Consultant refused to accept case to sponsor wife from Vietnam need advice

[Rob_TO]

It really is frustrating considering our marriage is real and the odds are stacked against us.

You have to understand that there are many real cases of people having fake marriages, simply to immigrate to Canada. In some cases the person being sponsored is duping the Canadian into marrying them and will try to leave them shortly after they arrive to Canada. In other cases the Canadian is being paid a fee to marry and sponsor the person so is in on the scam. There are even companies out there that will organize fake weddings with hundreds of people, and create pages and pages of fake chats, simply to make the application look legitimate.

This does not apply to your case, however CIC doesn't know that. Putting yourself in a visa officer's shoes, how will they know if yours is a real relationship, or a fraudulent one? You can't expect them to just take you at your word that your relationship is genuine, so you must convince them. Usually you do this by showing a long relationship time and "normal" avenue of dating, engagement, wedding, then finally sponsorship.
Not saying your case is impossible, you just need to understand how CIC will be looking at it upfront due to the obvious red flags, so should be prepared to address all of this in your application. Also as was mentioned you should expect a pretty long processing time.

As for financial support I am going to be sending her money every month as well as I'm financially stable and have a home so I'll have no problem supporting her and taking care of her over here.

Showing money transfers is good. Other similar proofs you can include are getting life insurance on each other, changing your tax status with the CRA from single to married, and seeing what joint accounts (bank, credit card, etc) you can sign up for (though may be difficult since you aren't living in each other's country right now).

 

[scylla]

You've received good advice from others already. Since you met and married so quickly - I would visit her two more times before submitting a sponsorship application. Just my two cents.

TRV will almost certainly be refused. Having said that, you can certainly give it a try.

Good luck.

 

[buonqua]

The interview is done in Vietnam. The applicant is only required but the sponsor can tag along and may be called in too for the interview. Translator from English to Vietnamese is provided if requested.

As for getting married in a month is that officially married a month after meeting your wife? Because in Vietnam in can take a month from when you submitted all your documents to receiving your marriage certificate. And just gathering documents alone can take a few weeks to month as you need need non-impediment to marriage from Canadian consulate, psychological evaluation and many other documents. Those questions the VO will probably wonder too.

Was this an arranged marriage or you just met her by chance? This can make a big difference.

I'm currently sponsoring my wife. I applied for sponsorship of my wife more than a year after our official wedding date and more than 2 years from wedding ceremony. It took me 6 months just to get marriage certificate but I did it on my own without using consultant. I've lived with my wife for almost 2 years in total and we have a daughter together.

If you apply now you will still have to wait 2 years or more because you will be called for an interview and possibly have your application denied.

Your other option is to give it a year or 2 to show more proof of your relationship. And make at least 1 trip back to Vietnam during that time.

Were your overseas family members, parents and siblings present for the wedding? If not it can strengthen your sponsorship case if they do a trip to Vietnam to meet your wife.

And most importantly give it time.

 

[c.aensran]

The interview is done in Vietnam. The applicant is only required but the sponsor can tag along and may be called in too for the interview. Translator from English to Vietnamese is provided if requested.

As for getting married in a month is that officially married a month after meeting your wife? Because in Vietnam in can take a month from when you submitted all your documents to receiving your marriage certificate. And just gathering documents alone can take a few weeks to month as you need need non-impediment to marriage from Canadian consulate, psychological evaluation and many other documents. Those questions the VO will probably wonder too.

Was this an arranged marriage or you just met her by chance? This can make a big difference.

I'm currently sponsoring my wife. I applied for sponsorship of my wife more than a year after our official wedding date and more than 2 years from wedding ceremony. It took me 6 months just to get marriage certificate but I did it on my own without using consultant. I've lived with my wife for almost 2 years in total and we have a daughter together.

If you apply now you will still have to wait 2 years or more because you will be called for an interview and possibly have your application denied.

Your other option is to give it a year or 2 to show more proof of your relationship. And make at least 1 trip back to Vietnam during that time.

