Inland or Outland

[Desert Rose]

Good evening fellow immigrant followers. I've browsed these forums for a few months now and while I thought this situation might be easy, it seems I'm yet another panicked spouse trying to figure out what to do. Here's the background..

I'm a Canadian citizen sponsoring my husband who is a US citizen. He got his criminal background from the FBI in January. He arrived to Canada in early April, was not stamped on his US passport at all (entered via Rainbow Bridge and passport was likely scanned), and just did his medical background in Mississauga a few days ago. We have all the evidence we need, I believe, for both Inland and Outland.

So, the problem..

We were set initially on filing Outland but my husband's 6 months would be up in early October. The baby is due late September/early October. We had thought a few times of leaving and re-entering the same route to reset time in May or June (then perhaps vying for an extension later in the year if the Outland app is still in process), but reading stories about people being denied or given a very short length of stay by the Canadian Border Services has concerned us. So we thought about filing for Inland instead but not sure if they would take the medical that he had done telling the doctor he was filing Outland and that his US office was in Detroit. Could always do another medical perhaps if it seems that Inland is the best way for us to go, but not sure if the requirements overall are different for filing Inland or Outland. So my questions for those who have hopefully read this far and didn't tl;dr to the later part of the post..

Do you think it would be better for us to still file Outland and try re-entry? Or if we have proof of an active PR would it be worth it to skip re-entry and simply try for an extension before October, if the odds are good enough?

Or.. should we just try to file Inland? If you suggest Inland, would he be able to apply right away for OHIP (I live in Toronto) and work permit? Also, would he need to do a different medical? And is there different sponsorship requirements on my part?

I feel dumb for asking many of these questions but trust me any help would be very much appreciated!

 

[Love_Young]

File outland. We however applied inland but for more personal/important circumstances.

You can send the extension request (if he hasn't landed before then) before his stay expires with proof of the PR application being sent and in process. It isn't very likely they will turn it down because many US citizens have remained in Canada for the duration of their application processing. And no, even if he filed inland, he would not get OHIP until 3 months AFTER receiving AIP which is taking 9-10 months to get (you could be finalized outland well before then). And you also don't get the work permit until you are approved for AIP which if it is straightforward will take 9-10 months after they get your application but if they need an interview they will instead transfer the application to a local CIC office in your area where he won't get AIP until after an interview is passed. It could take anywhere from a few months to a few years to get an interview depending on how busy your local CIC office is, all the while your husband can't work or get healthcare coverage.

Also, the US office for outland is in Buffalo. Your application gets sent to Mississauga where they will transfer it to Buffalo. It only goes to Detroit if Buffalo sends it there if they are too backlogged or need to interview you. The medical is sent to Ottawa by your doctor where when Buffalo is ready, they will request the results from there. And I am not sure what you are meaning in "is there a different sponsorship requirement". So I don't know how to answer that but the requirement is the same for both ways.

Do yourself the favor and apply outland. Your husband could be done before his stay expires and before the baby is born if not then soon after. Good luck.

 

[QCSunshine]

You could apply to extend his visitor status online (or on paper) from within Canada a month before his status is due to expire, so there is no need to leave the county.

I am from the US and am in Canada. I decided to apply outland, so that I could have the freedom to leave Canada, if necessary, and not put my application process at risk. (With inland, the applicant is not supposed to leave Canada.) I was originally going to apply inland, but after learning more about the differences, I switched to outland before submitting, and the medicals seemed to have gotten to the right place even though I changed my mind after doing the medical exam.

Good luck!

 

[rjessome]

He's going to need another FBI clearance since you are just applying now. Police clearances shouldn't be more than 3 months old at the time the application is submitted.

Submit the one you have with the application with a letter stating that you have applied for another one and will forward it as soon as you get your file number from Buffalo.