"Moving" to Canada while waiting for PR - How should I budget?

[schi124]

Hi everyone!

As I'm sure you are all aware, the processing time for spousal sponsorship is ridiculous. I (an American) will be marrying my Canadian fiance in January and we will be submitting our application ASAP. There is nothing unique about our case, and we expect it to go as normal.

However, I am planning to quit my job a few months into our waiting period and staying with my wife while on a visitor visa. Of course, I am concerned about my finances as I will not be working. For those of you who were in a similar situation, what did you budget or how much money did you save for this period? Also, what did you do for health insurance during this period?

Thank you!

 

[Mightytonewheel]

Hi everyone!

As I'm sure you are all aware, the processing time for spousal sponsorship is ridiculous. I (an American) will be marrying my Canadian fiance in January and we will be submitting our application ASAP. There is nothing unique about our case, and we expect it to go as normal.

However, I am planning to quit my job a few months into our waiting period and staying with my wife while on a visitor visa. Of course, I am concerned about my finances as I will not be working. For those of you who were in a similar situation, what did you budget or how much money did you save for this period? Also, what did you do for health insurance during this period?

Thank you!

Hi there,

Good luck with your process. My fiancé and I are in a similar situation. We're marrying in Brazil, then she's moving to Canada in February while we wait for the PR application to complete. Happily, our wait should not be too bad. Sao Paulo office is current running a processing time of 5 months.

We're basically planning to move her here without moving much furniture, etc. It's cheaper to buy new stuff here. We're planning to live very lean, on my income only. We're trying to arrange for her to bring some savings, but the bottom line is that we're going to have to live as cheap as possible. Fortunately, we're expecting the wait to be fairly short, but then she'll have to find a job. Depending on where you live, and how much she makes, it shouldn't be that hard.

For health insurance, the info I've gathered is fairly simple, but it will depend on the province you live in. For BC, you would not be covered when you first arrive in Canada. There is a waiting period before you can receive coverage. The waiting period is 2 months, plus the remainder of the month you actually arrived. So if you arrive January 20, you cannot be covered until April 1. After that, you can apply to the government for coverage. There are provisions for coverage for new immigrants that are awaiting approval of PR application. In my case, they said they would review the application itself and then make a determination. Once they approve her for basic provincial medical coverage, she would automatically qualify for extended benefits through my work.

So you should gather some information, depending on the province you'll be living in. However, it will be almost certain that you won't be covered through Canadian coverage when you arrive. So you should probably arrange for some other medical coverage. Blue Cross has medical coverage for new immigrants, and many other companies have similar medical coverage for visitors, tourists, etc. It's not particularly cheap, so spend some time shopping around.

Good luck.

 

[Ponga]

An American with a straight-forward application can expect to complete the entire process in ~ 8-10 months, based on the current processing times. This is because the majority of American applications are processed in Ottawa, rather than NY or LA. Only those that will require an interview will have their applications transferred to the U.S. Visa Office.

Oh...and NEVER use the words `moving' or `living' when you arrive at the border. You will by `visiting' your wife while you remain in Canada.

 

[Mightytonewheel]

Oh...and NEVER use the words `moving' or `living' when you arrive at the border. You will by `visiting' your wife while you remain in Canada.

That's a very good point, Ponga. Until your PR application is approved, you don't have the right to move to or live in Canada. My wife will adopt the mentality of a visitor by booking round-trip flights, bringing luggage that only a visitor would bring, etc. So, just think, act, and BE like a visitor, until you are no longer a visitor.

 

[Ineffable]

Hey Schi,

I've done something similar, but I'm extremely fortunate in that my spouse is paying for largely everything while I'm "visiting." If I had to do it all over again, I likely would have continued working in the US and flown in every month to see her like we'd been doing. Or, I'd have at least stayed in the US 3-4 months and then come to Canada for the lat 4+ months. Hind sight is 20-20, however. I think you suggested you might actually be doing that, however, which I recommend.

I personally have gone stir-crazy waiting for my visa to be approved and not being able to do anything. I applied in early May, and I'm still waiting. I'm hoping for DM end of December/early January. That'd be 7-8 months, but the reality is it could be longer. There are persons still waiting from November/December of 2014 for DM. Very few see times faster than 6 months with the Ottawa VO. In attempting to budget, I would honestly say shoot for no less than 8 months to be realistic in whatever it is you feel you'd need contribute financially. (8 months assuming you come to Canada right after submitting your application, or 8 months minus how many months you wait to come to Canada.)

I haven't heard about being able to get health insurance, so that's a new one for me to hear someone else has figured out a way. Here I've been waiting to see a doctor for months! (Anyone know about getting that in Ontario? I'm sure by the time I apply, I'll have DM.)

A few things to keep in mind:

- A visitor's visa is good for 6 months. You likely will have to renew it, which you can do online at around 5 months.

- You cannot work, volunteer, or do any "labor"—that includes doing DIYs around the house. I thought I'd volunteer at a Humane Society but found out I couldn't. (Why?! The kittens!) While I've technically done DIYs around our house, we've taken zero pictures and have avoided any mention of it on social media.

- Customs will be able to see you have an application submitted to the CIC for immigration. Be completely honest when you cross the border, no matter when it is. I usually say I know full-well the rules about my visiting and would never do anything to jeopardize my future status in Canada.

- I always correct anyone who says I've moved. Border Security/Customs can check your phone, messages, FB, luggage amount, etc. in the rare chance they don't believe your story. I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.

Again, if I could do it again: I'd submit my application, and continued working at least until after I got SA (usually takes 60 days) and then "visit." It certainly would help pass some of the time!

Best of luck to you!

 

[carr1]

Agreed with everything Ineffable says! i thought I brought enough money but it's never enough. The applying itself is spendy, with the exam, the apps and visitor extensions it adds up. I'm lucky my spouse can support us both but without bringing in money myself you feel sometimes a bit stuck or useless. I also didn't think before I came to Canada how hard it would be to find friends here but if you don't work or have kids it's hard to get out to meet new people. My husband just moved away 3 hours from his family and friends so we don't know anyone in the area.

I couldn't find any travelers insurance before I came to use in Canada so I kept my US insurance through cobra and pay $456/month for it. I can see doctors here and get reimbursed but no one explained to me how hard it is to get into a doctor here, we are in Ontario. So now if I get sick I go to a walk in clinic they run around $40-$50 cash plus a prescription if you need it.

Now trust me it's so nice that I get to stay with my husband while my app is processed but some days I get a but stir crazy.

 

[iiiEllie]

I couldn't find any travelers insurance before I came to use in Canada so I kept my US insurance through cobra and pay $456/month for it.

Bluecross should cover you for about 100$/month. I think it was 97$/month when we checked for my husband.

 

[Gemini020]

I think Ontaria might have the same. A quick google search brought me to this topic:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/important-ohip-eligibility-info-for-all-pr-applicants-residing-in-ontario-t56695.0.html

I've been mainly looking into BC for it (and now on a mission to have more people know about it and apply for it so it will be accepted more easily by the insurance people that currently often don't know about it, apparently )so suggest you do your own research for you own province.