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Having refugee status and residence permit outside Canada, applying for Express Entry

hasti815

Member
Jan 16, 2020
13
0
Hello.

I have got an ITA for the Express Entry as the main applicant, and I'm going to add my fiance to my application in the following months after we get married. However, our situation is a little complicated and I can't figure out what we should do exactly.

1- My fiance has refugee status and residence permit in Sweden. Does his background as a refugee cause us any trouble in the process of getting the PR? He got rejected once almost 8 years ago, but after a few years, he applied again and got his refugee status.
2- He has a refugee travel document issued by Sweden, as he can't get his own national passport due to refugee status. What happens when we get PR? If he stops living in Sweden, he will lose his residence permit and his travel document eventually. Can we get him a travel document issued by Canada based on his refugee status in Sweden? (We called CIC and they said they won't give him a travel document, which I found odd since I believe once the refugee status is granted, the country that the refugee is a resident of, must provide them travel document.)
3- If he applies for his own national passport, does this cause him any trouble in Canada? Everyone can get their national passport whether or not they are in danger in their home country. But it seems some officials consider it in contradiction with their claims as a refugee.

I hope someone can give us some answers.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,834
22,109
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Hello.

I have got an ITA for the Express Entry as the main applicant, and I'm going to add my fiance to my application in the following months after we get married. However, our situation is a little complicated and I can't figure out what we should do exactly.

1- My fiance has refugee status and residence permit in Sweden. Does his background as a refugee cause us any trouble in the process of getting the PR? He got rejected once almost 8 years ago, but after a few years, he applied again and got his refugee status.
2- He has a refugee travel document issued by Sweden, as he can't get his own national passport due to refugee status. What happens when we get PR? If he stops living in Sweden, he will lose his residence permit and his travel document eventually. Can we get him a travel document issued by Canada based on his refugee status in Sweden? (We called CIC and they said they won't give him a travel document, which I found odd since I believe once the refugee status is granted, the country that the refugee is a resident of, must provide them travel document.)
3- If he applies for his own national passport, does this cause him any trouble in Canada? Everyone can get their national passport whether or not they are in danger in their home country. But it seems some officials consider it in contradiction with their claims as a refugee.

I hope someone can give us some answers.
1 - No issue provided he is 100% honest about his immigration history.
2 - He doesn't have refugee status in Canada so Canada naturally won't grant him a refugee travel document. I believe he needs a valid passport to complete the PR process in Canada.
3 - No issues for Canada. However it's possible this could create issues for his status in Sweden.
 
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hasti815

Member
Jan 16, 2020
13
0
1 - No issue provided he is 100% honest about his immigration history.
2 - He doesn't have refugee status in Canada so Canada naturally won't grant him a refugee travel document. I believe he needs a valid passport to complete the PR process in Canada.
3 - No issues for Canada. However it's possible this could create issues for his status in Sweden.
Dear scylla,
Thanks for your quick response. He has a valid travel document for now, and hopefully at the time we get our visa. However, there might be only a few months left of its validity at the time. I wonder if it causes us any trouble when getting our visa or when entering Canada.
I have read about Certificate of Identity, which I believe will match my fiance situation when we get our PR. Can he apply to get that, if Sweden doesn't renew his travel document?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,834
22,109
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Dear scylla,
Thanks for your quick response. He has a valid travel document for now, and hopefully at the time we get our visa. However, there might be only a few months left of its validity at the time. I wonder if it causes us any trouble when getting our visa or when entering Canada.
I have read about Certificate of Identity, which I believe will match my fiance situation when we get our PR. Can he apply to get that, if Sweden doesn't renew his travel document?
Does he have a valid travel document at this time or an actual passport? You'll want the passport to be valid for at least another year to allow time for processing of the PR application and landing / arrival in Canada.

The certificate of identity may be a possibility once he is a Canadian PR if he can prove that he cannot get a passport for valid reasons.
 

hasti815

Member
Jan 16, 2020
13
0
Does he have a valid travel document at this time or an actual passport? You'll want the passport to be valid for at least another year to allow time for processing of the PR application and landing / arrival in Canada.

The certificate of identity may be a possibility once he is a Canadian PR if he can prove that he cannot get a passport for valid reasons.
Yes, his current travel document is valid for another year and a half. Is that enough?
As he has refugee status in Sweden, I think it is a valid enough reason for not being able to get his own national passport, right?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,834
22,109
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Yes, his current travel document is valid for another year and a half. Is that enough?
As he has refugee status in Sweden, I think it is a valid enough reason for not being able to get his own national passport, right?
Because you keep using the phrase "travel document", I'm still not clear if this is his national passport or a refugee travel document from Sweden.

Anyway - I year and a half is OK. I would recommend you get married as soon as you can and add him to your application since there will be additional time required to process his documents.
 

hasti815

Member
Jan 16, 2020
13
0
He has a refugee travel document. His national passport has been seized by Sweden.
Thank a lot for your priceless help.
So you think it’s likely that he gets a Certificate of Identity?