Japan

[andrijzip]

Hello!

I am a Canadian, currently in Canada. My wife and children are currently in Japan. I would like to bring them to Canada and begin the permanent residency application process from Canada. What do they need from Japan before they come to Canada?

 

[canadianwoman]

You can go to the government of Canada's website and look at the guides for immigration. Part 3: the Country Specific Instructions for Japan list the documents you will need from Japan:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/3913e.pdf

Your wife should also bring everything she can think of that you might need to prove your relationship is genuine, though with two kids you probably won't need too much. Proof of joint bank accounts, joint utility bills, a joint lease, mail addressed to both of you at the same address (CIC wants the envelopes), etc.

Note you will also need the following: "A marriage certificate, birth certificate, Family Register or certified official copy and a translation of your unaltered "Koseki Tohon" and "Kaiseigen Koseki Tohon" (all names in the register, even the ones that have been removed due to death, marriage, change of residence, etc) including details of your birth, marriage and divorce (if any) must be submitted. All names of your family members, even the ones that have been removed due to death, marriage, change of residence, etc., must be included. The translation should be in English or French and done by a certified translator." It might be easier and cheaper to get this translated in Japan before she comes to Canada.

 

[andrijzip]

Thank you for your reply, Canadianwoman. So the entire application process can be done with them in Canada?

 

[Tomorisu]

Hello!

I am a Canadian, currently in Canada. My wife and children are currently in Japan. I would like to bring them to Canada and begin the permanent residency application process from Canada. What do they need from Japan before they come to Canada?

Hello. You and your wife haven't sent applications of PR yet. Is it right? Then, after you bring them to Canada, you have 2 choices to apply the PR for them. One is Inland, the other is Outland.

If you and your wife want to apply Outland, please read here.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp

Step2 will be processed in Manila. Now, processing times shows it takes about 1 month for Step1 and 14 months for Step2.
As canadianwoman said, you need to prepare Koseki Tohon and Kaiseigenkoseki. They must to be translated in English.

If you guys want to apply Inland, please read here.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/spouse.asp

In case of Inland, total process will be taken about 14 months.

Whether your choice is Outland or Inland, your wife needs to get her police certificate. It is easy to get it while she is in Japan.

If your wife has questions, please send me PM freely in Japanese. (I'm Japanese.)

 

[canadianwoman]

I'm assuming your wife is a Japanese citizen. If so, she can come to Canada as a visitor without a visa. The children are Canadian citizens (probably), so if they are traveling on Canadian passports there will be no problem. If they are traveling on Japanese passports, they can also come to Canada without a visa.

When your wife enters Canada, she should be clear that she is just visiting. The border agent may ask for proof of ties to Japan: things like a return ticket, a lease, a bank account, a job in Japan, etc. If she doesn't have proof of ties, it is a good idea to at least get a return ticket.

Many people have entered Canada as a visitor when their plan was to apply for a PR visa, and for people who can enter Canada without a visa, there is usually no problem. One way to make it less worrying is to send in the application before she arrives in Canada. She can then show proof of the PR application to the border agent if asked: proof could be the fee receipt, or the letter accepting you as a sponsor. You can even pay early, get the fee receipt, then not actually send in the forms until after she has arrived. However, she should still be clear that she is just visiting, and will leave Canada if her PR visa application is rejected (which would be very unlikely).

Once she is in Canada, you can apply either inland or outland. Inland means the application is processed in Canada: it usually takes longer than outland, and is not really necessary for someone with a visa-free entry. Outland means the application is processed outside of Canada, in Manila now (I think) for Japanese applicants. Lots of forum members have applied outland while visiting their spouse in Canada, and everything is usually fine. If there is an interview, for outland your wife would have to go to Japan for it; however, if you submit a good application and your relationship has no 'red flags', she would probably not be called for an interview, since you have lived together and have children.

 

[Korea2Canada]

The answer is Y E S ! Research all required Japan documents. See above link country specific guide. Apply for your childrens citizenship before PR. If they are not already. Even if she forgets to bring a document maybe her family can get it and send it to you vs a trip to Japan.

 

[AnaMaria]

You would want to get family registry documents and police certificate while she is still in Japan. It was a painful procedure and caused delay for me. Though you should note that police certificate is only valid for 3 months.