Need advice 2 sponcor my new wife & her child from the Philippines

[canuk]

Hello I'm a Philipino born Canadian citizen & just recently married in the Philippines Nov 2009
My new wife has an 11yr old son, she had never married prior & the father of the boy was never been a part of the upbringing, let alone seen him

I am intimated with the sponsorship application forms & scared if I do it wrong the process will take longer
The reason being is that my wife is now 2 months pregnant with my child, so the longer the wait is detrimental, plus I'd like my child born in Canada ;D

I have consulted with many immigration lawyers & found their fees all across the board, from the highest @ $7000. and the lowest @ $2500. & even at that price is kinda steep for me in this economy

With all the lawyer consultations the problems arises with my wife's son & having a court order stipulating her sole custody & legal travel abroad

The advice I'm requesting is there another route in assistance to process the sponsorship application properly the first time without legal help

Thank you for reading my delema & if you can give me advice pls post

Canuk

 

[Leon]

You do not need a lawyer for the immigration part of it but if you want some real life help and can't afford to pay much, it's best to look for a immigrant or newcomer centre in your town in Canada. They may be able to assist you with the forms. Some even have access to a free lawyer. You may need a lawyer in the Philippines though to help you with the sole custody issues but I would not know about that.

A lawyer or not, nobody can make the sponsorship go faster for you. A lot of other people are applying too and everybody wants their application to be processed fast. With your wife being 2 months pregnant, it's unlikely you will make it through sponsorship in time for her to have the baby in Canada. Even if you did squeeze through for her to get her PR visa in time, she will probably be too pregnant to fly or if not, then she will come to Canada without health insurance because in most provinces, it takes 3 months to qualify and if you have to pay for the baby's birth, it can easily be $5,000 to 10,000 even if there are no complications.

However, if you are a naturalized citizen, your child will still get your citizenship and so you can apply for the baby's citizenship certificate when it's born and get a temporary Canadian passport for it so it can join the mother and brother when they come to Canada with their PR.

 

[canuk]

You do not need a lawyer for the immigration part of it but if you want some real life help and can't afford to pay much, it's best to look for a immigrant or newcomer centre in your town in Canada. They may be able to assist you with the forms. Some even have access to a free lawyer. You may need a lawyer in the Philippines though to help you with the sole custody issues but I would not know about that.

A lawyer or not, nobody can make the sponsorship go faster for you. A lot of other people are applying too and everybody wants their application to be processed fast. With your wife being 2 months pregnant, it's unlikely you will make it through sponsorship in time for her to have the baby in Canada. Even if you did squeeze through for her to get her PR visa in time, she will probably be too pregnant to fly or if not, then she will come to Canada without health insurance because in most provinces, it takes 3 months to qualify and if you have to pay for the baby's birth, it can easily be $5,000 to 10,000 even if there are no complications.

However, if you are a naturalized citizen, your child will still get your citizenship and so you can apply for the baby's citizenship certificate when it's born and get a temporary Canadian passport for it so it can join the mother and brother when they come to Canada with their PR.

Great advice Leon & good points .........Thanx

I have herd of some instances where applications have been processed as early as 3 months, I can only pray that mine would B as lucky, I'm also wondering If my MP can assist in a problem free application

Canuk

 

[Leon]

Right now, the official time to approve sponsor in Mississauga is 42 days, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/process-in.asp#sponsorship and Manila, average 5 months, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/05-fc-spouses.asp#asia

You could try to apply for a TRV for your wife to visit you in Canada while her PR is being processed but it's normally hard to get those approved.

 

[canuk]

Leon this may B a mindless ?? but can U enlighten me with the fees
Do I pay twice one for each applicant ??? my wife & her child

 

[Leon]

According to my calculations, you'd pay $1190 combined. That's $75 for the sponsorship application, 475 processing fee for your wife, 150 for her son and 490 a right of landing fee for your wife.

 

[canuk]

According to my calculations, you'd pay $1190 combined. That's $75 for the sponsorship application, 475 processing fee for your wife, 150 for her son and 490 a right of landing fee for your wife.

Thanx BRA

 

[canuk]

Is there any other insight from other members that may give me advice in a trouble free application process

Really need that confidence boost 8) 8)

 

[Leon]

Quality proof of your relationship like photos of you together, not just a wedding picture, things you've done together etc.

Just get started on the forms and if you run into problems, you can always come here and ask. It's kind of hard to answer questions before they've been asked