Hello everyone!
This forum has been such an incredible resource for information. Thank you! I do have a few thoughts/questions I would like to share in hopes of obtaining a bit of clarity.
(I originally posted this under Re:Spousal Sponsorship but figured I should try my own thread)
I'm an American and my g/f is Canadian. She is currently an elementary school teacher and I'm a 'non' ticketed carpenter. We have been in a relationship since the summer of 2010 and have been visiting one another on a consistent basis ever since. I committed (financially) to a new home in Victoria for her and I July of 2014. Since then, I have spent about 2 months living/visiting Victoria, all the while, still maintaining a residence in Bellingham, WA. As of Jan/2014, I no longer have a lease in my name in Bellingham and plan to stay in Victoria as long as possible. This last time I crossed(12/20/14) was the first time in the four years where I 'forced' to obtain a visitor report that is good until April/2015. I am enrolled in a 10/month trades program in Victoria that begins Sept/2015 and they won't issue a study permit until the month before the program starts.
With all that being said, we have recently been discussing the idea of getting married. I have yet to purchase a ring/propose, although it is something we both desire. We are open to getting married (legally/on paper) in order to begin the application process considering we don't plan to have the 'actual' wedding the summer/2016.
So my questions are as follows:
1)I read about the process on the bc/gov website and the civil ceremony seems straightforward. Would there be any issues and/or concerns with the spousal sponsorship/PR application if we have an impromptu ceremony that is very informal with only a few witnesses? And how long does it generally take to obtain the legal Marriage Certificate once the marriage is registered?
2)To my understanding, we should apply Outland for the quickest turnaround time even if I am living/visiting in Victoria?
3)I did consult with a lawyer($300/half an hour) 6 months ago and she mentioned the outland takes 9-12 months and also strongly recommended I use a lawyer in order to prevent a refuse? Is this her way of trying to get $5k out of me? From what I've read, I don't necessarily 'need' to be legally represented considering our situation is straightforward i.e. canadian married to an american with no criminal record??
4) I recently noticed an update on the CIC website----Effective December 22, 2014, eligible spouses or common-law partners have the opportunity to work in Canada while they wait for their application for permanent residence to be processed. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will issue open work permits to certain spouses or common-law partners who are applying for permanent residence from inside Canada, before the approval in principle decision on their application is made. I am assuming this is only for people applying INLAND?
We are so excited to be co-exsiting in the same place/space. The sooner we can eliminate the barriers, the better.
Any thoughts and information shared would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for the consideration.
Cheers!
This forum has been such an incredible resource for information. Thank you! I do have a few thoughts/questions I would like to share in hopes of obtaining a bit of clarity.
(I originally posted this under Re:Spousal Sponsorship but figured I should try my own thread)
I'm an American and my g/f is Canadian. She is currently an elementary school teacher and I'm a 'non' ticketed carpenter. We have been in a relationship since the summer of 2010 and have been visiting one another on a consistent basis ever since. I committed (financially) to a new home in Victoria for her and I July of 2014. Since then, I have spent about 2 months living/visiting Victoria, all the while, still maintaining a residence in Bellingham, WA. As of Jan/2014, I no longer have a lease in my name in Bellingham and plan to stay in Victoria as long as possible. This last time I crossed(12/20/14) was the first time in the four years where I 'forced' to obtain a visitor report that is good until April/2015. I am enrolled in a 10/month trades program in Victoria that begins Sept/2015 and they won't issue a study permit until the month before the program starts.
With all that being said, we have recently been discussing the idea of getting married. I have yet to purchase a ring/propose, although it is something we both desire. We are open to getting married (legally/on paper) in order to begin the application process considering we don't plan to have the 'actual' wedding the summer/2016.
So my questions are as follows:
1)I read about the process on the bc/gov website and the civil ceremony seems straightforward. Would there be any issues and/or concerns with the spousal sponsorship/PR application if we have an impromptu ceremony that is very informal with only a few witnesses? And how long does it generally take to obtain the legal Marriage Certificate once the marriage is registered?
2)To my understanding, we should apply Outland for the quickest turnaround time even if I am living/visiting in Victoria?
3)I did consult with a lawyer($300/half an hour) 6 months ago and she mentioned the outland takes 9-12 months and also strongly recommended I use a lawyer in order to prevent a refuse? Is this her way of trying to get $5k out of me? From what I've read, I don't necessarily 'need' to be legally represented considering our situation is straightforward i.e. canadian married to an american with no criminal record??
4) I recently noticed an update on the CIC website----Effective December 22, 2014, eligible spouses or common-law partners have the opportunity to work in Canada while they wait for their application for permanent residence to be processed. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will issue open work permits to certain spouses or common-law partners who are applying for permanent residence from inside Canada, before the approval in principle decision on their application is made. I am assuming this is only for people applying INLAND?
We are so excited to be co-exsiting in the same place/space. The sooner we can eliminate the barriers, the better.
Any thoughts and information shared would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for the consideration.
Cheers!
