Just Married.. What now? (spousal sponsorship questions)

[kasia333]

Can you open the US RBC (or whatever else bank account) in Canada? I'm a bit confused. I know Scottia Bank is an affiliate of Bank of America (my current bank), do they have to be the same exact bank or affiliate?

Ok, so I won't be able to build credit till I have my own credit card... I was more concerned about having money when he goes to work to do groceries and such. Normal wife stuff. Having to ask him for cash every time would've been a pain.

This bank stuff is pretty confusing.

I know wire transfers are a pain. And there's fees involved.. and waiting time and all of that.

 

[QuebecOkie]

For the name change stuff, the PR card will be issued in the name that is on your passport. I'm not sure what happens if you apply with a passport that lists your maiden name, but then change your passport before landing. You'll have to look into that some more.

My husband has had a BMO (Bank of Montreal) account since his late teens. He had no trouble opening a second, joint account that I use for all of our household stuff (groceries and any expenses of my own, like gas or lunch out with friends). As for the transfers between U.S. and Canadian banks, I can't really advise you. My husband dealt with all of that, and he was in kind of a special situation, in that he'd lived in the U.S. for years, but had been in Canada for years previously, and had established U.S. and Canadian accounts in his name, including paypal accounts for each country (he was able to do some transfers, from himself to himself, via paypal).

 

[Alurra71]

Can you open the US RBC (or whatever else bank account) in Canada? I'm a bit confused. I know Scottia Bank is an affiliate of Bank of America (my current bank), do they have to be the same exact bank or affiliate?

Ok, so I won't be able to build credit till I have my own credit card... I was more concerned about having money when he goes to work to do groceries and such. Normal wife stuff. Having to ask him for cash every time would've been a pain.

This bank stuff is pretty confusing.

I know wire transfers are a pain. And there's fees involved.. and waiting time and all of that.



You can check with your Scotia Bank representative, they may be able to advise you about transferring from them to BOA. I just know that I could not do it from RBC to TCF, which was my bank.

Opening the account with RBC was simple. We went in, told the rep what we wanted, sat down with our adviser guy and opened it up all from a small branch in town here in Canada. There is no physical bank in the US, but they have it listed as RBC Georgia and they do everything the same as your US bank. No checks though as they don't really have a clearing house set up for that sort of thing. I always found the debit card was all I needed if I was on that side of the border anyhow!

 

[PMM]

Hi

Few more questions came up:

1) Can I get the FBI criminal checking done in Canada? Is there a place for that?
2) Can someone please tell me the process (timeline wise) of going about getting the FBI and the doctor stuff done? (just so we know when to start what and don't waste time)
3) I understand everything has to be sent together, but is there ANYTHING I can do while still in U.S. ??

Thank you in advance. Sorry about all the questions.

1. No, you can have the fingerprints taken in Canada, but they must be sent to the FBI http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/north-america/united-states.asp
2. 4-6 weeks for FBI
3. The medical is valid for a year, you have done about a month before you are ready to submit the application.
4. Not really.

 

[firsttimemom]

is it possible to submit the OWP application thru ONLINE then submit the SPOUSAL APPLICATION after? I still have a valid work permit til 2015, but my husband will sponsor me.

what is the best thing to do?

thank you

 

[Alurra71]

is it possible to submit the OWP application thru ONLINE then submit the SPOUSAL APPLICATION after? I still have a valid work permit til 2015, but my husband will sponsor me.

what is the best thing to do?

thank you

If your work permit is good until 2015, I would get my sponsorship application filed ASAP. If you do it early you would likely be landed before your current work permit expires. If you don't like your current employer and wish to change jobs, then include an OWP WITH your sponsorship application (as long as you file Inland) and as soon as you get AIP they will issue you an open permit. If you already have an open permit, don't waste the extra money right now for a new permit since you still have at least 1+ year on current permit.

 

[firsttimemom]

If your work permit is good until 2015, I would get my sponsorship application filed ASAP. If you do it early you would likely be landed before your current work permit expires. If you don't like your current employer and wish to change jobs, then include an OWP WITH your sponsorship application (as long as you file Inland) and as soon as you get AIP they will issue you an open permit. If you already have an open permit, don't waste the extra money right now for a new permit since you still have at least 1+ year on current permit.