Were your overseas family members, parents and siblings present for the wedding? If not it can strengthen your sponsorship case if they do a trip to Vietnam to meet your wife.

And most importantly give it time.

It is somewhat of an arranged marriage. I described it a few posts back but basically we were introduced to each other with the intent of getting married but not forced to go through with the marriage if it turned out that we did not love each other. I was introduced to her by my Grandparents and my family knows her family since we all live in the same neighborhood. My family goes to Vietnam every year and my mom flew from Canada just to attend my wedding when she heard I was getting married and my grandparents were there as well. That's why I had a few of the documents prepared since If we really did love each other we would get married (which we ended up did getting married and why the process was so fast).

 

[buonqua]

It is somewhat of an arranged marriage. I described it a few posts back but basically we were introduced to each other with the intent of getting married but not forced to go through with the marriage if it turned out that we did not love each other. I was introduced to her by my Grandparents and my family knows her family since we all live in the same neighborhood. My family goes to Vietnam every year and my mom flew from Canada just to attend my wedding when she heard I was getting married and my grandparents were there as well. That's why I had a few of the documents prepared since If we really did love each other we would get married (which we ended up did getting married and why the process was so fast).

It's not arranged marriage which is one of the questions on the application form.

If your parents from overseas attended I would submit the application now.

My personal opinion I think the question of getting married within a month of first encounter will be brought up either way if you submit now or few years later.

If you submit now there's a strong chance your wife will be called for an interview. If possible you can be at that interview it might greatly increase your sponsorship application of getting approved. And you can submit additional proof from the time you submitted the sponsorship application until the date of interview. Additional proof such as communication, pictures and sending money.

If you submit years later it will make your case stronger. The chance of interview will still be there but to at a lower percentage if you've kept in regular contact with your spouse.

A lot of the denied application I've read was because the couples don't interact or visit after the sponsorship application is submitted. I've read some court appeal cases and for the most part people were refused because the couples contradicted each others in their stories or didn't know anything about the other.

So I don't think you have to worry too much about the shortness of time. If you truely love each other than you have nothing to worry about it being refused. Just have to worry they approve it quickly so you can be reunited with your wife in Canada.

All the best.

 

[c.aensran]

It's not arranged marriage which is one of the questions on the application form.

If your parents from overseas attended I would submit the application now.

My personal opinion I think the question of getting married within a month of first encounter will be brought up either way if you submit now or few years later.

If you submit now there's a strong chance your wife will be called for an interview. If possible you can be at that interview it might greatly increase your sponsorship application of getting approved. And you can submit additional proof from the time you submitted the sponsorship application until the date of interview. Additional proof such as communication, pictures and sending money.

If you submit years later it will make your case stronger. The chance of interview will still be there but to at a lower percentage if you've kept in regular contact with your spouse.

A lot of the denied application I've read was because the couples don't interact or visit after the sponsorship application is submitted. I've read some court appeal cases and for the most part people were refused because the couples contradicted each others in their stories or didn't know anything about the other.

So I don't think you have to worry too much about the shortness of time. If you truely love each other than you have nothing to worry about it being refused. Just have to worry they approve it quickly so you can be reunited with your wife in Canada.

All the best.

Thank you this is very reassuring. We have been in contact every single day and we talk to each other through voice/video call for 1-3 hours everyday since I've left Vietnam. I miss her very much which is why I am trying my best to finish the application quickly but from many of the advice posts here it seems that getting it done quickly could be a detriment to the application.

 

[mikeymyke]

I agree with buonqua about what he said regarding how most people are refused because the couples sometimes don't know much about each other. It's fine if a marriage was arranged, but the couple should still be able to know all the details about each other, and sometimes it can be hard to convince the visa officers of that if you've only known each other for a short period of time.

