katezinha82 said:
Hi,
My husband (British) and I (Canadian currently living in the UK), are planning to move back to Canada (Quebec) at the end of this year (03rd December).
We have decided to start all the paperwork once we are in Canada, which means he will be on a tourist Visa. How does this work? The tourist visa lasts 6 months but the application takes longer than this... Do we get an extension?
I also wondered whether I should apply for the Sponsorship before we move? I assume it will add some weight for when we pass through customs on our arrival in Canada? I am a bit confused about how to proceed with it all.
Is there anybody else on here who did this? We're quite nervous about it all and it would be nice to hear about other people's experiences regarding applying for PR preferably outland but from within Canada (Quebec).
Thanks in advance!
Kate
Hi Kate,
My wife is British and we lived together in Quebec through the entire outland process. We applied through the Paris office just before she left France, where she'd been living. We never had to apply for an extension, because she travelled back to Europe briefly at one point and got a fresh six months when she returned.
Since the others have done a good job of explaining the immigration side of things, I'll only say a little about it, and then I'll talk about other stuff. I agree with Sweden that the sooner you apply, the better. I find the following summary of the kinds of evidence to include quite useful: http://immigrationcanada.pro/immigration-rules/spousal-sponsorship/ Also, here is the link for a UK police certificate: http://www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx (it takes two or three weeks if you don't select the express option)
We didn't need to send the CSQ to Paris - I don't know about London, but I'm surprised to hear it's different. Since you're outside Canada at the moment, I believe you'll have an "Intent to Reside in Quebec" form to fill out at some point, or something like that.
In theory, it seems it's possible to apply for sponsorship first and only then send the PR application, but I haven't heard of anyone doing this, and there's not much point now that Stage 1 is only taking one month. Also, the application package doesn't spell out how you would go about it.
He'll have a lot of trouble getting a Quebec driver's licence before he becomes a PR. I don't think that's actually what the law says, but it's the way the SAAQ interprets it. My advice is to get an international driver's permit before he leaves Britain. Without it, he can only drive for six months.
The theory is that if you begin to reside (or "settle") in Quebec you only get six months, but if you don't reside in Quebec you can continue indefinitely with a valid foreign licence and IDP. The trouble is, the law on when you "reside" in Quebec doesn't say anything about immigration status, yet the SAAQ demand proof of status to issue a licence. At least this is what I was told when we inquired about it. The good news is the driver's licence exchange will be automatic if done within 12 months of "settling."
Car insurance may be a problem. My insurance company, which I had been with for years, was nice and gave her a whole year to get a Quebec licence, but since you don't already have car insurance here, it may be more difficult for you. Since he'll be driving legally, my advice is to keep trying until you find a place that allows it. The counterpart showing he hasn't had any convictions may be useful if you can convince them that it means what it means.
For banking, CIBC will be the easiest place for him to open an account (either joint or alone), because it's enough to have a UK driver's licence and passport. If he gets a "visitor record" when he enters Canada, he'll have more choices. But this would mean you'd have to have an actual discussion with the border officer about how long he'll be staying in Canada, since a visitor record is what's issued to people asking for more than six months.
Health care won't work until three months after he gets PR (presuming you apply outland). If your job offers spousal coverage, he likely won't be eligible for benefits until he's covered by the RAMQ. So make sure you don't pay for something that won't do him any good! (Your employer may tell you it's mandatory, but they may not understand the rules in your situation.) We went to Blue Cross for private coverage while we waited.
For various reasons, he may want to prove that he began to reside in Quebec/Canada on a certain date. (Citizenship, OAS, taxes, etc.) Getting a paper bank statement in his name with a Quebec address on it shortly after arrival will be helpful for this. Having some utility bills in his name, or having a joint lease, would also be helpful in this regard. If he has to renew his passport at any point after moving to Canada, he should keep his old one for the stamps, as this will be important if he applies for naturalization.
Later, when he lands and they fill out his COPR, make sure his "original date of entry" is entered correctly. CBSA officers sometimes leave it blank or erroneously enter the date of landing.
