I must be asking a pretty tough question????????

[gladstoneganderesquire]

I am living with my wife in Mexico , i am wondering if it is posible for me to sponsor her to live in Canada! I have my doubts? I am a Canadian citizen,who needs a lot of help with this very complicated process! we are legally married,not a marriage of convienience! we were married 3 months ago, and have corresponded for over 2 years. we have all legal documents. I was living in British Columbia receiving a disability pension. But have been living here in mexico now since last october. my wife has a university education, in administration,so is far more educated than i am. I am not sure how much money $$$$$$ is going to be required for me to bring my wife into the country, I am a poor person, my wife will sell her car and we will do all we can financially! I do not have a job waiting for me,right away when i return,i can receive provincial disability in B.C. or Ontario,and can also work a bit! Do i start the process as an Outland Sponsorship?Huh I wish there was a phone number,where i could get some advice?Huh?? I only have grade 8 and this is just so very complicated for me!!!!!! I need help!
Thank You
Most sincerely
Wayne

 

[keesio]

Hi Wayne,
Unfortunately you have a few red flags. While technically there is no minimum income requirement to sponsor your wife, CIC will want to know how you plan on supporting you and her when you arrive in Canada. They want some concrete plan that you and your wife will not go on welfare. I don't know if disability counts as welfare - I don't think so. But still it paints a picture to CIC that your plan to financially support yourself and her as sketchy. If you have family in Canada willing to help out financially (provide a place to stay and some financial help), they can write letters of support (probably need to be notarized) that you can include in your application and that can help. Also if your wife's prospects of finding a job in Canada are good (once she becomes a PR), then you can definitely highlight that. Also if you wife has saving and such, that can help too.

Also the fact that you mention your wife is far more educated and more financially stable is also a red flag. CIC tends to scrutinize relationships where there are gaps in age, education or finances. So you will need to provide as much solid proof that your relationship is legit.

Hopefully others can provide more advice.

Good luck!

 

[Ponga]

Hi Wayne,
Unfortunately you have a few red flags. While technically there is no minimum income requirement to sponsor your wife, CIC will want to know how you plan on supporting you and her when you arrive in Canada. They want some concrete plan that you and your wife will not go on welfare. I don't know if disability counts as welfare - I don't think so. But still it paints a picture to CIC that your plan to financially support yourself and her as sketchy. If you have family in Canada willing to help out financially (provide a place to stay and some financial help), they can write letters of support (probably need to be notarized) that you can include in your application and that can help. Also if your wife's prospects of finding a job in Canada are good (once she becomes a PR), then you can definitely highlight that. Also if you wife has saving and such, that can help too.

Also the fact that you mention your wife is far more educated and more financially stable is also a red flag. CIC tends to scrutinize relationships where there are gaps in age, education or finances. So you will need to provide as much solid proof that your relationship is legit.

Hopefully others can provide more advice.

Good luck!

I may be chastised for saying this but...

This is a prime example of a relationship that should be able to get approval, as It's clearly a story of two people that want to be together.
(Wife is going to sell her car for crying out loud!!)

As keesio pointed out, there will be challenges with your application, but you have every right to pursue this opportunity for you and your bride.

Since you are a Canadian citizen, you are able to sponsor her while you are both living abroad. You would file an Outland application.
I agree with keesio;your disability shouldn't be seen as social assistance, but I'll defer to others to confirm.

You will need to pay $550 ($75 + $475) for the fees to sponsor your wife, plus an additional $490 if she is approved for PR. Some/most choose to pay all the fees upfront, in the hopes that it expedites the process. She will need to have a medical examination by an approved panel physician. You can find a list of doctors on the CIC website. Additionally, she will need to provide a police check from any country where she has lived (for 6 months or longer) since the age of 18.

You should start to gather as much `evidence' as you can, verifying your marriage is genuine. While you do not have the same burden of proof as a common-law couple, because of your `red flags', you should give them anything and everything that you can find to prove your marriage is real.
Since your wife will likely be the breadwinner when you move to Canada, be sure to highlight her education, experience, skills, etc., which can only help.

You will have to convince CIC that you will both come to Canada if she is approved. Since you will not have an employment offer, perhaps you can start researching this `piece' of your puzzle.

Best of luck!

 

[steerpike]

As a Canadian Citizen you can sponsor her outland. You can sponsor her for PR (permanent resident). After she has been a PR for 3 years only then she can apply for Canadian citizenship.

Once approved for PR she would be able to work/study in Canada, but not before that.

