Canadian Women Marrying Moroccan Man

[Habibti]

Hi all, I'm new to this page. I'm canadian getting married to a Moroccan man this summer inshallah, I just want to ask you generous people for you advice, what I should and shouldn't do. What do I have to do to save time and get married quicker. I also want to know what papers do I need to take to get married there, and apply for a visa straight away. I don't want to go to morocco and find out that I have things missing. Please help! Thank you.

Have you seen and read the posts above??? Please refer to them and their links to have answers to your questions

 

[heatherr]

hi i am madly in love with my moroccan fiance and i cannot seem to find out if we can still marry in morocco if i do not work in canada i am a full time student. he works in morrocco help me please also any info i need to obtain in canada before i leave

 

[Sous02]

hi i am madly in love with my moroccan fiance and i cannot seem to find out if we can still marry in morocco if i do not work in canada i am a full time student. he works in morrocco help me please also any info i need to obtain in canada before i leave

I think there is a thread for morocco they can help you

 

[heatherr]

I can not seem to find anything we are both young and in love it really should not be this hard.when I call the embassy in ottawa they direct me to Montreal and I can not get anyone who speaks english

 

[trikiliki]

There is nothing stopping you from marrying as long as you have all the required documents that you need to bring with you, have the money to get there and stay long enough to get everything in order (it takes a few weeks in Morocco or so I have heard), money for the certificate of no impediment, any translations/notarizations you might need, and the money to pay for the official ceremony, celebration party, etc...

However, you need understand and consider logically what you will be undertaking in terms of sponsoring your husband and determine if you are in a position to do so.

The issues will be when you get back; You will need to have the sponsorship money ($1040) plus there are a bunch of other associated costs that you will have to figure out between the two of you. Your husband will need to have a medical done which costs a few hundred dollars and get his police check done and send it to you, there will be translation fees if applicable, courier, etc..

Next; will you be eligible to sponsor him? If you are a student you will have to have a good explanation of how you will have the resources to support him when he gets there since you are not working. You will have to submit the previous years tax return/notice of assessment and proof of income.
Are you independently wealthy, do you have an ample amount of savings, or will your parent/s be supporting you both financially until you become employed? If your parents will be helping you will need proof of such.

You will need to provide solid proof of a genuine ongoing relationship; plane tickets/proof of visits (fyi if you met for the first time in person, became engaged, and got married all on the same trip, you will likely be denied), pictures before and after marriage, wedding pictures, pictures with family, chat convos, screenshots, phone bills, acknowledgement from your family, etc... You will need to address and explain any potential "red flags" which could be but is not limited to; different religion, significant age gap, if no one from your side was able to attend your wedding, etc...

See the application requirements/guide/document checklist and there are also a lot of threads here discussing what/how much proof you should provide.

If you are approved to sponsor and your application is not rejected along the way on any other grounds, your husband will undoubtedly have to attend an interview where he will be scrutinized and have to satisfy them that it is a genuine relationship and not marriage fraud before a decision is made. This is the norm for Morocco and its not easy.

If everything is approved there will be the matter of a plane ticket for him to get to Canada. Once he lands, you are responsible for him financially for the next three years. You will need to provide medical insurance coverage for the first three months til ohip kicks in, as well as ongoing shelter, food, clothing, etc...Hopefully it wont take him long to get on his feet and find work so he will be able to share the expenses with you.


Information is here regarding documents and requirements for a Canadian getting married in Morocco: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/morocco-maroc/consular_services_consulaires/marriage-mariage.aspx?lang=eng

Anyone feel free to add if I have left anything out or got anything wrong

 

[heatherr]

Thank you so much!!! I find it kind of racist it seems f he was from any other country we would not have these problems .we are young we are in love I dont see howcome we have to go through all of this . He will get his own ticket here we have talked for over a year now butit will be. My first trip to Morocco so we can get married and we can finally be together not a night or day goes by that we do not video chat .we can not go to sleep without kissing each other and saying kanbrik .he has three architect diplomas and if I have to ill stop as soon as im an lpn and go back to school for my rn nursing later.I just want my baby here .ill be staying in Morocco for a month ...im suprizing him on his birthday ☺ and hopefully I leave as his wifeI

 

[trikiliki]

Its because in Morocco in particular like certain other countries, there is a high instance of marriage fraud with young men marrying foreign women as a means for them to get out of their country to either Europe or North America where opportunities are better. Immigration officials are very wary and want to see lots of proof that this is not the case.
An online relationship that leads to marriage on the very first visit will definitely raise suspicions. Even more so if no one from your family or any friends will be there. Also, in Morocco, weddings are a very big deal. A rushed quickie wedding with none of the standard cultural fanfare which includes special preparations, clothing, celebrations, and the involvement of his family members will also lead them to believe the relationship may not be genuine. Keep in mind they are not wondering if it is genuine to you, they will be well aware you are head over heels in love with him, have spent a lot of time online, and are fully invested in the relationship. Its him and his intentions that they will focus on.

Being completely honest with you, as hard as I know this distance is for you, the best way to do this is to go, meet him, meet his family, go on lots of outings, take lots of pictures, have a wonderful time and show you are a normal couple, progressing in a normal way towards getting married. A proposal if you must, just make sure you document it with pictures, have family acknowledgement, maybe an engagement dinner or something special to mark it because later when you apply they want to know about this and if there was nothing, again its a concern. Engagements are also a big deal in their culture.