Thank you so much for your reply. We're planning to submit the application this November or before the emd of this year. As we're still completing all the documents needed in the application.

 

[blueangel371115]

Rather than start a new thread I have a related question. I got married in October and I have the documents to prove a name change, can I get a new passport while I'm visiting my husband in Canada? I'd like to get this process started but I'd like to be with him. He has surgery Monday and the holidays are also coming.

 

[Alurra71]

Rather than start a new thread I have a related question. I got married in October and I have the documents to prove a name change, can I get a new passport while I'm visiting my husband in Canada? I'd like to get this process started but I'd like to be with him. He has surgery Monday and the holidays are also coming.

Assuming you are a US citizen here? As long as you have a certified marriage certificate, fill out the forms i THINK D-89? something like that anyhow found right on the we passport US website. Anyhow, fill out the form, send in the married certificate along with your passport, and anything else they require. Mail it to the address they list and in roughly 5 or 6 weeks they can/will mail you a new passport to your address in Canada. It's pretty simple, just be patient while you wait for the new passport. They will send you back the old one with the holes punched in it to 'void' it.

So long as you have nowhere to go, this shouldn't be a problem for you.

 

[blueangel371115]

Nice, I'll do that. Perfect as I am US. You've made my day!

 

[Alurra71]

Nice, I'll do that. Perfect as I am US. You've made my day!

If you have already sent in your paperwork, when you get your new passport, you will need to send a photocopy of the bio data of the new passport, your drivers license (provided that is also in your married name) and a simple letter with your UCI/File number on it stating you have changed your passport to reflect your married name and they will update your case accordingly. I think it took 2 weeks for it to show up on my ecas.

Good luck!

 

[blueangel371115]

I haven't submitted my application yet. I figured I'd wait until I change my name then send it. I figured it would less of a hassle but I'd like to send it as soon as I can. I'm still waiting on my FBI clearance anyway.

 

[kasia333]

hey guys.. a bit of update:

i'm currently visiting my husband in Canada and we are starting the sponsorship process. we will most likely go with outland since it's the fastest. we are going through the paperwork and pulling pictures and proof (so much of it it's not even funny). I have also sent in for the FBI check and it's been 3 weeks already. Soon we should have that.

I did also call an physician here in Ottawa and asked about the medical.. what I was told, which surprised me, is that that THEY send in the results to the immigration.. Not me. I was under the impression that I get the results in the mail, and then send that in myself along with everything. They also told me I can pay $10 to get a copy of the results sent to me, but that they are still the ones that send in the results to the immigration. I'm a bit confused by that. Is this how it's supposed to be done? They said it takes a week for them to get the results back and then they send it in. If that's the cause, should I just do the medical last?? I'm starting to stress a bit about that part. I want to make sure everything gets processed right with no hiccups.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[QuebecOkie]

Yes, they send the results to CIC (I never even saw the results of my medical). I'm not sure how it works with the e-medical system (I did my medical a year ago at an office that didn't yet use e-medical), but I'd imagine they print off some sort of receipt/proof that you include with your application packet. And yes, you do want your medical to be done just before you send in your application. The medical is good for one year from the date of the exam, so you don't want to lose a month or two of validity by doing the medical too early.

 

[Hnhkrk]

As far as bank accounts go this is what I know: TD Canada Trust has a 'borderless' bank account which allows you to have both a $US and a $CA account. The only thing that's different from the BMO $US and $CA accounts is that you can use your debit card to access your $US funds while you're in the US (with fees, of course).

What I did was get a joint accounts with my husband and than a separate $US account at BMO. I emptied my bank account within the USA via a International Money Order (IT HAS TO BE INTERNATIONAL) and put those funds into my $US account at BMO. Whenever I went to the USA I took a money out of my US account. This way he didn't end up loosing money by buying/selling currency all of the time.

When looking at Bank accounts that do business international make sure to read the information VERY carefully becuase a lot of the time there are crazy fees. I remember looking into getting a bank account his HBC, but I decided against it since it was expensive to maintain.

BMO and DESJARDIN offer 'New Arrival' bank accounts in which they give you a credit card. I think that you might have to put $500 down for the credit card, but the new bank accounts are 100% free for the firs two years. I'm sure that Novia Scotia bank would do something similar.