Italian, Living in the UK, married with Canadian living in Montreal

[Ste_Vege]

Hi,

I am Italian, living in London and married with a Canadian citizen who currently lives in Montreal. We got married in London in September 2015.

Since I am a permanent resident of UK and not Italy, I cannot apply for the IEC working holiday visa. Hence, my only way to move to Canada is on the spouse sponsorship.

I guess my two options are:

- apply from the UK: how long are the processing times from the UK? What happens if I change address within UK or move back to Italy during these months?

- go to Canada as visitor and apply for the spouse sponsorship once there. I understand that this process takes around 2 years, please correct me if I am wrong. However, I can get a working permit after 4 month circa from my application. My questions for this option are:
- is the border officer going to question the fact that I don't have a return ticket? Should I declare the dual intent at the border?
- how does it work with the health insurance? How much is it going to cost me?
- how much does it cost the entire process?

- is there any better way to move to Canada given my situation?

- does Quebec require a different process or is the same throughout Canada?


Ciao

 

[canadianwoman]

You can apply while you are living in the UK. This would be an outland application. You could also come to Canada as a visitor and then apply either inland or outland. Inland is not really recommended for people who can come to Canada without a visa: you are supposed to stay in Canada throughout processing, and processing takes much longer than outland. However, with inland you can also apply for an open work permit, which takes about 4 months to get. Note that you can come to Canada as a visitor and still apply outland.

When you enter Canada as a visitor, the border agent will want to be sure that you are just coming to visit, so you should have proof of ties to the UK or Italy, proof of funds, and a return ticket with a specific date. In any case, many times airlines will not let a person board with only a one-way ticket. You will have dual intent, but you do not specifically say this to the border agent. You just say you are visiting. If you have already sent in your outland application, have proof of the application with you (such as the fee receipt). People (who don't need a visitor visa) are usually let in as a visitor to wait while their outland application is being processed.

Quebec's process is different, but the basics of entering as a visitor, and choosing to apply outland or inland are the same.

 

[Ste_Vege]

Inland is not really recommended for people who can come to Canada without a visa: you are supposed to stay in Canada throughout processing, and processing takes much longer than outland. However, with inland you can also apply for an open work permit, which takes about 4 months to get. Note that you can come to Canada as a visitor and still apply outland.

Do you mean that I cannot leave Canada during the inland application process?

 

[canadianwoman]

The applicant is advised to not leave Canada for the duration of the inland processing. The applicant and the sponsor are supposed to be living together in Canada for an inland application.

However, you will be allowed out if you want to leave. The problem is that if you are not let back into Canada, the application is over. Most likely you would be let back in, since you do not need a visa to enter as a visitor, but there is always a risk. This is why we generally advise people who do not need a visa to apply outland: the processing is much faster, you can still come as a visitor to Canada during processing, if you leave and are not let back in processing continues, and if you are denied you can appeal.

 

[Ste_Vege]

Okay thanks.

It seems that applying from outside makes more sense, am I correct that I can choose whether to apply either from Italy or UK even if I keep living in UK?

 

[scylla]

Okay thanks.

It seems that applying from outside makes more sense, am I correct that I can choose whether to apply either from Italy or UK even if I keep living in UK?

You submit the application to Mississauga. CIC will chose which visa your application is processed through once the sponsor is approved (this isn't something you can chose yourself).

 

[Ste_Vege]

Thanks Scylla.

Let's assume that CIC choose the UK to process my application. What happens if during the processing times I change address within the UK? And what happens if I move back to Italy?

Basically, my question is: is the application tidied to the address I have on the day I submit the application or not? And do they need to send any document once the sponsorship is granted?

 

[Ste_Vege]

You submit the application to Mississauga. CIC will chose which visa your application is processed through once the sponsor is approved (this isn't something you can chose yourself).

Thanks Scylla.

Let's assume that CIC choose the UK to process my application. What happens if during the processing times I change address within the UK? And what happens if I move back to Italy?

Basically, my question is: is the application tidied to the address I have on the day I submit the application or not? And do they need to send any document once the sponsorship is granted?