Friend sponsoring New Wife

[canuck_in_uk]

This is when he showed me that my extension was for a year and also when he wrote on it with me present that during that year I would be applying for PR. It was about a month later after medical exams, x-rays, FBI finger printing and double checking the application that we sent the application.

I hope my explanation is helpful and clear. I hope it can show others that yes you can go back and forth. Remember I did state already that this agent told me I can go back and forth without much in the way of questions and that I have actually had that experience already and not had a problem.

The border officer most likely assumed that you were going to apply outland, as Americans should, and gave you this advice based on that. It is perfectly acceptable to go back and forth during an outland app. It's not a good idea to do it with an inland app. As the others have said, the risk of being denied re-entry is low but it is ALWAYS present.

I thought an inland application was automatically cancelled if the applicant left the country?

An inland app is cancelled if the person is refused entry back into Canada.

 

[ABCml]

No problem guys! Enjoy reading the cases!

This is one of my favourite cases, guy sponsoring Vietnamese girl. During the interview, the girl was caught with romantic text messages from another guy on her phone. They even posted his phone #

http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/irb/doc/2009/2009canlii89076/2009canlii89076.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAHdG8ga2hhaQAAAAAB

Hah!
Not meaning to hijack the original thread started here, but the canlii.org site is chock-o-block full of discouraging, albeit educational cases. The refused visas and dismissed appeals have a clear theme of a quite conservative and seemingly inhumane decision making process of values - the ones I've looked at so far that is, relating to my own application. Most, I think (and hope) may represent cases prior to the 'conditional permanent residence' amendments of October 25, 2012... with my cursory study, it seems that the more "conservative" court views and decisions on applications from foreign-national relationships/marriages has subsided somewhat.. (but I could be wrong...)

 

[rhcohen2014]

The border officer most likely assumed that you were going to apply outland, as Americans should, and gave you this advice based on that. It is perfectly acceptable to go back and forth during an outland app.

oh well now THAT makes sense!

I will say...when my husband re entered Canada with his extension (that was clearly 'marked does not guarantee re-entry') the border lady seemed more than happy with this, as we had lots of other things ready to show her, but she was only interested in the extension.

yeah, it seems to me if you enter with a stamp or extension with a future date the border agents are a bit more lenient as it shows we've already been approved by someone else. one of the times i crossed, i had a stamp in my passport for a future date because i had to return home for work, and it was one of the only times i didn't have to get out of the car to go into immigration. of course there are no guarantees when crossing.

 

[CMLR]

So our friend is back from Cube having just married a couple weeks ago. I know he worked on the application process as far as he could before the wedding so I assume he will be sending it in within days. My husband has seen the video of the wedding and commented to me that although the bride is only 30 she appears older, more like 40 to him in the video. I don't know, as I have not yet seen it, if it is because she seemed less happy than you would expect from a bride on her wedding day or if it is just the stress of living in a country so unlike Canada that my husband thought she seemed older than her years. I assume the video or photo pages from it will be sent in as evidence of the wedding. I have a question which I believe I sort of know the answer to. How will it look to CIC to see photos of the wedding with only Cubans other than the groom being present? This is sort of a strange question but do you think CIC might not see her as fully Cuban in photos if she has her hair blonde? I know our friend has made a point of telling me that he asks her to be blonde and at least in the past she has dyed her hair for his visits. He met her about 2 years ago and has gone to see her about 5 times since meeting her.

 

[keesio]

So our friend is back from Cube having just married a couple weeks ago. I know he worked on the application process as far as he could before the wedding so I assume he will be sending it in within days. My husband has seen the video of the wedding and commented to me that although the bride is only 30 she appears older, more like 40 to him in the video. I don't know, as I have not yet seen it, if it is because she seemed less happy than you would expect from a bride on her wedding day or if it is just the stress of living in a country so unlike Canada that my husband thought she seemed older than her years. I assume the video or photo pages from it will be sent in as evidence of the wedding. I have a question which I believe I sort of know the answer to. How will it look to CIC to see photos of the wedding with only Cubans other than the groom being present? This is sort of a strange question but do you think CIC might not see her as fully Cuban in photos if she has her hair blonde? I know our friend has made a point of telling me that he asks her to be blonde and at least in the past she has dyed her hair for his visits. He met her about 2 years ago and has gone to see her about 5 times since meeting her.

