Extension of stay price increase!?

[missmatalini]

Getting my application to extend my stay as a visitor together to send out in the beginning of August (It expires September 10th 2014)

It's now saying to extend my stay it's $100!!! What happened to $75?! ???

Seriously what the heck

Not to mention I could possibly be getting my PR soon and so I'm basically spending all that money for maybe 2 months that I need to be "in status"

 

[rhcohen2014]

it's been $100 for quite some time now. i would consider waiting as much as possible before applying for it.

 

[scylla]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/fees/imm/extension.asp

 

[tink23]

I wouldn't worry too much about an extra $25. There are hundreds and thousands of couples who would give their left arm for the opportunity to have a visitor visa and stay with their spouse while waiting for PR.

 

[missmatalini]

I wouldn't worry too much about an extra $25. There are hundreds and thousands of couples who would give their left arm for the opportunity to have a visitor visa and stay with their spouse while waiting for PR.

. . . .I'm sure they would and I'm beyond grateful that I've had the opportunity to be with my husband while we go through this process. It's annoying regardless, especially considering the fact that I really only need it to be extended for a couple of months because I'll be getting PR soon.

IT also costs 25 dollars to get pictures taken for it as well, so it's actually an extra 50. We're not made of money, we're poor newlyweds and because of the blessing of being able to be together we are living off of a very tiny 1 person income. 50 bucks extra for really no reason is stupid, not to mention we have a lengthy drive to flagpole coming up and it's not like gas is cheap either. :-[

 

[missmatalini]

it's been $100 for quite some time now. i would consider waiting as much as possible before applying for it.

I was literally going to wait until August 10th to apply (It suggests 30 days before yours expires) Could I get away with doing it a little later? When would you personally apply?

 

[rhcohen2014]

I was literally going to wait until August 10th to apply (It suggests 30 days before yours expires) Could I get away with doing it a little later? When would you personally apply?

I *think* 30 days is just the recommendation so cic has time to process it, and they don't get flooded with last minute requests. personally, i might wait until aug 15th, since that's 30 days from your ppr. looking at the ottawa spreadsheet, it seems the longest someone has waited after ppr is 40 days. i think waiting that long would be too risky. also, something else to consider, if you get approved for PR before the extension is approved, does it even get processed? I would think the PR approval cancels that out, no?

i have yet to do the extension route, so i have no idea how reliable my opinion is here...

 

[missmatalini]

I *think* 30 days is just the recommendation so cic has time to process it, and they don't get flooded with last minute requests. personally, i might wait until aug 15th, since that's 30 days from your ppr. looking at the ottawa spreadsheet, it seems the longest someone has waited after ppr is 40 days. i think waiting that long would be too risky. also, something else to consider, if you get approved for PR before the extension is approved, does it even get processed? I would think the PR approval cancels that out, no?

i have yet to do the extension route, so i have no idea how reliable my opinion is here...

I am ONLY irritated with the price increase because I'm so close to the finish line that it literally is like flushing my money down the toilet *Bangs head against the wall*

 

[CMLR]

The price changed in February or early March since I did one in late March and it was 100.00 then. And yes I am grateful to be able to be here while my application goes through the process, but we too are living on one person's small income, so 50.00 is a lot more to pay. What country are you from, I don't know if that makes a difference or not but when I did my extension I was told as long as it is posted before the 30 days you are safe. I had to leave to get some documents for my PR application, divorce certificate since I could not get it online due to when my divorce was (they did not do them online until 3 months after mine was final and this was 10+ years ago) right after applying for my extension and when I came back to Canada I did not yet have my extension in hand. The border patrol officer asked me for my marriage license I also had a copy of my app for the extension and the officer printed out my extension right there for me. He dated it for 1 year and also wrote on it that during that year I would be applying for my pr.

 

[missmatalini]

The price changed in February or early March since I did one in late March and it was 100.00 then. And yes I am grateful to be able to be here while my application goes through the process, but we too are living on one person's small income, so 50.00 is a lot more to pay. What country are you from *snip*

My last extension was applied for in December so it obviously changed right after then.... I'm from the states.

__

It really bothers me, how any struggle someone is having even though they are with their spouse is completely discredited and "not as big of a deal" because at least you are with your spouse. I got it that being away from your spouse is hard, I know that because I did do long distance with my husband before we were married and it was HARD but it is also VERY hard being stuck at home 24/7 without a job, no school to attend, no family, and being ALONE all day. It's hard being in a different country where your spouses family generally hates you. It's hard sitting and waiting for a year with nothing productive to do because you just can't.
25 - 50 bucks is a big deal for us. How fortunate for those people who are rich an can afford it without worrying about being able to pay their bills.

Rant over. Sorry if that ruffles anyone's feathers.

 

[tink23]

My last extension was applied for in December so it obviously changed right after then.... I'm from the states.

__

It really bothers me, how any struggle someone is having even though they are with their spouse is completely discredited and "not as big of a deal" because at least you are with your spouse. I got it that being away from your spouse is hard, I know that because I did do long distance with my husband before we were married and it was HARD but it is also VERY hard being stuck at home 24/7 without a job, no school to attend, no family, and being ALONE all day. It's hard being in a different country where your spouses family generally hates you. It's hard sitting and waiting for a year with nothing productive to do because you just can't.
25 - 50 bucks is a big deal for us. How fortunate for those people who are rich an can afford it without worrying about being able to pay their bills.

Rant over. Sorry if that ruffles anyone's feathers.