When the interview comes, would your wife be able to answer questions such as what your plans are for the future? What you do for a living? Your home address? Names of your siblings? etc. These may seem like simple questions, but I've read refused cases where when the interviewer asked what her husband did for a living, she answered "Something with construction", rather than the correct answer of "plumber". Or they would ask where her husband lives, but she answers "A big city in Canada" rather than "Toronto". This would demonstrate that either the wife doesn't know a lot about her husband, or that she doesn't really care. You should make sure your wife is capable of answering these kind of questions without fail.

I think it would definitely be in your benefit if you guys decide to put off the sponsorship until you've been with each other longer. That way when the interview comes, you guys will have more compelling evidence to present. It's far better to wait and get a more positive result, than rush with disastrous results.

When you do start the application, please do NOT apply inland as the processing time is extremely long, and there is no appealing a negative decision from an interview. I know it's very tempting to apply inland since your wife would be permitted to stay with you and she is able to work in Canada, but you will regret it. Apply outland (this can be done even if your wife is in Canada on a visitor visa). Be warned that its common for spouses to be refused visitor visas as CIC usually does not feel the applicant will return home to their country. However, my wife was successful in getting one when she was married to me, so it's not entirely impossible. But it's certainly worth a try if you wish to have your wife stay with you while your application is ongoing.

Also, I don't think you should be using a lawyer or consultant. Most of the time, they're quite expensive, and there have been many cases of them totally screwing up the applications, whether it'd be forgetting a form, or accidentally filing an inland application instead of outland, etc. If anything, you'd be doing a far better job organizing the relationship evidence and telling CIC about how your relationship developed than any lawyer on the planet, since you're the only one who knows your spouse the most. Also this forum is an excellent free resource.

 

[c.aensran]

is there a useful resource on what kind of questions that would be asked? Also for the "What does your husband do for a living" question what if it has changed from the time the application was submitted / interview happens? Would they be referring to what was written on the application or of my new position? I mean I've worked at 3 different places doing 3 different jobs in just this past year so it would be nice to know where they'd be checking for that kind of question where the answer could change pretty much any time.

 

[canadianwoman]

She would be expected to know your job history, so the job you had when you met, the one you had when the application was submitted, and the one you have when she is interviewed, plus others.

The big problem with your application is the having gotten married one month after meeting. Frankly, it is going to be a problem if you apply as soon as possible, or wait for a year or two. So my advice is to start getting the application ready now. It takes a while to get everything you need, so it is not like you would be sending it in next week.

I realize this is not the advice some other members are giving you. My reasoning is, if you wait for a year or two, then the visa officer is going to have a new question for your wife: if you love each other so much, why did you wait so long to submit the application? Saying you weren't sure whether she was just using you as a way to get into Canada, or that some people here told you your application would look better if you waited, is not an answer that will satisfy a visa officer.

I admit, when I first read this thread, I assumed you were a middle-aged white guy who picked up a Vietnamese woman 20 years younger than he, and married her on a two-week vacation. Your case is not this.

Your advantages: same background, religion (I assume), language, and a similar age; I take it that in Vietnam it is common for matchmakers (professional or family) to help young people find a partner, and if so, you have just followed what is normal in her culture; your wedding fit the cultural norms in terms of the ceremonies and number of guests; and you have a lot of communication after the wedding.

With the above, you stand a chance of being approved. Keep proof of your communication - that is, do not use any form of communication that does not leave a record (no phone cards, unless you can get a record showing your number called her number). In addition, the processing time will most likely be long, so plan to visit her as much as possible. It sounds like you have changed jobs a lot anyway, so taking the time off to visit her is worth it. Visits before the interview, and before the decision is made, are the visits that count; visits after a refusal are seen as desperate attempts for the couple to show they are genuine, after the visa officer has told them that it appears they are not. Don't cheap out here - saying you have to save your money to buy a house or whatever and so you can't visit her, may work on appeal, but you do not want to have to go to an appeal.

 

[Kayaker]

I second all that canadianwoman said.

