Help needed. Spousal sponsorship or Joint PR

[rainydaywolf]

Hi Friends,

I would like to know some details regarding joint PR (together with spouse) and the spousal visa.

I have entered the pool with a CRS score of 443. I am an Indian in a relationship with a girl from USA and we are planning to get married. One option is to get PR for me and then get married in Canada and apply spousal visa for her. Other option is to get married in India and then apply for Joint PR.

I would like to know know the below details:

*The processing time and financial expense differences between joint PR and applying for spousal sponsorship.
*What will be the difference between spousal visa and PR.
*Is it possible to enter the pool after getting married in India, as she will be US citizen and I will be Indian citizen.

Your help would be highly appreciated in this.

Thank you

 

[21Goose]

1. Joint PR is faster, though in practice the difference is moot since she can live with you in Canada regardless.
2. There's no such thing as a spousal visa.
3. Yes, there's nothing stopping you from entering the pool after getting married. Her citizenship (and yours, for that matter) has no bearing on entering the pool.

Read on:

Technically, it will be faster to add her to your PR application. You don't have to be married to do that - you can add her as a common-law partner.

For a spousal sponsorship, you would have to first establish residence in Canada, and then apply to sponsor her. This will take anywhere from 6-12 months, possibly longer.

However, since she is a US citizen, she can come stay with you in Canada as she doesn't need a visa. You can live together while you apply for her residency under the Spouse in Canada Class.

So for you, both routes would work.

Personally, I would still add her to the PR application for the following reasons:

1. It would be quicker and you'll both get status at the same time, so she can start working.
2. There's no sponsorship undertaking - if you sponsor her through Spouse in Canada Class, you are on the hook for three years for any social assistance she may end up taking. If she has her own PR, that won't be the case.
3. She'll get healthcare coverage at the same time as you (3 months after you land). This is a big deal. She won't be covered as a Temporary Resident while you wait for the Spousal Sponsorship to go through.

Also, there is no such thing as a spousal visa. A spousal sponsorship is for Permanent Residency, it's just a different way of getting the same status. You're going through Express Entry, she would go through SpouseinCanada or Family Class, but the end result is exactly the same.

She doesn't need a visa to enter Canada. She doesn't even need an ETA.