Bringing my girlfriend to Canada on a Visitors Visa and then...

[MolsonCanadian]

Hi everyone,

I've read and read and feel I should just make my own post with my peculiar issues and get your input. ALL of your help is appreciated!

Here's the story:

I have a legit relationship with her, she is not a prostitute or mail order bride. We lived together for 6 months in Thailand while I was working there. We met there, she was traveling, fell hard for eachother, and she decided to stay with me for my last six months of employment there. I moved back to Canada in June and she moved back to Ukraine (where she lives with her grandmother and brother while parents work in Russia). We've been in constant communication since (have thousands of emails to prove this) as well as proof that I visited her in Ukraine for 3 weeks over Christmas.

The plan is for her to visit here this summer on a visitors visa, and then we get married and apply for permanent residence.

The problems I foresee:

1. I'm a certified teacher, and about to obtain employment, but have little money in the bank. But I soon should have at least one pay cheque to prove I will have income. But as a supply teacher for now, so that may not prove to be consistent income to the IO. Full time employment should be obtained by September.

We plan on staying with our parents, so will my income necessarily matter?

2. She's 25, and beautiful, and Russian. That has to set of flags all over the place when she applies for a visitor visa.


So, will she have any chance of getting here on the visitors visa?
Can we get married here in Canada while she's visiting and then apply for permanent resident status?

I'm pretty sure we can prove we're in a legit relationship through emails, pictures, plane tickets, etc.

Do we tell the IO in Russia about our relationship? Or does she simply apply as a tourist, coming to Canada for a visit?

Thanks. ANY input would be useful. Thanks in advance.

 

[mandip]

Hi friend
Look,it's simple if you have been lived together already for six months,then she is your common law partner.
And as you said that you can strongly prove it.so what's the matter?
It depends on luck too.
But you also have to show your strong bank balances here.
Are you a Canadian permanent res. ?
Sorry if I was wrong anywhere.
Let's see other suggestions.
Good luck.

 

[MolsonCanadian]

Hi, and thanks for the reply.

We lived together for a week or two less than a full six months. Common law doesn't include email communication or visit to Ukraine, does it?

AND, that was in Thailand.

Her holding a Russian passport, speaking fluent English, being beautiful, 25 years old, and me being Canadian, living together for 5+ months in THAILAND.. does that not SCREAM something terribly fishy to an immigration officer?

And I'm not sure how I'd prove that.. I guess plane tickets, pictures, my employment papers, but that's it as far as Thailand goes.

I don't have a strong bank balance here or consistent income, YET. The income will likely change in the next month or two though.

I'm born and raised Canadian.

FURTHER: "You will also have to satisfy the officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your authorized stay in Canada."

If she is coming here, and definitely planning on staying to work/marry me.. how do we approach that?


What do you think now Mandip?

 

[YorkFactory]

The common-law requirement is that you live together uninterrupted for a full year, not just six months, so she will not be your common-law partner unless you are able to move in together and then live together for a full year. It's helpful if you have documentation of the time you've lived together and any trips you've taken together, and it sounds like you have some, so that's good.

There's no low-income cutoff to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner. I was sponsored by someone who was a student at the time.

She will indeed have to convince the appropriate officials that she will leave the country if she is no longer allowed to be there. This also applies to the time of her arrival in Canada, so if it appears to the border officer at the port of entry that she is a risk to overstay her visa, she could run into trouble. It will help her case if she has ties to her home country (owns a residence there, has a job there, etc.).