being abroad

[bacidash]

im a canadian student studying abroad, i was wondering is there anyway to apply for my wife, to be accepted for pr, while she is living with me abroad? or do i have to wait until i return to canada after im done my studies to apply for my wife?

 

[amikety]

If you're a citizen, yes. If you're a PR, you have to wait until you're in Canada.

 

[bacidash]

If you're a citizen, yes. If you're a PR, you have to wait until you're in Canada.

im a citizen, im just in another country for studies. so i can apply for my wife, and she will be here with me, and will be able to visit canada with me during school breaks?

is there a special procedure i have to go through? do i send my her documents to the embassy of the country i am in, or should i mail them back to ottawa? and what about for her visa and interview, how will that stuff work?

(sorry, i know i have many questions, but i just dont know much about this procedure)

 

[jo-macral]

Yes, you can sponsor your wife while you are away at school. I am working abroad myself, and know the procedure quite well.

When you apply for your sponsorship, it is important that you indicate when you will be returning to Canada, and how you plan on supporting yourselves (job, family, etc.) when you do return. Amount of income is not important for Family Class, but you do need to convince them you will move back to Canada when your wife gets her PR approval.

As for visiting during school breaks, you will need to apply for a TRV (if not visa exempt) for your wife. This will be difficult for most as they are often refused, but it is not impossible if you do a convincing application.

 

[canadianwoman]

im a citizen, im just in another country for studies. so i can apply for my wife, and she will be here with me, and will be able to visit canada with me during school breaks?

She will not be given a PR visa until the visa officer is satisfied that you two will be going back to Canada to live. So she cannot get a PR visa, 'land' in Canada, then go back to her country and live with you until you are ready to go back to Canada. This is because you will have to submit proof that you will be going back to Canada.
Look at the timeline for how long it takes the average applicant to get a PR from her country, then plan to send in the application so that she'll get the PR visa around when you plan to return to Canada.
You could send in the PR application, and while she is waiting she could try to also get a TRV to visit you during school breaks. She will need proof she will leave Canada. Other posters have managed to get TRVs after applying for a PR visa, so it is possible, but difficult. It partly depends on the country she is from.

is there a special procedure i have to go through? do i send my her documents to the embassy of the country i am in, or should i mail them back to ottawa? and what about for her visa and interview, how will that stuff work?

You send your sponsorship application and her application together in the same envelope to Mississauga. There CIC will approve you as a sponsor, and then they will send the whole application to the overseas visa office that will process her application. If they want an interview, it will be held at the Canadian embassy in the country where the app is being processed. (In some countries, they do send visa officers out to do interviews in other countries, but this is unusual.)