, right? If so, if it just like a civil wedding here, still make it look as special as possible. Then in the application you can state you are going back to Japan for what? Don't call it the 'actual wedding ceremony' in the application. Is it the reception? Or is it something that a Japanese person would think you would have to have in order to be married? Because if it is the latter, apply after you have done it.
If it just the reception, or a 'Japanese' style wedding with no legal significance, then you can apply with the marriage certificate.

 

[v-globe]

You're absolutely right. After we get the marriage certification, we are married. Just like the civil wedding here. The "ceremony" in the summer is just like you said, the Japanese style wedding and family reception. "Actual wedding ceremony" was a poor choice of words.

Thanks.

 

[Sweden]

THe rest of the plan seems correct... and it's possible for your wife to come and wait out the rest of the PR process in Canada with you, there is a few things to say and not to say at the border, but nothing too difficult. It's always a gamble because you can always be refused entry as a visa-exempt national, but the cases are quite rare, so it can work.

About timing - that's really difficult to say.... for now, stage 1 is pretty fast, at about 35 days, but some people get approved in 7 to 10 days... but last year it went up to 100 days... so it's a bit unpredictable. For stage 2, your VO is Manilla, and they seem to be pretty efficient.. but then again, it depends on their workload, on possible changes ( last year some VO got closed, so the files were transferred to another VO, and the processing time increased) etc... so it could be that the PR is done within 4 to 5 months, but it can also be much much longer.

In your case - as your wife can come anyway, it doesn't really modify your planning too much, and you can already get a better idea when you apply - by reading the forum and following the different threads, you can get a better feeling of how fast applications are processed at the time when you apply. There is a thread for Manilla VO in english, because the others are in tagalog, so you'll find similar applications to yours - Japanese nationals etc.

Good luck,
Sweden

 

[steph816]

You might want to consider putting in photos of the ceremony or whatever....a lawyer told us it is better to have loads of pictures with you guys with other people, rather than just yourselves, to show that other people know of your relationship and see you as a couple. So you might want to wait until after your ceremony/party to submit the application. You want to submit the application with EVERYTHING in it, so that they don't have to request additional documents. That in itself can add months to your processing time. Put in photocopies of friends' wedding congratulations cards or emails/letters etc..... anything that shows they know you as a real couple. =)

 

[KP1111]

we sent my PR files earlier last month and still waiting for the sponsor approval. we are japanese wife and canadian husband. we haven't heard anything but we think it is unlikely we get refused, it is just a matter of time. at this moment, cic website says manila is taking 11 months, so if you apply in march, the chance of her coming to canada as pr in july is slim, i think.

we didn't do wedding ceremony or reception, just had some professional pictures taken, only ourselves, no family. on the application, we said we didn't do engagement party cuz it's not common in japan, we didn't do ceremony or reception cuz it is not required under the japanese law. about the picture, we said his family lives in canada and my family lives far from tokyo and they are old so we just took pics, they didn't come for the photo shoot. our marriage is recorded in my family registry (koseki tohon) so i sent that with the translation by a certified translator as it is said in the country specific instruction. Also included a copy of paper from canadian consulate saying he reported his marriage, signed by consul general. let's see how it goes.

if she is going to change her name, you may want to wait to get police certificate until she changes her name on her id to show them. i applied when i was in the us so it took 2 months to get it, but in japan, it would be around 2 weeks.

we arrived in canada before we sent our application but at the airport we told the immigration officer our situation, he got his job offer just a month ago, we will apply for PR as soon as we receive the police certificate from Japan, which we were told to take 2-3 months. he said here he could give me only 6 months so he would send us to the office.

then in the office, we explained that's how we are here, showed our marriage paper from canadian consulate (cuz at the time that was the only one in english). not many questions, only what if i wouldn't get PR approved, we said, no choice we will move to japan then. she gave me one year, actually almost 13 months visitor visa. i think it's better to get this paper at the airport instead of visa exempt entry of 6 months. i needed to show it to rent an apartment with him, apply for driver's license, etc.

 

[v-globe]

Thanks for all the comments.

Sweden > Yes, we plan on having her come here to wait out the remainder of the PR process but of course, in a perfect world she would be coming here with PR I guess all we do is make sure we are really thorough and get the application and documents to them completed and then hope for a really quick process.

Steph816 > thanks for the tip. We won't have many photos from when we obtain the Marriage Certificate as it's just a City Hall application, no formal reception etc. We will have however, a ton of pictures (online video as well -- even of the proposal), letters and pictures from and with friends and supporting documentation proving the authenticity of the relationship.

KP1111 > thank you for the info. It was helpful!! Question, which documents did you need to have translated from Japanese to English? Where did you have them translated? Of course, it's kind of overwhelming thinking of all of the documents we need to include and what we need translated and how to get it all done. PS I hope everything happens quickly for you guys!!