In your application, you can write a cover letter as a sponsor, and your wife's portion of the application includes a part about "providing any other evidence" of a genuine relationship. A lot of people write a sort of essay for that. I would highly recommend that Both of you write a detailed description of your meeting, and the reasons and logic for getting married so quickly. My husband and I knew we wanted to spend our lives together within days of our first meeting, were engaged on our second meeting and married on the third. I explained in detail why we reached this conclusion, and why this was the right choice for us. For example, we were both of an age when settling down seemed like a good and logical idea, my mother was ill and anxious to see me married, etc. Of course we both wrote about how compatible we are and how much we love each other - but I think that the visa officer reading your file will always take declarations of love with a grain of salt. I think the best way to convince the visa officer is to show the logical and emotional reasoning behind your love and decision. You could explain (for example) that your family thought your age is an appropriate age for marriage and that you agree with that, that you were amenable to the idea of a family member/matchmaker introducing you to prospective partners, that this way of finding a spouse and getting married matches your family values and your traditions, etc. (If your parents or siblings also got married by this sort of introduction, you could mention that too.) You should also explain what you and your wife discussed before getting married (did you talk about what kind of futures you want? Did you discuss children? Did you discuss roles in the family, such as is it going to be a two-income family, or is your wife going to be the housewife/stay at home mom, etc.?) so that the visa officer knows that you two really got to know each other before committing. All of these things the visa officer will expect your wife (and you) to be able to answer if there is an interview. And if you can avoid an interview by describing all this convincingly in the application, that would be ideal.

Good luck!

 

[buonqua]

is there a useful resource on what kind of questions that would be asked? Also for the "What does your husband do for a living" question what if it has changed from the time the application was submitted / interview happens? Would they be referring to what was written on the application or of my new position? I mean I've worked at 3 different places doing 3 different jobs in just this past year so it would be nice to know where they'd be checking for that kind of question where the answer could change pretty much any time.

Click on copy of interview question tab near the bottom.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nQFdDeeLRGrdl_DzlAumwv6nyz-oprHo5rU1bGdDdqs/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=1031432096

You might want to check out this forum for resource information:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t72878.0.html

And ask away don't feel people will judge you on the questions. We are all here to help one another as we're all going
through the same agonizing wait period.

 

[c.aensran]

She would be expected to know your job history, so the job you had when you met, the one you had when the application was submitted, and the one you have when she is interviewed, plus others.

The big problem with your application is the having gotten married one month after meeting. Frankly, it is going to be a problem if you apply as soon as possible, or wait for a year or two. So my advice is to start getting the application ready now. It takes a while to get everything you need, so it is not like you would be sending it in next week.

I realize this is not the advice some other members are giving you. My reasoning is, if you wait for a year or two, then the visa officer is going to have a new question for your wife: if you love each other so much, why did you wait so long to submit the application? Saying you weren't sure whether she was just using you as a way to get into Canada, or that some people here told you your application would look better if you waited, is not an answer that will satisfy a visa officer.

I admit, when I first read this thread, I assumed you were a middle-aged white guy who picked up a Vietnamese woman 20 years younger than he, and married her on a two-week vacation. Your case is not this.

Your advantages: same background, religion (I assume), language, and a similar age; I take it that in Vietnam it is common for matchmakers (professional or family) to help young people find a partner, and if so, you have just followed what is normal in her culture; your wedding fit the cultural norms in terms of the ceremonies and number of guests; and you have a lot of communication after the wedding.

With the above, you stand a chance of being approved. Keep proof of your communication - that is, do not use any form of communication that does not leave a record (no phone cards, unless you can get a record showing your number called her number). In addition, the processing time will most likely be long, so plan to visit her as much as possible. It sounds like you have changed jobs a lot anyway, so taking the time off to visit her is worth it. Visits before the interview, and before the decision is made, are the visits that count; visits after a refusal are seen as desperate attempts for the couple to show they are genuine, after the visa officer has told them that it appears they are not. Don't cheap out here - saying you have to save your money to buy a house or whatever and so you can't visit her, may work on appeal, but you do not want to have to go to an appeal.

I am planning on visiting her in a few months and when the interview comes I definitely am going with her as well. It looks like with our circumstances an interview is inevitable so we just have to do everything we can and I would spend every cent I have if it means sponsoring my wife gets approved so I have no intention of being cheap.