Looks like your friend is set on sponsoring her regardless so just let him be. He'll find out the hard way.

As for the other details about the wedding, that is all minor stuff compared to the big flags you already mentioned. Her hair colour will not matter to CIC or if they perceive her as not "looking Cuban", since CIC will know that you can be a citizen of one county even though your ethnic descent can be another (Myself and my wife are Americans but I suppose we are not stereotypical "American looking" given both of our east asian ethnicity but fortunately CIC did not care). What they care about is what passport she holds.

 

[scylla]

I assume the video or photo pages from it will be sent in as evidence of the wedding.

CIC won't look at videos - just photos.

How will it look to CIC to see photos of the wedding with only Cubans other than the groom being present?

It depends. Sometimes there are very valid reasons why family / friends can't attend (timing, money, etc.). It depends how well this is explained in the application.

This is sort of a strange question but do you think CIC might not see her as fully Cuban in photos if she has her hair blonde?

I don't understand how this is relevant. CIC is looking to verify the relationship is genuine - not that she's "fully Cuban". There are plenty of people living in Cuba who aren't of Cuban heritage originally or who may not look Cuban.

 

[CMLR]

OK, so if by miracle this sponsorship goes through without denials and in the normal amount of time what would generally be the soonest she would land? Does it take longer to land when there is a spouse and their child coming or does that not matter? I am just trying to figure out the time frame she could be here, soonest, so those of us who are his friends can be thinking of ways to welcome her if she can come. I think from looking it would be about 11 months from the time he applies but I am not sure.

 

[keesio]

OK, so if by miracle this sponsorship goes through without denials and in the normal amount of time what would generally be the soonest she would land? Does it take longer to land when there is a spouse and their child coming or does that not matter? I am just trying to figure out the time frame she could be here, soonest, so those of us who are his friends can be thinking of ways to welcome her if she can come. I think from looking it would be about 11 months from the time he applies but I am not sure.

Yes for Cuba the normal timeline is 11 months (2 months for sponsor approval + 9 months for applicant). But your friend's case is non-standard and it is almost guaranteed that it will be heavily scrutinized by suspicious CIC officers and that he and she will be interviewed. Because of that, it is impossible to even hazard a guess as to when she could possibly land if by some crazy remote chance her PR application is approved. I would not count on 11 months that is for sure.

 

[mikeymyke]

So our friend is back from Cube having just married a couple weeks ago. I know he worked on the application process as far as he could before the wedding so I assume he will be sending it in within days. My husband has seen the video of the wedding and commented to me that although the bride is only 30 she appears older, more like 40 to him in the video. I don't know, as I have not yet seen it, if it is because she seemed less happy than you would expect from a bride on her wedding day or if it is just the stress of living in a country so unlike Canada that my husband thought she seemed older than her years. I assume the video or photo pages from it will be sent in as evidence of the wedding. I have a question which I believe I sort of know the answer to. How will it look to CIC to see photos of the wedding with only Cubans other than the groom being present? This is sort of a strange question but do you think CIC might not see her as fully Cuban in photos if she has her hair blonde? I know our friend has made a point of telling me that he asks her to be blonde and at least in the past she has dyed her hair for his visits. He met her about 2 years ago and has gone to see her about 5 times since meeting her.

That usually happens when someone marries for status, they don't appear happy at the wedding, like most normal couples would, and frankly I'm not surprised she doesn't seem happy because she doesn't really love your friend. Even if she appears to be 40, still a 40 year age difference.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I know our friend has made a point of telling me that he asks her to be blonde and at least in the past she has dyed her hair for his visits.

