Help! - Canadian Citizen sponsoring Sri Lankan spouse...

[ChristInBen]

Hi all,

I'm a Canadian citizen who just got married (almost two weeks ago) to a beautiful Sri Lankan girl in Colombo, Sri Lanka and I want to bring her to Canada with me. I've heard all the scary stories of lengthy spousal visa processes (six months to a year), but also I've heard of cases being approved in as little as four months. I want to bring her by Christmas of this year as I really miss her so much and we both are miserable without each other.

I've been considering these options:

1) Apply for a TRV (Visit Visa) for her and have her come here and start the spousal application process internally (within Canada) and this way we could be together in Canada while the process is taking place.
2) Apply immediately for the spousal visa from within Canada (I have all the required documentation...marriage certificate, etc...) and pray that she can get the spousal visa approved by Christmas so we can be together for Christmas and New Year.
3) Hire a lawyer to take care of the process, but lawyers cost about $2000 and don't guarantee any sooner time of the process.

What would you guys advice as we really miss each other and we want to be together.

Thanks so much and God bless you all!

 

[Sweden]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your wedding!

there is no "fast way" to bring your spouse to Canada, and yes, it takes time, patience and energy.

You can try to apply for a TRV but they are very frequently denied if the applicant is married to a Canadian as CIC doesn't believe ( and for good reasons) that the applicant will leave the country at the end of the visa.

Outland application is the way to go I think. Current waiting time is 3 months for the sponsorship approval ( common to all applicants, done in Canada) and then your file will go to a Visa Office abroad. In your case, as your wife is from Sri Lanka, it will go to Colombo where it takes approximately 13 months ( some cases get done quicker, but you should count on the average).

Read the guidelines and start preparing...http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp the marriage certificate is a good start, but it will not be enough - you will need to prove that your relationship is genuine, and not only for visa reasons ( I am not saying that you are - but what you will need to demonstrate to CIC). Have a look at this forum, there are quite a few useful threads about the type of proofs, and CIC guideline is quite detailed as well. Print everything, start gathering proofs, and come back to the forum whenever you have questions. If your case is straightforward ( first marriage both, no red flags, etc) then you can probably do it yourself without a lawyer - there are lots of knowledgeable people around here, and they can answer most of the "normal questions". However, if you have a complicated case then a lawyer might be a good idea.

I don't think that it is feasible to get the visa by Christmas. If you prepare your file and send it in a month (it's worth preparing well, as it will save you time in the long term - it took us 3 months to prepare our application), then you will have the sponsorship approval probably in November. It seems that people get approved quicker now than they use to, but still - by christmas you probably will have the first part approved, but not the second one - so you might want to consider going there for Christmas ( and putting that information in your file before you send it, with plane tickets, emails discussion about that with your wife etc) to show how serious your relationship is.

Good luck with your application,
Sweden

 

[Lily_TV]

Hi all,

I'm a Canadian citizen who just got married (almost two weeks ago) to a beautiful Sri Lankan girl in Colombo, Sri Lanka and I want to bring her to Canada with me. I've heard all the scary stories of lengthy spousal visa processes (six months to a year), but also I've heard of cases being approved in as little as four months. I want to bring her by Christmas of this year as I really miss her so much and we both are miserable without each other.

I've been considering these options:

1) Apply for a TRV (Visit Visa) for her and have her come here and start the spousal application process internally (within Canada) and this way we could be together in Canada while the process is taking place.
2) Apply immediately for the spousal visa from within Canada (I have all the required documentation...marriage certificate, etc...) and pray that she can get the spousal visa approved by Christmas so we can be together for Christmas and New Year.
3) Hire a lawyer to take care of the process, but lawyers cost about $2000 and don't guarantee any sooner time of the process.

What would you guys advice as we really miss each other and we want to be together.

Thanks so much and God bless you all!

1.Internal process is much longer than external; they advise you to apply through external. There is a possibility of rejecting her visitor's visa unless you provide a documentation indication that she will return back.

2. There is a huge delay in processing the papers in Canada. It is almost taking up to 4 months to get through stage 1. To avoid any delays, make sure you are signing every documents and take your time to read the complete package.

3. Hiring a lawyer will not help you with the timing. My husband and I did not hire a lawyer but there are times we wish we had. I simply advise you to speak to someone who had gone through lawyers and their experiences. Get ready for the lengthy process regardless you go through internally or externally. But submit your papers quickly as possible. Let me know if you got any more questions, happy to help.

There is a forum already created for srilankan applicants from SL... Forum is called processing time from Sri Lanka. Good Luck. !

 

[canadian parrot]

hi christinben,

got any reply from the embassy?

 

[ashani86]

Hi can someone explain me why visa office is asking for my spouse employment letter and proof of funds when i am the one who is sponsoring him. I am a Canadian. I lived out side canada when i sponsor him we bother were together in Philippines when i submit his application
My husband is working in the Philippines but he is Sri Lankan citizen. I am bit confuse why we have to submit his proof of funds and employment letter.

He already did his medical as well and he is passed it and now they are asking for additional info.I feel confuse. Hope someone can jq jkwwaw