Can an outland family class application be completed in Canada?

[brlnap92]

Hello;

I am a Canadian citizen beginning sponsorship of my common-law wife under family class. She already has a Canadian multiple-entry visa valid until 2017, has visited Canada twice, and is currently residing in her home country. We have determined than an outland application is our best option.

Depending on how long the application takes, there is a possibility that my wife may be in Canada before the granting of her permanent resident visa.

Can the outland process be completed if my wife has arrived to Canada? If yes, what would the process be to complete the outland application in Canada?

Thank-you

 

[brlnap92]

Note: I do already know is that if an interview is required that she would have to return to her home country for that.

 

[Melisaa]

Hello;

I am a Canadian citizen beginning sponsorship of my common-law wife under family class. She already has a Canadian multiple-entry visa valid until 2017, has visited Canada twice, and is currently residing in her home country. We have determined than an outland application is our best option.

Depending on how long the application takes, there is a possibility that my wife may be in Canada before the granting of her permanent resident visa.

Can the outland process be completed if my wife has arrived to Canada? If yes, what would the process be to complete the outland application in Canada?

Thank-you

You can either apply inland or outland, depending on your wifes country of residenc, an outland application is usually much quicker. If you wish to apply outland, your wife can visit Canada anytime during the process, off course only if she has a valid visa. However, once she get approved as a member of family class, I believe she has to leave and land again. Again, this is only for outland sponsorship. Info I have might have changed, Im sure others can give you better advice.

Bests.

 

[Melisaa]

Found this, replied by Sweden, a member of this forum. Pretty much same situation.


Quote from: Notlob on October 29, 2012, 05:33:40 pm
My wife and I are currently living in China. I am Canadian, she is Chinese. I have applied and been accepted to sponsor her as a permanent resident and her application was sent to Beijing in Sept/12. I have to return to Canada in Feb/13. The processing time for Beijing is 7 months. Should she apply for a visitor visa in case her PR application is not approved in time, and come over with me on that, or should she wait for the PR to be approved? Is it possible, if she comes over on a visitor visa to convert it to a PR or would she have to leave and re-enter?

you can always apply, but you might get denied.... make sure that you include plenty of proofs of her ties to her own country, otherwise she will be refused... CIC thinks ( and for good reason!) that probably she will not go back to China... but you can always try!

If she gets a visitor visa, and she is in Canada when her PR is issued, she will have to exit Canada and re-enter to "land" as a PR. She can also do that by booking an appointment at a CIC office in the country... if she chooses to exit, she doesn't have to go back to China, she can go to the US (technically she doesn't have to enter US, for which she probably needs a visa, she only needs to go to a border, explain that she wants to land - she will be stamped out of Canada and turned around at the border to complete immigration formalities).

However, be aware that if an interview is required to issue her PR, she will have to go back to China as it can not be conducted somewhere else than in the VO (no skype, etc). so depending on your situation, it might be something to consider.

Beijing approves some files quicker than 7 months, so I hope for you that it will all be completed before you have to leave to Canada... you can always apply for a visitor visa, and if it's denied, then your wife will have to "stay behind" until the PR is issued - hopefully sooner than later.

Good luck with your application,
Sweden




Bests.

 

[brlnap92]

I found this from another website but it was posted in 2009


Excerpt from CEC Operation manual CIC website.

11. Procedure: Approving the application

Pursuant to R71.1(2), if officers approve an applicant who is currently living in Canada
with valid status, they will:

* send their permanent resident visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residence to
their address in Canada;

* advise the applicant that in order to be granted permanent resident status they have
the option of presenting these to an officer at a Canadian port of entry or contacting
the Call Centre to request an appointment at a local CIC, with their family members if
applicable.



I also read in another website that an international airport might be able to be used as a port of entry (particularly in the cases where the local CIC office is distant or the time to get an appointment at the CIC office is long, and there is no US border crossing close). If anyone has experience landing from within Canada at an international airport (particularly Ottawa international airport) please post your experience. At an international airport I assume the problem is being able to get to the arrivals side of international arrivals so that you can go through immigration control.

Also, if CIC sends my wife's permanent resident visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residence to
her address in Canada, then I assume I will need to advise someone at CIC, prior to her application being approved, that my wife is currently in Canada. For that, would I contact a CIC office in Canada or the immigration section of the embassy in her home country (which is where her outland application is being processed)?

 

[Sweden]

You should inform your VO (outland) about the change of address... To contact your VO, send a "case specific enquiry" . Go to CIC website, find your VO office ( if yo go to the processing time, then you can click on "view per visa office", then on each VO you will have how to send a Case specific enquiry), and send them an update about your wife address in Canada.

If she is from a non-visa exempt country, she will have to send her passport to the VO to get a visa, then send it back. If she is from a visa-exempt, then they will send the COPR.

In either cases, she will have to go out and "land as a PR". If you're close to Ottawa ( as you mention the airport), you won't be able to argue that the border to the US is too far away.

I have seen a few people mentioning possibility of landing at an airport even if you're not actually arriving there, but I have never seen anybody actually doing it - so I'm not really sure it's possible. I tried to call the airports to land, and was told to either contact CIC (long waiting time), or go to the border. By far the easiest part of the process!

Sweden

 

[brlnap92]

Thanks, great info!

If it does happen that my wife is in Canada when her outland application is approved I will have to figure out how to send her passport back to her home country visa office as I know 100% that her home country (Ukraine) does not allow passports to be sent to the country either by regular mail or courier.

 

[Sweden]

Thanks, great info!

If it does happen that my wife is in Canada when her outland application is approved I will have to figure out how to send her passport back to her home country visa office as I know 100% that her home country (Ukraine) does not allow passports to be sent to the country either by regular mail or courier.

There are a few countries like this. From what I see on the forum, most people send it to a friend/family in the country together with a letter authorising the carrier etc, and it works.
Good luck!
Sweden