Did anyone else find this to be a bit disturbing?

 

[keesio]

Did anyone else find this to be a bit disturbing?

More sad than disturbing. I don't think much of either the husband or wife. Maybe they deserve each other.

 

[rhcohen2014]

That usually happens when someone marries for status, they don't appear happy at the wedding, like most normal couples would...

not always true mikey. as you know, weddings and immigration are stressful. it's quite natural for a bride on her wedding day to be stressed and appear to "not be happy". I know for me, i can be happy, yet appear to be frustrated or mad. it's just how people handle stress and how they wear it on their face. my wedding had some not so fun moments, and i've spent a better part of a year trying to block those out and remember the good parts. I also had to remind myself to keep smiling during the ceremony because our rabbi was talking so loud and was so close to us, i didn't want my face to look "not happy" in pictures or like I was thinking "yo rabbi, take it down a level.".

I agree this is a tough case and any little aspect will probably be questioned, and i hope it's really not a MOC.

 

[Leopold_31]

He has given her CD's to learn English he did this on this trip he just made. They were to have gotten married months ago but because he is a from a different country he had to prove a lot of things, like were he was born and that he was no longer married. He did not take the paper work with him that time, even though my husband told him to take everything he felt he had sent everything that the attorney needed in order to marry them. None of his family or friends have ever gone to Cuba for a visit so none of them have ever met her. We have seen pictures of her and of them together. One time not long ago our friend was talking to his lady and handed the phone to my husband who told me later that he thought she did pretty good with her English, however for a long time I know our friend and his lady were using translation software on their phones and computers in order to know what the other person was saying. They met about 2 years ago and the second time he was down there he asked her to marry him. Only her family have ever met him, maybe a couple of friends of her's. Only her family about 15 people, were present at the wedding. I am not saying it has to be a big wedding, as mine was very small, only about 15 people. We could not afford a big wedding and did not want to upset anyone in my large family so we only invited our kids and a few friends we both knew well.

Our friend will not give up his huge house and has said he could never live there as it is too primitive to his taste. When he goes there he stays in All inclusive resorts that are top of the line and even then sometimes we hear him complain.

Oh man there are so many red flags. Right away when you said "Spanish" in previous post I knew it had to be a girl from Cuba, who else would be so desperate.
And the fact that he never leaves hotels...
There are so many stories of old guys/gals being taken for a ride by Cubans

 

[Leopold_31]

Read 100s of cases on Canlii.org. It's a public database of all appeal cases, and believe me, I've read tons of these cases. The VOs always express concern with age differences, but they are very suspicious of people who don't speak a common language. Also, typically near the end of a case, they always ask about the couple's plans should the PR application fail, and the VOs always express concern if both parties do not have a plan, or are only set on residing in Canada, which seems to be what the case is here.

I've read so many Canlii cases, but I especially read the ones about Vietnamese spouses, because my wife is Vietnamese. I read all the refusal cases on Vietnamese, and I read things that I didn't even realize were red flags. For example, I didn't know they expect you to do every single thing related to a traditional wedding, such as street procession, exchange of gifts, praying at altar of grandparents, because I'm not knowledgable with Vietnamese weddings. Before our wedding, I asked my wife if our wedding is going to have all this stuff, and she says yes, so I was relieved because I know our wedding will have been performed to the VO's wishes.

I read lots of Vietnamese cases where the VO expressed concern that the couple had a traditional wedding, but for example, didn't hold a street procession because they thought that meant the couple didn't want their relationship to be public.

Canlii.org is a huge resource and its very helpful for people trying to see what goes on in the eyes of a VO

Very interesting but I can't find any immigration cases. How do you find them?

 

[rhcohen2014]

Very interesting but I can't find any immigration cases. How do you find them?

i believe you click Canada (federal), then click on "Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada" listed under "boards and tribunals". I'm still figuring out the site myself.