Frank advice needed...

[KRM]

Hello! I'm planning to marry and sponsor my South Korean girlfriend within the next year or so, and would appreciate any and all advice. I know the policies surrounding spousal / family sponsorship pretty well, but there are some factors in my particular case which have the potential to work against me...which is why I'm on discussion boards seeking advice. I want to be as educated and prepared as possible going into this process!

Here is an outline of my situation:

- I am a Canadian citizen, 31 years old, my girlfriend is South Korean, 32 years old
- My girlfriend is currently in Korea, I'm in Canada
- My girlfriend and I began dating in 2001, but there have been 2-3 periods between then and now where we've been separated (the longest of which was two years...2007/8)
- My girlfriend has been to Canada frequently, and for long periods of time (we met here while she was studying at university)
- We plan on getting married in Korea this summer, I will come back to Canada alone and begin the sponsorship process
- I am employed, full-time

Simple enough...now here are my special circumstances:

- I sponsored my ex-wife, also South Korean (the sponsorship period has since ended, however). We are divorced.
- My ex-wife DID receive social assistance during the sponsorship period
- I have since paid back the social assistance (~$10 000) she received from the Ontario government, and am in possession of a release letter
- My ex-wife and I have a daughter together (both of them live here in Canada), and I have never been in arrears for child support.

And here are the preparations I've been making:

- I am in possession of my divorce certificate and sponsorship default release letter
- I have piles of correspondence (letters, email, cards, etc.) that my girlfriend and I have exchanged over the years, as evidence of our relationship
- I have hundreds of photos of us together here in Canada, Korea, and abroad, as evidence of our relationship
- I am working on a letter to attach to our sponsorship application, which will detail our relationship

Considering her age, and the fact that she's been in Canada already (and for years at a time), we've decided getting married in Korea and applying for immigration while she's still in Korea to be the safer route. As I said, we plan on getting married in Korea this summer.

Frank and precise advice would be VERY MUCH appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Leon]

What advice do you need? It sounds to me like you are on top of it already.

 

[KRM]

Thanks for your reply, Leon.

I'm posting here just in case there's something I've overlooked. Also, I thought someone here may have had a similar situation (i.e. defaulted on a previous sponsorship), and that they may have some advice for me.

Thanks for reading!

 

[canadianwoman]

If you've paid back the government for the ex-wife's social assistance, you shouldn't have any problems. Believe me, most people don't pay it back unless forced, so they'll be pleased to see evidence of your honesty. Your application sounds fine. The only problem I could see would be that the visa officer might question the fact you're getting married again to a Korean when the first marriage was an immigration scam (I'm not saying it was, in particular because you have a child, but the visa officer might think so, especially since the marriage ended before the three year sponsorship period was up). But since your new girlfriend has spent a lot of time in Canada, presumably if she were only interested in a marriage of convenience, she could have picked someone else, and much earlier.

 

[bflava]

u dont have a problem, and yes it might sound different to the IO but u have a child and that means it was geniue, u good n dont owrry , just get the ball rolling ok..
good luck

 

[KRM]

Thank you both for your feedback. I realize how the situation might look to an IO, which is why I'll have to make an extra convincing case in my application. One of the reasons we have put this off so long is to put some distance between this application and my past with my ex. It would be devastating should our application be denied. Thanks again for the advice.