How far in advance to apply???

[Oleander]

Background: Canadian wife sponsoring British husband via Spousal visa. Both live in Bermuda. We intend to go back to Canada to reside and work by end of next summer (2016) - in time for the kids (both Canadian citizens) to start school. How far in advance should we submit the spousal visa application/permanent residency? The processing time on the website for Ottawa (I think it is Ottawa that we submit to) is 15 months. If we submit now and it is very fast, and the visa expiry is 12 months from the medicate certificate, are we at risk of doing the whole process over again? Or do we wait until closer to the time and it may take a lot longer than 15 months and risk being in limbo while the application is approved? My husband can't work until permanent residence is approved and Will they allow us to even move to Canada until it is approved? We would not want to be separated as a family unit.
Also I don't understand the visa expiry being 12 months from medicate certificate. If the processing time is 15 months, that means the medical certificate will expiry before we get permanent residence approval? Can we extend the medical certificate without redoing the whole application again?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Awesomeg]

Background: Canadian wife sponsoring British husband via Spousal visa. Both live in Bermuda. We intend to go back to Canada to reside and work by end of next summer (2016) - in time for the kids (both Canadian citizens) to start school. How far in advance should we submit the spousal visa application/permanent residency? The processing time on the website for Ottawa (I think it is Ottawa that we submit to) is 15 months. If we submit now and it is very fast, and the visa expiry is 12 months from the medicate certificate, are we at risk of doing the whole process over again? Or do we wait until closer to the time and it may take a lot longer than 15 months and risk being in limbo while the application is approved? My husband can't work until permanent residence is approved and Will they allow us to even move to Canada until it is approved? We would not want to be separated as a family unit.
Also I don't understand the visa expiry being 12 months from medicate certificate. If the processing time is 15 months, that means the medical certificate will expiry before we get permanent residence approval? Can we extend the medical certificate without redoing the whole application again?
Thanks in advance.

Medicals can be done up front, but you don't need to do up front,
you can wait for Visa Office to require the Medicals to be done,
If you apply between now and May, then CIC may request Medicals
done maybe by August to September,
then your visa expiration will be tied to the Medicals ....
Then it is safe tot think that you may relocate to Canada by summer of 2016.
Waiting to do the medicals upon request gives you the best window of opportunity
to move when you really want.

 

[innosense]

Background: Canadian wife sponsoring British husband via Spousal visa. Both live in Bermuda. We intend to go back to Canada to reside and work by end of next summer (2016) - in time for the kids (both Canadian citizens) to start school. How far in advance should we submit the spousal visa application/permanent residency? The processing time on the website for Ottawa (I think it is Ottawa that we submit to) is 15 months. If we submit now and it is very fast, and the visa expiry is 12 months from the medicate certificate, are we at risk of doing the whole process over again? Or do we wait until closer to the time and it may take a lot longer than 15 months and risk being in limbo while the application is approved? My husband can't work until permanent residence is approved and Will they allow us to even move to Canada until it is approved? We would not want to be separated as a family unit.
Also I don't understand the visa expiry being 12 months from medicate certificate. If the processing time is 15 months, that means the medical certificate will expiry before we get permanent residence approval? Can we extend the medical certificate without redoing the whole application again?
Thanks in advance.

If ur medical expires before u r approved as a PR, cic may request you to redo only ur medicals again. In some cases cic extends the validity of medicals beyond one year by another 3 to 6 months to enable you to complete landing. You don't have to redo ur entire application if ur medical expires .

 

[Oleander]

Can you send me the link where it says medical does not need to be done in advance. I thought it needed to be included in the initial submission?

 

[taffy7]

There is no such link because on your instruction sheet it says to do an upfront medical. Also being a Brit your application may go to London, or stay in Mississauga or go to Ottawa . You have no say over the matter .

With not doing the medical upfront will delay the application because they have to contact you and then you have to summit the medical this will bid you time if your application goes quickly.


As for extending medicals ,my husbands ran out last Dec and we haven't been asked to re do them . Not sure if we will or not . No one can guarantee if they will extend them or what time frame they will give you to land. Unfortunately most of us are in the same boat waiting and hoping it all works out time wise.

 

[Oleander]

Taffy - can I assume your husband did not do medical upfront then and you waited to be asked to do them.

 

[taffy7]

No we did an upfront medical . We followed the checklist for the sponsor to the tee. It expired in Dec but from what I can see from my notes I ordered they have extended them.

 

[bigredmoose]

Please note that technically your spouse can not move to Canada without the appropriate visa. If he turns up at the border and it appears to the CBSA (regardless of what he says) like he's going to stay, he can expect to be denied entry.

Look at it this way:
-Man (non citizen or PR) shows up with Canadian wife and children
-He is carrying items that do not suggest this is a visit
-He does not have a return ticket
-Wife and children are relocating back to Canada, but man says he's just visiting
-Upon questioning, man has quit his job and sold his house in Bermuda plus he can not give the name of someone in Bermuda who will confirm he is returning

To the CBSA this looks like he will overstay his visitor visa and they can refuse to let him in. Having said that, people do what you're proposing all the time. You just need to be careful how you handle things.

 

[taffy7]

Taffy - can I assume your husband did not do medical upfront then and you waited to be asked to do them.

My application was not complete when I sent it . I had to add my step son to the application even though he is not coming and I we missed a form for him . They didn't send our application back but it has caused delays. They then requested the same information by mistake . We sent off our application 12 months ago . He is from the U.K. and is still living there and I am in Canada waiting for him. If you take a look at the left hand side, some people will have their time frames there for you to see.

 

[CherPare]

In terms of the medical...

I applied in December 2013 (Inland) and didn't do an upfront medical. LUCKILY, when everything decided to stop moving we didn't have to worry about it expiring.

Instead of waiting for them to request it, I watched the forums like a hawk and my husband ran and did his medical in the middle of February. Annnnd just yesterday we received SA/AIP with no issues/no request for medicals. The medical was received just fine back in February 2015 with NO worry of it expiring anytime soon.

That's just what I did to not have to worry about it... $400 twice for something like that would've made me cry.

 

[taffy7]

In terms of the medical...

I applied in December 2013 (Inland) and didn't do an upfront medical. LUCKILY, when everything decided to stop moving we didn't have to worry about it expiring.

Instead of waiting for them to request it, I watched the forums like a hawk and my husband ran and did his medical in the middle of February. Annnnd just yesterday we received SA/AIP with no issues/no request for medicals. The medical was received just fine back in February 2015 with NO worry of it expiring anytime soon.

That's just what I did to not have to worry about it... $400 twice for something like that would've made me cry.

applying inland and outland are two different things ... Many inland applicants don't do an upfront medical.

 

[MilesAway]

The inland checklist indicates: Optional: Proof of completion of medical exam, whereas the outland checklist says: Include proof of medical examination.

 

[CherPare]

Oops! Sorry OP I thought it would be the same rules for something like that. My bad. :-X