I second all that canadianwoman said.

In your application, you can write a cover letter as a sponsor, and your wife's portion of the application includes a part about "providing any other evidence" of a genuine relationship. A lot of people write a sort of essay for that. I would highly recommend that Both of you write a detailed description of your meeting, and the reasons and logic for getting married so quickly. My husband and I knew we wanted to spend our lives together within days of our first meeting, were engaged on our second meeting and married on the third. I explained in detail why we reached this conclusion, and why this was the right choice for us. For example, we were both of an age when settling down seemed like a good and logical idea, my mother was ill and anxious to see me married, etc. Of course we both wrote about how compatible we are and how much we love each other - but I think that the visa officer reading your file will always take declarations of love with a grain of salt. I think the best way to convince the visa officer is to show the logical and emotional reasoning behind your love and decision. You could explain (for example) that your family thought your age is an appropriate age for marriage and that you agree with that, that you were amenable to the idea of a family member/matchmaker introducing you to prospective partners, that this way of finding a spouse and getting married matches your family values and your traditions, etc. (If your parents or siblings also got married by this sort of introduction, you could mention that too.) You should also explain what you and your wife discussed before getting married (did you talk about what kind of futures you want? Did you discuss children? Did you discuss roles in the family, such as is it going to be a two-income family, or is your wife going to be the housewife/stay at home mom, etc.?) so that the visa officer knows that you two really got to know each other before committing. All of these things the visa officer will expect your wife (and you) to be able to answer if there is an interview. And if you can avoid an interview by describing all this convincingly in the application, that would be ideal.

Good luck!

Thanks! We actually did discuss a lot of those things in detail in just our first few meetings. I met with and went out with her every day that I was over there and there wasn't a single day we were apart. We discussed having children, future career goals, buying a home, where we were going to live etc. We haven't written it down but hopefully a cover letter to explain the situation and how the marriage happened so quickly would help the visa officer understand our situation. Despite how quickly it happened we are both very serious about our marriage and will do everything we can.

Click on copy of interview question tab near the bottom.

*link removed* (Not allowed to post links)

You might want to check out this forum for resource information:

*link removed* (Not allowed to post links)

And ask away don't feel people will judge you on the questions. We are all here to help one another as we're all going
through the same agonizing wait period.

Thank you for the list of questions. I only looked through a bit of it atm but I'm positive me and my wife could answer these questions about each other but it doesn't hurt to go through it and make sure.

 

[Aquakitty]

I am planning on visiting her in a few months and when the interview comes I definitely am going with her as well. It looks like with our circumstances an interview is inevitable so we just have to do everything we can and I would spend every cent I have if it means sponsoring my wife gets approved so I have no intention of being cheap.

Thanks! We actually did discuss a lot of those things in detail in just our first few meetings. I met with and went out with her every day that I was over there and there wasn't a single day we were apart. We discussed having children, future career goals, buying a home, where we were going to live etc. We haven't written it down but hopefully a cover letter to explain the situation and how the marriage happened so quickly would help the visa officer understand our situation. Despite how quickly it happened we are both very serious about our marriage and will do everything we can.

Thank you for the list of questions. I only looked through a bit of it atm but I'm positive me and my wife could answer these questions about each other but it doesn't hurt to go through it and make sure.

I think you have the right attitude about this. I'm not an expert in these kind of situations, but my gut says it won't really matter if you apply now or wait. I agree with Canadianwoman, the first thing I thought when reading your situation is if you do wait, if they will ask "why did you wait so long to sponsor after marriage" anyways. I've read about that being brought up in appeals cases. Your time might be better spent visiting while waiting for the interview, and learning about each other. Just my opinion.

Oh one other thing to consider. While it's good to prepare, they do look out for people who are too rehearsed, as in, have all the answers memorized by rote. They want you to come out with the answers naturally. So even being too good at the "test" can be a problem. Just something to think about.