Hello all,
I am a Canadian citizen (by birth) who recently moved back to Vancouver, Canada in August 2012. I was previously living in Bangalore, India and was living in India from 1990-2012. I got married in 2003 and my wife and I have 3 children all born in India. My wife and children are presently living at our home in Bangalore.
I submitted the application to sponsor my wife and children as permanent residents to CIC Mississauga which they received on January 7, 2013. I received notice from CIC yesterday that I have met the requirements of the sponsor, and now my wife's application has been forwarded to the embassy for processing, which is the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi.
The note also explained that since my children have the right to Canadian citizenship (since I was a Canadian citizen when the children were born) they cannot be sponsored but rather eligible for Canadian citizenship. This is something which I was completely unaware of. So does that mean they cannot be sponsored at all and I must obtain their citizenship before they can come to Canada? Last week I received a refund of $450 from CIC - which I assume is the sponsorship fee for 3 dependant children.
I was also reading on CIC's website about the amendment to the Citizenship Act in 2009. I have 3 children:
1. Daughter born Aug 30, 2004
2. Daughter born Aug 12, 2009
3. Daughter born Oct 30, 2011
According to the website, this would make Eva and Aleya citizens already and I need to apply for their proof of citizenship. But for Julia, she would go through the normal sponsorship process. Is this a correct understanding because this was not mentioned clearly in the notice from CIC.
Also my family plans to travel to Canada as soon as my wife's application is approved. I understand that the proof of citizenship may take some time, and therefore if we want to travel as soon as possible, how early can I apply for my children's passport before obtaining the proof of citizenship? Is there a temporary passport that can be issued to all children?
I will greatly appreciate any input from anyone who may have gone through a similar situation, as I could not find very clear information on the CIC or on the india.gc.ca websites.
Thanks very much in advance.
Saju Abraham