Hello everyone,
Great information here. I've been reading the forum and got tons of great advice, but thought that I would ask about my specific situation as I have not had it covered yet.
I met my girlfriend, who is Brazilian, when she was studying in Canada as part of her Phd program in Brazil. I went to visit her in Brazil a few months after she had to return there, and we want to get married (yay!). As she has a great job lined up here, teaching economics at a University once she finishes the PHD, we will be living together in Brazil.
However, getting married in Brazil is a total nightmare of red tape for people from out the country. It is very possible that my status there would run out before permission to marry would be finalized, meaning we would have wasted time and money. So, why not get married in Canada?
My future wife does not need to apply for a tourist visa, as she is a Brazilian who held a Canadian Visa within the past ten years. She can simply get an ETA to return to Canada and marry me. Once we marry there, we can register the marriage in Brazil and skip the paperwork and red tape.
The catch: when she returns to Canada, she is most likely going to be questioned at the border. While getting married in Canada isn't against the rules of the tourist visa, and we are actually going to be living in Brazil, not Canada come September, I fear that the border services people might think otherwise.
So, my questions:
1) Does holding an ETA mean having the prove the same level of ties to Brazil if we are planning to do something like marry?
2) Do you think a border officer might reject her, even if she says that we aren't planning to stay in Canada after the marriage?
3) If she needs to prove ties to Brazil at the border, would these things be sufficient: 1) Needing to return in a month to finish a PHD, 2) having an apartment lease 3) having classes lined up for her to teach in Brazil at a certain date next month 4) a car in her name 5) perhaps a letter from me stating our plans.
4) Should she even mention getting married at all? Of course we want to be honest and up front with everything, but we also want to be together.
Thanks so much for your help,
D.
Great information here. I've been reading the forum and got tons of great advice, but thought that I would ask about my specific situation as I have not had it covered yet.
I met my girlfriend, who is Brazilian, when she was studying in Canada as part of her Phd program in Brazil. I went to visit her in Brazil a few months after she had to return there, and we want to get married (yay!). As she has a great job lined up here, teaching economics at a University once she finishes the PHD, we will be living together in Brazil.
However, getting married in Brazil is a total nightmare of red tape for people from out the country. It is very possible that my status there would run out before permission to marry would be finalized, meaning we would have wasted time and money. So, why not get married in Canada?
My future wife does not need to apply for a tourist visa, as she is a Brazilian who held a Canadian Visa within the past ten years. She can simply get an ETA to return to Canada and marry me. Once we marry there, we can register the marriage in Brazil and skip the paperwork and red tape.
The catch: when she returns to Canada, she is most likely going to be questioned at the border. While getting married in Canada isn't against the rules of the tourist visa, and we are actually going to be living in Brazil, not Canada come September, I fear that the border services people might think otherwise.
So, my questions:
1) Does holding an ETA mean having the prove the same level of ties to Brazil if we are planning to do something like marry?
2) Do you think a border officer might reject her, even if she says that we aren't planning to stay in Canada after the marriage?
3) If she needs to prove ties to Brazil at the border, would these things be sufficient: 1) Needing to return in a month to finish a PHD, 2) having an apartment lease 3) having classes lined up for her to teach in Brazil at a certain date next month 4) a car in her name 5) perhaps a letter from me stating our plans.
4) Should she even mention getting married at all? Of course we want to be honest and up front with everything, but we also want to be together.
Thanks so much for your help,
D.
