expat couple seeking citizenship for Jordanian Spouse

[ewak]

Dear All,
I am a Canadian development worker living permanently abroad in Cambodia. My fiance is Jordanian but we are seeking how we could possibly go about acquiring Canadian citizenship for him even though we have no plans to live in Canada. I know that one needs to apply for permanent residency first but I am not sure how to go about this if we never plan to move to Canada. I have read that if you are accompanying a spouse who lives abroad, you do not need to live in Canada for at least 3 years before applying for citizenship but how does that work with the permanent residency process? I have been unable to find any information online that fits with our situation so any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much in advance for your comments.

 

[moochops]

To be come a citizen you must first become a permanent resident.

To become a PR, you rightly state you need to sponsor your husband. HOWEVER you have to show CIC that you plan to return to Canada and start life here. You only get your pr status upon entering Canada.

It is then that after some time you can apply for citizenship - (this is where you are getting confused about the amount of years outside of the country) - to be able to do this you have to show that you have lived in Canada for somehing like 3 out of the preceeding 5 years - allowing you to spend 2 out of the country even with pr.

But as you suggest you have no plans returning to Canada why would your husband want residency of a country he has no interest in living in???

If you guys had kids your children I think would be citizens, but even then you would still need to sponsor your hubby and return to live in Canada.

 

[scylla]

I have read that if you are accompanying a spouse who lives abroad, you do not need to live in Canada for at least 3 years before applying for citizenship but how does that work with the permanent residency process?

There's no such rule.

First your spouse will have to become a PR. In order to become a PR you will have to sponsor your spouse and as moochops explained - prove you plan to return to Canada.

Once your spouse has PR, the only way your spouse can obtain citizenship is by physically living in Canada for a period of three years out of four. Being out of the country with a citizens spouse counts for nothing when it comes to qualifying for citizenship.

 

[Leon]

Why does he need Canadian citizenship if you never plan to live in Canada?

You may sponsor your common law partner for PR if you have lived together for 12 months or more or if you get married. As a citizen, you may sponsor while you yourself are living outside Canada as long as you are planning to move to Canada once your partner gets their PR and you can successfully prove this to immigration. Such proof may include having arranged housing, having job offers, having been accepted to a university etc. You will of course also have to prove that your relationship is genuine. That goes for everybody.

If your partner is approved, he must enter Canada with his PR visa in order to secure his PR status. For most people, a PR requires staying in Canada for at least 2 years in any 5 year period. However, a spouse of a Canadian is exempt from that as long at they are living with you.

In order to apply for citizenship, your partner must have lived in Canada for 3 out of the past 4 years before they apply. This requirement is only waived for spouses of Canadians who are military or work for the Canadian government. I believe he still has to be in Canada though in order to apply. He would have to have been a PR for 3 years even though he was not living in Canada. He would have to come on short notice to take the citizenship exam and attend the oath.

 

[PMM]

Hi

Why does he need Canadian citizenship if you never plan to live in Canada?

You may sponsor your common law partner for PR if you have lived together for 12 months or more or if you get married. As a citizen, you may sponsor while you yourself are living outside Canada as long as you are planning to move to Canada once your partner gets their PR and you can successfully prove this to immigration. Such proof may include having arranged housing, having job offers, having been accepted to a university etc. You will of course also have to prove that your relationship is genuine. That goes for everybody.

If your partner is approved, he must enter Canada with his PR visa in order to secure his PR status. For most people, a PR requires staying in Canada for at least 2 years in any 5 year period. However, a spouse of a Canadian is exempt from that as long at they are living with you.

In order to apply for citizenship, your partner must have lived in Canada for 3 out of the past 4 years before they apply. This requirement is only waived for spouses of Canadians who are military or work for the Canadian government. I believe he still has to be in Canada though in order to apply. He would have to have been a PR for 3 years even though he was not living in Canada. He would have to come on short notice to take the citizenship exam and attend the oath.

Easier to travel with a Canadian passport than a Jordanian one.