They dont really care if she speaks english or has a degree, they look at that for people who are applying for other types of visas. But for spousal sponsorship, they just want to see that you are really married and it's not a "marriage of convenience".

If you are a Canadian Citizen, then you will be able to sponsor without proof of income - however, you will have to show proof of intent to return to Canada to live once your wife attains PR status. This can include job offer / proof of interviews set up, accommodation arrangements (rental / ownership or letter of support from family or friends) etc.

The cost will be around $1200-$1500 including application fee, medicals, translation of documents, PR card fee, etc

 

[SenoritaBella]

Just a few corrections:
1. Language - for couples who don't speak the same language, CIC would be quite interested in how they communicate. If can both communicate in English/French or Spanish(in this case), it should be fine. But then again, if the wife would be the breadwinner, she will need to speak English or French in order to get a job.

2. A canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor their spouse and dependent children without proof of income. If however, the dependent children have dependent children of their own, the sponsor has to complete a financial evaluation form instead and will need to meet minimum income requirements (LICO).

Note: Although minimum income is not required for spousal sponsorships, visa officers can reject applications on the grounds of financial inadmissability. In many cases, the visa officer will ask the spouse being sponsored to show that they can support themselves and their sponsor. This was the case for 'gango girl' and 'sivu', both were rejected.

The OP's wife may want to consider including her education certificates, etc to help show she has the skills that will enable her get a job in Canada.

As a Canadian Citizen you can sponsor her outland. You can sponsor her for PR (permanent resident). After she has been a PR for 3 years only then she can apply for Canadian citizenship.

Once approved for PR she would be able to work/study in Canada, but not before that.

They dont really care if she speaks english or has a degree, they look at that for people who are applying for other types of visas. But for spousal sponsorship, they just want to see that you are really married and it's not a "marriage of convenience".

If you are a Canadian Citizen, then you will be able to sponsor without proof of income - however, you will have to show proof of intent to return to Canada to live once your wife attains PR status. This can include job offer / proof of interviews set up, accommodation arrangements (rental / ownership or letter of support from family or friends) etc.

The cost will be around $1200-$1500 including application fee, medicals, translation of documents, PR card fee, etc

 

[CdnandTrini]

Just confirming that disability pensions/incomes whether provincial, federal or private are not seen as social assistance by CIC. Blessings.

 

[steerpike]

Just a few corrections:
1. Language - for couples who don't speak the same language, CIC would be quite interested in how they communicate. If can both communicate in English/French or Spanish(in this case), it should be fine. But then again, if the wife would be the breadwinner, she will need to speak English or French in order to get a job.

Hmm.. so do you think CIC gives preference for family class applicants who are well educated or have skills that are "in demand"?

 

[keesio]

Hmm.. so do you think CIC gives preference for family class applicants who are well educated or have skills that are "in demand"?

They don't give preference if the sponsors have equally decent economic outlooks.

But if a particular sponsor's economic outlook or job prospects are not so good, an applicant with strong finances and employment outlook in Canada can help make up the difference.

 

[steerpike]

They don't give preference if the sponsors have equally decent economic outlooks.

But if a particular sponsor's economic outlook or job prospects are not so good, an applicant with strong finances and employment outlook in Canada can help make up the difference.

That makes sense. But CIC also are less suspicious of marriages were the couple have somewhat equal educational backgrounds. So stressing the fact that his wife is a university graduate while he only completed grade 8, may in fact raise a red flag, rather than help the case.

 

[SenoritaBella]

I don't think they give preference per se. What I was trying to say is: the sponsor(OP) is not working and will be highlighting his wife's university education and skills to show she has good job prospects in Canada. Statistics show that immigrants who can speak at least one of the official languages do better in general. So it will be to their advantage for her to be able to speak English or French(if it's not her native language), as this can only help satisfy the officer that she will be able to find a job in canada and thus not go on welfare.

Hmm.. so do you think CIC gives preference for family class applicants who are well educated or have skills that are "in demand"?

 

[steerpike]

Okay, seems fair.

And yes disability does not count as welfare so he can sponsor her.

 

[keesio]

That makes sense. But CIC also are less suspicious of marriages were the couple have somewhat equal educational backgrounds. So stressing the fact that his wife is a university graduate while he only completed grade 8, may in fact raise a red flag, rather than help the case.

Yeah, that is the flip side of it. If it is too imbalanced, it will set off some alarms.