I get it. The waiting sucks. However, many people around the world and on here are coming from developing countries, which also require a visa, so not only are they struggling with money, and making far less than one income in a developed country to support their families, but they are struggling with money AND they don't get to see their spouse for sometimes months at a time. So how fortunate for those who get to be with their spouse while struggling with money but have to pay a bit more for an extension.

Good luck. Hopefully you will be approved before sending the extension.

 

[CMLR]

MissM, I totally understand, it is very hard just waiting and waiting until you can do something, anything! We did the long distance thing both while dating and while married. At first he was going to immigrate to the US but even with both of us working, both at new jobs by the way, we could not keep affording to live in different places. So once his twins and my youngest graduated from high school in the communities they knew and grew up in I came to Canada as a visitor knowing we needed to find a way to get my PR. We did use a consultant but the first one we talked to knew pretty much nothing and made us think my husband could not sponsor me due to his income being too low so we waited a while. Then we were told of a different consultant who helped us so very much. I have now been in Canada, legally, for a year and since we did inland, at the time it was the faster way for me to be working which we need, it will be quite some time before I can work. Yes 50 dollars is huge for some of us. In our case we dated for 3 years before marrying and one of those years we only saw each other twice even though by miles we lived only about 150 apart. However when you must take two ferries to get out of BC to get to Washington it gets costly. Now it is only one Ferry since there has been a move. We have a good friend who recently married a Cuban. He complained to us several times before the wedding how much it costs to see her. For him the amount he must spend to see her is equivalent to what it costs us in our budget to see each other when we were not together. He thought a few hundred was nothing because his budget is so very much bigger than ours. So yes I understand what you are saying. Yes I am very glad we can be together and I have made friends through our church but it is still not an easy road for us.

 

[susana]

You can apply for the extension any time before your current visa expires, you just need to make sure Vegreville gets your application at least 3 working days before the expiration date. Apply on paper and you don't need to submit photographs. It takes longer to process an application submited by regular mail, if yiour PR is appoved before a decision is made in your visitor's extension, CIC will refund the processing fee, in the mean time you keep your status in Canada.

Susana

 

[CutiePie92]

I wouldn't worry too much about an extra $25. There are hundreds and thousands of couples who would give their left arm for the opportunity to have a visitor visa and stay with their spouse while waiting for PR.

the truth has been spoken. there are thousands of couples that are separated for countless months.. you Americans need to realize how damn lucky you are

 

[rhcohen2014]

the truth has been spoken. there are thousands of couples that are separated for countless months.. you Americans need to realize how damn lucky you are

ANY visa EXEMPT applicant has the same ability to be in canada as a visitor during the application process. I even know of someone who required a visa who is here until she receives approval. ANY PERSON WHO IS IN CANADA AS A VISITOR CAN ESSENTIALLY BE HERE FOR THE WHOLE PROCESS, NOT JUST VISA EXEMPT APPLICANTS! kindly don't just assume it's us citizens have different rights here just because we share a border and SOME can drive to be with our spouses. PLEASE!!!!!! There certainly is nothing EASY when it comes to this process. Yes, i've been able to be with my husband for PART of this, i am lucky because i can work remotely. However, i also can't stay here indefinitely until my approval comes in and i travel back and forth regularly, driving 8 hours each way. I've also had to remain in the states for 6 months of my first year of marriage. Yes, I am one of the "lucky" ones, and i'm sure someone else would give their left arm to be able to do the same. It doesn't mean the struggle isn't real. I can tell you for sure THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!!!! There are PLENTY of visa exempt applicants (including US citizens) who can NOT afford to travel to their spouses, and must remain separated for the process for financial and family reason. It doesn't matter where the applicant is from. IT IS A STRUGGLE TO GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS!!!!!

We each have our own stories, and it's not at all ok for one person to tell another person their story doesn't matter because they are from a country that doesn't require a visa. That's like me saying to someone who does require a visa "well hey, why aren't you trying to get a visa to come be with your spouse? it's not like it's impossible to do, people do it all the time! I even know someone here who was able to get one, so there's really no excuse for not trying. If you really wanted to be with them, you'd put in the effort." I of course would never say that, because I have class and I would never assume i know someone else's story or their capabilities better than they know it themselves.


It's not fair to make an assumption that we have it "easier" because our country shares a border. I'd like you to experience the border crossings some of us had. Have you been issued an exclusion order and not allowed to be in canada for a year, been interrigated for hours just to be let in because a border agent want to make it difficult for you, or have your travel limited because the border agent "feels" you are traveling too much and are actually living in canada, not visiting? probably not. why are you singling out us citizens here? Paris and Sydney have super fast visa offices and applicants get approved quicker than US citizens. I don't see you complaining about them having it "easy".

This process certainly isn't easy for ANYONE... INCLUDING US CITIZENS. We all have our struggles, and thy are ALL real. Of course there are those with more devastating struggles than others, and it for sure is sad. However, everyone is equal here, no one is better than another person because of where they were born. Contrary to what your television broadcasters want you to believe, being a US citizen doesn't mean we have money flowing through our pockets. There are plenty of us who can't just pick up and do what we want to be with our spouses. I would go out on a limb and say none of us are part of the exclusive "1%". We are ALL struggling to do the same thing here...

kindly stop with the assumptions and be grateful YOU have the means and opportunity to immigrate to canada, just like the rest of us are trying to do. It usually takes a lot to offend me, but your comment for sure offends and is completly ingorant of how this process works for those of us who are lucky enough to share a border with our spouses. and let's go back to first grade lessons here... IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY IT! Your comment has no value in this thread.