Also, does anybody know if there's a thread on this forum where people post an itemized list of what they included in their successful application. I know there is a CIC checklist, but I would love to see a user-made list of what was included in a successful application.

Thanks!!!

 

[Rob_TO]

We won't have many photos from when we obtain the Marriage Certificate as it's just a City Hall application, no formal reception etc. We will have however, a ton of pictures (online video as well -- even of the proposal), letters and pictures from and with friends and supporting documentation proving the authenticity of the relationship.

This is good. One possible red flag i see in your application, is you got married only on paper (no family ceremony) and then applied for sponsorship immediately after. To someone looking at this, is could seem like a marriage of convenience just for immigration purposes. However if you had a genuine long term relationship before this, and have ample proof of it... then you should have no problems.

One proof i highly recommend you include (if you don't already have it), is to get some cheap term life insurance with each other listed as beneficiary.

Also, does anybody know if there's a thread on this forum where people post an itemized list of what they included in their successful application. I know there is a CIC checklist, but I would love to see a user-made list of what was included in a successful application.

Here is the table of contents we included in our successful app (for Seoul visa office):

Attachments for XXXX (Sponsor)
1. Photocopy of Canadian Passport and Canadian Birth Certificate (1 page)
2. “Option C Printout” for XXXX's 2011 tax year income information (2 pages)
3. Letter from employer showing proof of job, income and time at company (1 page)
Attachments for YYYY (Applicant)
4. Photocopy of Passport, current Canadian Student entry Visa (expires Jan 31, 2013), and National ID card (3 pages)
5. Original Certificate of Family Relations plus certified translation to English (3 pages)
6. Original Certificate of Individual Identification plus certified translation to English (3 pages)
7. Original Police Criminal and Investigation Record plus certified translation to English (3 pages)
8. Original Household Register (already presented in English) (1 page)
9. Form 1017 – Medical Report plus proof of full medical exams (3 pages)
Attachments for Proof of Common-Law relationship
10. Copy of Benefits plan from XXXX's employer, showing YYYY as common-law spouse, dependant for health benefits, and 100% primary beneficiary for life insurance (7 pages)
11. Copy of Joint Credit Card account shared by XXXX and YYYY (1 page)
12. Copy of mail from Revenue Canada and Mobile Phone company, showing YYYY shares same address with XXXX (2 pages)
13. Copy of upcoming airplane tickets for XXXX and YYYY visiting South Korea for 3 weeks (2 pages)
14. Letter from ZZZZ (Sponsor's mother) as character witness to our common-law relationship (1 page)
15. Photographs documenting events, meeting friends/family and travel during XXXX and YYYY's relationship (11 pages)
Also:
16. 9 x PR photographs of YYYY

 

[KP1111]

in japan there is no marriage certificate or birth certificate. birth and marriage are recorded in "koseki" and local city office issues certified copy only in japanese. so you have to have it translated but by the instruction, it has to be done by a certified translator. i googled and used one in vancouver, who gave me the cheapest quote, in my case around $200. some gave me a quotation of $500. btw, japanese consulate in canada can make those certificate based on "koseki" but i didn't have them made.

 

[AnaMaria]

so you have to have it translated but by the instruction, it has to be done by a certified translator. i googled and used one in vancouver, who gave me the cheapest quote, in my case around $200.

I had mine done in about $75 in Vancouver!

It took me exactly 6 months from the date I sent the application till the date I landed (I've been in Canada for the past years with permits). You do not need TONS of pictures. I only included 6 pictures printed on a paper in the original application since we do not have habit of taking our pictures and we only traveled together to Whistler on a day trip. We added several more and sent them to VO when I sent police certificates. Focus on quality rather than quantity of the same events. I do not think filing right after marriage is a problem as long as you have fostering relationship. Good luck!

 

[erinblaak]

First, thanks to all of the awesome people who contribute to this forum I've already been able to learn a TON from the posts. Thank you.

Here's my situation, I'm looking for some advice on if my plan seems ok or if there are things I am not thinking about.

I currently live and work in Canada, my fiance is back in her home country, Japan. I plan on going back to Japan in March to get our Marriage Certificate and start the spousal sponsorship process for PR.

We plan on applying outland in March, preparing everything beforehand so that as soon as we receive the Marriage Certificate we can apply. Then I will return back to Canada and begin the waiting game while the application gets processed.

In July of 2013, I plan on heading BACK to Japan for an actual wedding ceremony. I will stay for a month and plan on returning to Canada in August with my (who will then be) wife.

What are the odds that she will be returning with me with PR in hand? If not, from what I understand, she's allowed in Canada as a visitor until the PR is received, in which case, she would have to exit then re-enter Canada. Is this true?