CIC has rejected a sponsorship application in the past because the woman being sponsored had much more education and earning potential than her partially disabled Canadian husband

 

[Kan_Sri]

Some senior members can comment....

just another thought process for PR, if the wife is working/having good degree and has the skill-set which CIC has prescribed, would it be a good idea for her to apply through "experience class!!"

In that application, if she points out she has a Canadian spouse it could really help her application.

Good Luck! Hopefully you figure it soon!
KanSri

 

[gladstoneganderesquire]

Hello Everyone, thank you so much for all of your advice! i feel i should CLARIFY THE SITUATION! my wife does speak english well,so we have no communication problem.Our relationship is sincere.there is no great age difference between us,i am 51, she is 45,yes she has all of her university certificates.She has more education than I, but neither of us have a good financial situation.We can stay with my wifes cousins in law in Vancouver,so we have a place to stay. As i mentioned i can receive disability in B.C. also i can work, some part time hours as well. i am confused about the financial part of the situation,i can not be turned down because i have no income????? but i can be rejected because i have no income???? I am not a mexican resident, i have FMM status, tourist! So the best thing for me to do is apply with the OUTLAND APPLICATION?
thank you
Wayne

 

[SenoritaBella]

Hello,

As your spouse is outside Canada, the only option available is an outland application. So you will be using the forms under "Sponsoring a spouse/common-law partner who lives outside Canada". You still have to submit the entire application(your forms, hers, and proof of relationship) to CPC-Mississauga. Their address and everything else can be found on CIC's website.

There is no minimum income required for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor their spouse or dependent children. So not having an income will not disqualify you from sponsoring your wife. It would be helpful though to also provide a plan of how you will support yourself and your wife(and dependents, if any) when in Canada. e.g. do you(or your wife) have savings? Attach bank statement(s). Will your family in Canada provide accomodation until you guys get on your feet? Ask them to write letters stating same; etc.

Once you receive a letter stating you have met eligibility requirements to sponsor your spouse, the next step of the process will be the processing of your wife's permanent resident application in Mexico (CIC will transfer the file there). The officer will now examine your relationship keeping in mind the norms/customs of her home country, etc. Note: it is your spouse that has to prove their relationship to you (Canadian sponsor) is genuine and not for the purpose of acquiring a status(permenant residence), not the other way around. So you want to provide as much evidence of your relationship as possible.

Throughout the process, the sponsor must continue to meet eligibility requirements even though they have already been approved to sponsor. Therefore, you can not go on welfare or fall behind on child/spousal support to an ex-spouse(if applcable) or commit crimes. Any of these will disqualify you as a sponsor, and your wife's application may be rejected.

The officer also assess your spouse's financial situation. Remember, on the undertaking you both signed, it also said the sponsored person agrees to do all they can to support themselves and their dependents. So it's not a one-sided obligation. The difference is, the sponsored spouse once in Canada can go on welfare, and their sponsor(you in this case) will be responsible to repay the government.

As you don't earn an income now, it will be in you guys' best interest to consider highlighting your wife's work experience and education to help show she can establish herself in Canada economically and will not need to go on welfare. Perhaps you could submit her education certificates, training certificates, etc and also describe the type of jobs she can qualify for. Speaking English is also a plus, so no issues with communication. This is part of that plan I mentioned earlier.

As she has much more education, try to strike a good balance between highlighting how this will be an asset and avoiding "overselling" her which could work against you (this is what keesio and steerpike were speaking to earlier). The officers also look at compartibility in education, physically (this one shocked me), financially, and emotionally and attach a different amount of weight to each with each application.

The visa officer has to be satisfied that there are concrete plans for you guys to support yourselves. Otherwise, they will be reluctant to allow your spouse to come to Canada out of concern that neither you nor her will be able to support yourselves, hence relying on welfare.

Please know we are not questioning the genuineness of your relationship. Just trying to offer any pointers to hopefully assist you as your prepare your application and also avoid some pitfalls. Have a good evening and weekend!

Hello Everyone, thank you so much for all of your advice! i feel i should CLARIFY THE SITUATION! my wife does speak english well,so we have no communication problem.Our relationship is sincere.there is no great age difference between us,i am 51, she is 45,yes she has all of her university certificates.She has more education than I, but neither of us have a good financial situation.We can stay with my wifes cousins in law in Vancouver,so we have a place to stay. As i mentioned i can receive disability in B.C. also i can work, some part time hours as well. i am confused about the financial part of the situation,i can not be turned down because i have no income????? but i can be rejected because i have no income???? I am not a mexican resident, i have FMM status, tourist! So the best thing for me to do is apply with the OUTLAND APPLICATION?
thank you
Wayne