Final Questions (Hopefully)

[fbee]

My wife and I got married today and are hoping to send in our paperwork this week - we're applying using the outland application. I'm working through double checking all the documentation we're sending but I have a few questions:

We have chat logs from eHarmony, Facebook, Skype and email conversations and if I print them all out it would be in the range of 2000 pages. Should I take excerpts from them that demonstrate the relationship is genuine instead of printing them all out?

While I visited, I stayed at her friend's house, should I get a letter from them stating that I stayed there?

Where do we specify the Buffalo center for the interview should she require one?

 

[CharlieD10]

Excerpts are fine. You can indicate that what you are submitting is a sample, not your entire chat history (we did this).

Your friends can write letters attesting to how they know of the relationship and what activities you participated in together, sure. (We also did this).

Buffalo is now closed. It is highly unlikely that an American/Canadian couple would be interviewed, but if you must, choose CPP-Ottawa or whichever of the centres is more appropriate of Detroit, Seattle or L.A.

 

[fbee]

Thanks Charlie.

How do I go about updating information with my wife's new passport (I'm assuming it will have a new number and her married name in it) after I've submitted the paperwork?

Is there anything other than the receipt and the marriage license I should have with me at the border when we come back into Canada together?

For my income that I have to put on my sponsorship evaluation, how accurate should it be? I started going through my pay stubs and I'm missing some of them. I've asked for an Option C printout from the CRA, can I use the number on there? Or should try get it as near to the last 12 months as possible? I'm pretty sure there isn't an income limit for sponsoring your spouse right?

Frank

 

[CharlieD10]

Send a copy to them via a case-specific enquiry (it allows you to upload and attach documents).

If you have your sponsor approval letter, or if you haven't submitted it yet, the draft copy of your application. Any other proof your spouse maintains ties to the US, such as bank statements, apartment lease etc.

As fairly accurate as you can make it. Use the figure from the Option C if you can't gather the last 12 months' pay stubs. There is no minimum required income for sponsoring a spouse, however it should be clear you can do so without needing to resort to social assistance.

 

[fbee]

Sweet thats very helpful. I just tried calling CIC but they're busy so I figure I will ask my last couple questions that I can think of at the moment here:

1) What do I need to send as the marriage license? We have an original copy of the license as well as a certified copy of the excerpt from the court records that shows we're married. Do I need to send in that certified copy or is a photocopy of that good for them?

2) When I applied for my ERD certification they required passport photos but they allowed us to take our own as long as they met the criteria they needed. I took mine with a digital camera, cropped it and printed them at walmart. Will that work for this application or do they need to be done at a photographer?

3) Im assuming the case specific enquiry becomes available after I submit my application, is this correct?

Thanks so much for your help so far.

 

[OhCanadiana]

Sweet thats very helpful. I just tried calling CIC but they're busy so I figure I will ask my last couple questions that I can think of at the moment here:

1) What do I need to send as the marriage license? We have an original copy of the license as well as a certified copy of the excerpt from the court records that shows we're married. Do I need to send in that certified copy or is a photocopy of that good for them?

2) When I applied for my ERD certification they required passport photos but they allowed us to take our own as long as they met the criteria they needed. I took mine with a digital camera, cropped it and printed them at walmart. Will that work for this application or do they need to be done at a photographer?

3) Im assuming the case specific enquiry becomes available after I submit my application, is this correct?

Thanks so much for your help so far.

1) You can send in a photocopy for CPP-O per the regional US instructions.

2) If you are applying outland through the US (CPP-O), the requirements and specs are detailed in the regional instructions at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/3910e.pdf. They don't require a photographer to take them but just make sure you don't have shadows or anything (they use these for your PR Card later and if the photo doesn't quite meet specs you'll face delays getting the card)

3) CPP-O has a fax number and an e-mail address you can use to contact them if necessary regarding your application: http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/information/offices/canada/ottawa.asp. Case specific enquiries aren't set up (yet).

Good luck!

 

[fbee]

Thanks.

Now before I go paying the fees for the outland application I figure I should ask if you think there will be any problems bringing my wife back across the border in September? I figured that when we're applying she's living in the US so an outland application is correct. I just wonder if that will be a sticking point at the border.

Any thoughts?

 

[CharlieD10]

Have proof of your application handy, and make sure she only brings enough things as a visitor, not looking like someone moving in. You should do the talking, and make it clear she will return to the US when she should or request the proper extension, if her PR is not approved prior to the conclusion of her visit.

 

[fbee]

With the US being a country that doesn't require a visitor visa to enter Canada, what's the length of stay she's allowed to be here for before she applies for an extension and what would I be extending?

 

[lunas]

Hi Frank
She can stay up to 6 months. The officers at the border will ask you how long she intends to stay and if she has a return ticket.

 

[OhCanadiana]

With the US being a country that doesn't require a visitor visa to enter Canada, what's the length of stay she's allowed to be here for before she applies for an extension and what would I be extending?

Hi Frank
She can stay up to 6 months. The officers at the border will ask you how long she intends to stay and if she has a return ticket.

Correct, unless the border officer writes a different date under the stamp in the passport or unless they give her a visitor record. You would extend her temporary resident visa duration of stay - instructions are at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/extend-stay.asp.

If possible, get an entry stamp at the border so you have an official record of her entry (otherwise, keep receipts from both sides of the border, airport, boarding pass, or duty free)