My Canadian wife is pregnant - question about spousal sponsorship

[nmford]

Hey guys,

I was just filling out the last of my paperwork to apply for my Canadian residency via spousal sponsorship and my wife and I just found out that she's pregnant.

Looking at the wait times for the processing, there is no way I can see myself being able to get a job in Canada before the baby is born.

It's a very confusing situation and we don't know what to do. Is there anyway to speed up the application process? I just want to be able to be with and support my wife in Canada.

I'm from London, England and while theoretically we could live there, she wants to be near her family and she also doesn't want to stop her studies (she's currently doing a nursing degree in Toronto).

Any advice is much appreciated, I just want to be able to go and take care of my wife and our child!

 

[pinklady]

Apply outland via the london visa office.
Click the link below my posts to see a spreadsheet of processings times for London. The average time from start to finish is about 4-5 months.
Just because you are staying in canada does not mean you have to apply inland. I applied outland through London while staying in Canada, many people do.
A good place to start is to print off the forms and read throught he document checklist and the application guide. The checklist will give you an idea of the documents you need to gather. It'll take longer than you think to prepare. Also pay all the fees up front, the total $1040 to avoid delays if they have to request it later on.
Join the London outland thread if you have more questions. We are happy to help.
Good luck!!

 

[nmford]

Hi Pinklady,

Thanks for the advice.

I have already filled out most of the documents and I have gotten things together such as my police certificate, birth certificate etc. etc...

I will look into using the london office.

 

[nmford]

How do I go about applying outland while staying in Canada?

 

[pinklady]

Exactly the same way you would if you lived in england. Fill out all the forms and send to the Mississauga office. They will assess your wife as a sponsor which takes approx 54 days, then forward the application to London.
London is definitely the way to go for visa exempt people.

If you need to apply to extend your status it is easy. You can do it online or in writing. It costs $75 and until you get a reponse you will be on implied status. Make sure you apply to extend your start 1 month before your status is due to expire.
You must maintain legal status while applying outland and visiting Canada.
When you receive the COPR (confirmation of permanent residency) you can either make a trip to the border to land or make a landing appointment at a local office.(this can take 2-3 weeks to get an appointment).

Outland total processing time through London is about 4-5 months. For inland it is 11-12 months for first stage approval which is when you'd get the work permit. Outland is better for visa exempt in every way. You will not be able to leave canada if you choose inland. With outland you have the ability to come and go.

 

[nmford]

Uh oh, my status expires march 16th -- am I going to be in trouble?

I haven't yet gathered all the paperwork together that I need to send off the application and I was told by an immigration officer not to apply for my visitors extension until then.

What is the best course of action here?

 

[annabruce]

Pay the full PR fee showing your intent to submit the PR application. Wait until about 4 days before your status expires, and submit an ONLINE application for extension. Include a copy of your PR fee receipt together with proof of sufficient funds to support yourself. When my wife and I did this, we created a document in MS Word with copies of all the required documents, fee receipts, income proof etc. and saved it as a PDF document. We then uploaded this onto their system as a part of their document request.

Get your PR application in ASAP. You may even have proof that your wife has been approved as a sponsor by the time your extension application decision is received. If the extension decision is negative, you can resubmit with proof that sponsor has been approved.

You're cutting it close. Get cracking. ;D

 

[nmford]

Pay the full PR fee showing your intent to submit the PR application. Wait until about 4 days before your status expires, and submit an ONLINE application for extension. Include a copy of your PR fee receipt together with proof of sufficient funds to support yourself. When my wife and I did this, we created a document in MS Word with copies of all the required documents, fee receipts, income proof etc. and saved it as a PDF document. We then uploaded this onto their system as a part of their document request.

Get your PR application in ASAP. You may even have proof that your wife has been approved as a sponsor by the time your extension application decision is received. If the extension decision is negative, you can resubmit with proof that sponsor has been approved.

You're cutting it close. Get cracking. ;D

So do you advise to do this rather than just apply now for the extension and explain I'm still collecting the documents together to apply for the PR?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[pinklady]

I was going to suggest the same thing, pay the PR fees as proof of your application.

Apply for the extension as soon as you can. You can apply online as annabruce said, however as I mentioned earlier, you will be on implied status until you get a decision on the extension. Online applications are processed faster than written ones, so if you mail the application you will have implied status for longer. Meaning if they happen to refuse it, you will have longer before the decision.

You still have time, don't worry!

 

[annabruce]

Apply for the extension as soon as you can.

I don't agree with this part. I suggested 4 days before because I was trying to maximize the time available to submit your PR application and have your wife approved as a sponsor. Use the legal status time to your advantage.

Also, they have updated timelines. There is very little difference now between applying online and by paper. Online is an advantage for you because you can delay submission to the last minute.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp

16 days/ 30 days. Used to be 30 days/180 days.

 

[pinklady]

But if the application is sent via mail, they will have much longer implied status.

 

[nmford]

Just out of curiosity, under what conditions can a sponsor fail approval?

 

[annabruce]

But if the application is sent via mail, they will have much longer implied status.

You're right, sort of. Its "six and one half dozen of the other" now - 16 days VS 30 days. You either send it in 2 weeks in advance, or you wait until the last minute and send it online. At least online, you're certain they actually get it.

 

[annabruce]

Just out of curiosity, under what conditions can a sponsor fail approval?

Violence related criminal record, welfare, undischarged bankruptcy, improperly processed former divorce, income if there is strong evidence that your only way to survive is by collecting welfare.

 

[nmford]

Violence related criminal record, welfare, undischarged bankruptcy, improperly processed former divorce, income if there is strong evidence that your only way to survive is by collecting welfare.

What if she has no income (she has fantastic credit though)? She is a nursing student in Toronto.

She's not on any welfare, I have an income with which I support the 2 of us.