Get married legally before the ceremony to get a headstart on paperwork a good idea?

[dannyraja]

Hi All,

At the outset, thanks for the wonderful work done by every contributor!

I (Indian National/Canadian PR since Jan 2016) am going to India in September to get engaged. I was thinking to get married on paper at the same time (a registered marriage ie the legal document) and start the process of the spousal application using that as opposed to staring the paperwork after the official wedding ceremony (no fixed date as of yet, but very likely to be in December). Would this be a problem? At the very least, if she can get the open work permit before December, it would be nice to bring her with me right after marriage. Any thoughts?

 

[mikeymyke]

That would be a huge problem, as they would view the marriage as non genuine without the ceremony. Best to wait until after the ceremony. You might save a month or two with the first option, but then wait 2+ years through the interviews/refusals/appeals.

 

[gopr]

That would be a huge problem, as they would view the marriage as non genuine without the ceremony. Best to wait until after the ceremony. You might save a month or two with the first option, but then wait 2+ years through the interviews/refusals/appeals.

+1 to this. We had a long relationship history and couple of very good immigration lawyers in BC advised us against this. You have to put your very best foot forward with your first application.
What you can do is, if your fiance has job/strong ties to India, apply for her a visitor visa first before the wedding/possibly the engagement and if it is approved she can visit.