Leaving to study in UK while sponsoring my wife

[silky28]

Hey everyone...

So I have been building my wife's PR application for the last few months but now it looks like I will be heading to England for my PhD...

Long story short...I received an offer of admission for PhD at Oxford University. I have been going back and forth on whether or not to attend...it is so expensive...but my wife and my family have convinced me that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity which I will always regret if I do not do. So, it looks like I will be heading to the UK in October with my American wife and son.

My question is simple: is there any point submitting the PR application? will it automatically be rejected since I am not in Canada?

 

[canadianwoman]

If you are a Canadian citizen, you can sponsor while residing abroad, but you then have to include proof that you will be returning to Canada to live when the applicant gets the PR visa. Americans usually get processed quickly: your wife getting her PR visa less than a year after you apply would be likely. So if you will still be living in England in a year, there is not point applying now. The visa officer will see you are studying in England, and will most likely just tell you to reapply closer to the time when you will be returning to Canada. That is my advice as well: you know roughly how long the course will take, so apply to sponsor your wife about one year before the course ends.

 

[silky28]

I figured as much. I am just trying to salvage the time and money that has been put in so far. If I wait she'll have to do the medical and police clearances again

So there is no possibility of applying before we leave?

 

[canadianwoman]

I don't think there is any point to it. The visa officer knows that a doctorate program will take several years, so he or she knows you will not be returning to Canada to live until you are finished.