Enjoy Morocco! Let him take you out sight seeing, get more familiar with your husbands country!
If you try to do the marriage thing on the first trip you will be so consumed with running around to get all the requirements and then it will be over, wont even have much time to enjoy being married together! It will be time to come home and you will miss out on that. (Although on a side note, you might have to be chaperoned and wont be able to stay with him alone in a hotel or room as an unmarried couple...the law and his faith wont allow it. It happens all the time though, so it just depends on how devout he and his family are and how likely authorities are to try and enforce it).

Then, come home, bask in the glow of your even more strengthened love...after meeting and knowing in your heart that this is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with, start preparing and planning for your wedding. It will be so exciting if you and him have the chance to actually plan and eventually have the wedding you always dreamed of! Get friends and family involved with helping you pick out your dress, talk about it in emails, texts, social media whatever (this stuff will be so good to have as proof later, especially if no one from your side is able to make the trip to be at your wedding).

Then go back and marry him the right way, with lots of family and friends, pictures, a big special Moroccan approved affair. Fill out and sign the application forms there while you are with him so you don't have to be sending it all back and forth, take it home with you, compile all your proofs and everything you need to send with it, and apply.

Its more work and a little more time but it will greatly improve your chances, it shows them you guys made the effort, that it is a genuine ongoing relationship, that he regards you with the same respect and intent that he would have shown had you been Moroccan, and that his family accepts you and welcomes you. If they see this, and you have submitted everything required, and he passes his medical/police/security/background clearances and he demonstrates his good intent in his interview, is able to answer all their questions, they would have no reason to reject your application.

If on the other hand you go ahead as currently planned, apply and its rejected (high probability) you are looking at an appeal which on average can take about 2 years or reapplying which would be another year and would mean going through the whole process again. Keep in mind, when re-applying you will have to have something additional to convince them or it will be rejected for the same reasons.

And sorry I just caught that you said you are surprising him? As in showing up unannounced?! Not a good idea. If you are determined to get married, he needs time to do a bunch of preparing on his end, getting his own documents in order, discussing with family, figuring out logistics of where you will stay, etc.. Don't just show up please! Even if you don't get married this trip, just showing up could put him in a difficult predicament. As mentioned before faith and family most likely plays a big part in his world.

 

[trikiliki]

It's a real plus that he has a good education and is employed, at least there's that!

 

[Sous02]

Thank you so much!!! I find it kind of racist it seems f he was from any other country we would not have these problems .we are young we are in love I dont see howcome we have to go through all of this . He will get his own ticket here we have talked for over a year now butit will be. My first trip to Morocco so we can get married and we can finally be together not a night or day goes by that we do not video chat .we can not go to sleep without kissing each other and saying kanbrik .he has three architect diplomas and if I have to ill stop as soon as im an lpn and go back to school for my rn nursing later.I just want my baby here .ill be staying in Morocco for a month ...im suprizing him on his birthday ☺ and hopefully I leave as his wifeI

I understand your frustration but it is not racism. It is more about the higher than average rate of marriage fraud from Morocco. Do not use a lot of energy fighting it as you will need that energy for the task ahead. The previous writer was right on the mark. You will find it very hard to surprise your boyfriend and have everything you need to get married. I have read that it takes at least a month in Morocco. Put Morocco in the search function as I know there is lots here. Spend a lot of time on this forum and it will help more than you can imagine. Best of luck

 

[heatherr]

Thanks a bunch !!! His mother knows I am comming five days eariler in this time I will be becoming a Muslim and we are not allowed to be alone before we marry which is super sweet I think we have an engagement party planned. I already have a ring from him we are engaged on Facebook lol all that is missing is him I would just stay in Morocco but my not speaking fluent arabic and my schooling makes canada the obvious choice he speaks perfect English .I am going to try and marry him we have everything in place except the medicals we will do there and the pictures.hope it works out

 

[MaryL]

You do not need to change Religions to marry. But that's your choice. Also what do your parents/family and closest friends think?

 

[trikiliki]

As I said, your struggles begin after marriage when you try to sponsor him. Its good that his mother is aware of everything and that you communicate with her at least.

What about if you wait a few months longer, just to finish this school semester, then go, meet marry him and stay for an extended period, maybe like 6 months or so, or the duration of the next school semester. He is working and sounds like he can support you while you are there. You don't need to know Arabic, English is quite commonly spoken in Morocco, and you will pick up bits of Arabic while you are there, he will translate things for you, you will get by language wise don't worry. But more importantly you will spend more time with him, married, part of his family and strengthening ties with them, living together. Normal.

You can then either apply outland while still there, you will just need to provide CIC with your plan for returning to Canada, where you will live, what you will do for employment. You don't have to have a concrete job offer, just what your plan is. The fact that he is highly educated and skilled and employable helps with this part, and will also look good that he financially supports you while you are living with him in Morocco.

Or, you can go home, resume your studies and sponsor him from there. In both scenarios it will be with a much stronger case after having lived with him for a while after getting married. It will remove most if not all of their concerns regarding genuine relationship and make things so much easier for you in the long run.

My two cents

 

[Sous02]

Thanks a bunch !!! His mother knows I am comming five days eariler in this time I will be becoming a Muslim and we are not allowed to be alone before we marry which is super sweet I think we have an engagement party planned. I already have a ring from him we are engaged on Facebook lol all that is missing is him I would just stay in Morocco but my not speaking fluent arabic and my schooling makes canada the obvious choice he speaks perfect English .I am going to try and marry him we have everything in place except the medicals we will do there and the pictures.hope it works out

Listen carefully to what these people are telling you. You know you are in love but cic looks at it much differently. They may believe you are in love but see the need to protect you. Doing this properly may seem that it is going to take a few months longer but compared to years it is nothing. The time we waited now seems like a blink of an eye.