Has anybody done anything similar? How is the application process for Japanese coming to Canada in terms of approval rates and turnaround times? Has anybody on here recently sponsored a Japanese spouse using the Outland Application? Is there anything I should know before starting everything? Any tips, things I should look out for or be careful of?

Thank you again for all of the help and insight.

Definately think about including a few of your close friends and family in the civil ceremony and taking as many pictures as possible even if you just go to a simple restaurant for lunch after. also have as MANY people as you know write letters about the two of you, stating how long theyve known you, how long theyve known the two of you are a couple, and something about your relationship. The more the better. seriously you want to bombard them with as much as possible so they have no reason at all to doubt the genuinity of your relationship. as many emails, phone records, conversations etc as possible. any cards you sent to eachother, flights from when you visited eachother. tons of photos.

also one of the most important things is that the two of you write an individual letter to the embassy how long youve known eachother, how/when the relationship started, and why do you love your significant other so much.

also make sure everything is in the language of the consulate considering you both have family in different countries. anything without a translation might be inadmissible even if they can understand it.

yes hopefully it comes by the time she is ready to move!!!!
don't give them a reason not to

 

[KP1111]

I had mine done in about $75 in Vancouver!

that's cheap! i wish i could find the one, especially i provided how to read and spell names and addresses, all she had to do was copy and paste and attach a signed paper.

 

[Rob_TO]

that's cheap! i wish i could find the one, especially i provided how to read and spell names and addresses, all she had to do was copy and paste and attach a signed paper.

For our app, we had to get 3 documents in Korean tranlsated to English. We used a local (in Toronto) Korean lawyer, who did certified translations of all 3 docs for $100 total.

I have no idea about Vancouver, but my advice is to check with the local Japanese lawyer offices first. They should tend to be cheaper than generic lawyer/translation offices, as they would be more willing to help out fellow Japanese people in their community!

Also, make sure to confirm ALL the docs you will need to get translated to English, and get a quote for tranlsation of all at once. If you do them in bulk, you should get a cheaper rate per document.

 

[v-globe]

Here is the table of contents we included in our successful app (for Seoul visa office):

Attachments for XXXX (Sponsor)
1. Photocopy of Canadian Passport and Canadian Birth Certificate (1 page)
2. “Option C Printout” for XXXX's 2011 tax year income information (2 pages)
3. Letter from employer showing proof of job, income and time at company (1 page)
Attachments for YYYY (Applicant)
4. Photocopy of Passport, current Canadian Student entry Visa (expires Jan 31, 2013), and National ID card (3 pages)
5. Original Certificate of Family Relations plus certified translation to English (3 pages)
6. Original Certificate of Individual Identification plus certified translation to English (3 pages)
7. Original Police Criminal and Investigation Record plus certified translation to English (3 pages)
8. Original Household Register (already presented in English) (1 page)
9. Form 1017 – Medical Report plus proof of full medical exams (3 pages)
Attachments for Proof of Common-Law relationship
10. Copy of Benefits plan from XXXX's employer, showing YYYY as common-law spouse, dependant for health benefits, and 100% primary beneficiary for life insurance (7 pages)
11. Copy of Joint Credit Card account shared by XXXX and YYYY (1 page)
12. Copy of mail from Revenue Canada and Mobile Phone company, showing YYYY shares same address with XXXX (2 pages)
13. Copy of upcoming airplane tickets for XXXX and YYYY visiting South Korea for 3 weeks (2 pages)
14. Letter from ZZZZ (Sponsor's mother) as character witness to our common-law relationship (1 page)
15. Photographs documenting events, meeting friends/family and travel during XXXX and YYYY's relationship (11 pages)
Also:
16. 9 x PR photographs of YYYY

This is super helpful. Thank you!!

in japan there is no marriage certificate or birth certificate. birth and marriage are recorded in "koseki" and local city office issues certified copy only in japanese. so you have to have it translated but by the instruction, it has to be done by a certified translator. i googled and used one in vancouver, who gave me the cheapest quote, in my case around $200. some gave me a quotation of $500. btw, japanese consulate in canada can make those certificate based on "koseki" but i didn't have them made.

I've recently learned this. I also heard that the Japanese Consulate provided translation template is ok to use for this portion. I will confirm before we go ahead with the submission though.

 

[v-globe]

I had mine done in about $75 in Vancouver!

It took me exactly 6 months from the date I sent the application till the date I landed (I've been in Canada for the past years with permits). You do not need TONS of pictures. ... I do not think filing right after marriage is a problem as long as you have fostering relationship. Good luck!

6 months total?!? Awesome!! As far as pictures go, we plan on including various ones from our time together and various trips... Not to mention, we'll include a link to the [very public] proposal (not sure if the VO is overly concerned with watching YouTube videos though). We'll also have a few letters from family & friends on both sides testifying of their knowledge and support of our relationship.