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Need Advice on marrying on first visit

alliekay333

Newbie
Jul 6, 2014
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0
Hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice.

I've been dating a man from Nigeria for over a year now online. We have not actually met but we are engaged and want to get married. What we are wondering is would it be ok to marry on my first visit to see him and his family, or would it be better to go see him and then go back to get married later. Which would be better for when we apply for his PR to come here? I am going to sponsor him after we are married so he can come live with me in Canada (Africa is a hard place to live and I have disabilities.)

Any advice or suggestions?
 
M

mikeymyke

Guest
Marrying on first visit is a very bad idea, especially when you got engaged before even meeting. The ideal situation would've been for you to meet him in person first, get engaged, leave for Canada to save up enough money for the wedding, then return to Nigeria and get married there, preferably with your family in attendance. This will cause your application to be minimally scrutinized.

But since you've already gotten engaged online before meeting, the next best thing to do to minimize the red flags, is to meet him for a month preferably, and spend time with him and his family. Get lots of pictures of you with his family, and his friends, you guys should be smiling, hugging, showing that you are happy together. When you return to Canada, by now you should have a good feeling as to whether or not he's husband material, should you now decide to get married, then you should start saving up $ for the wedding. It might be difficult since you're disabled, in that case, you can just have a simple ceremony with just close family and friends to save on cost. CIC should not scrutinize the simple ceremony because you should explain to them you are disabled, your husband doesn't make that much $ in Africa, so a simple ceremony is justified.

During the time you are in Canada, your parents and family should also start saving up $ to attend the wedding. They definitely should go, otherwise CIC will scrutinize your application because your parents and family didn't come. CIC won't accept excuses like your parents had to work, or it was too expensive, because there should be ample time from your departure from Nigeria, to the wedding date, so that your family can afford the tickets to go. If they can't attend, they must have a good excuse, such as very old age, no income, terminal illness, etc. The way they see it, your wedding is the most important day of their daughter's life, if they refuse to attend it, it must not mean very much to them. Bottom line, if you, at minimum, can get at least your parents to attend, that would do wonders for your PR application.

If they do come to Nigeria, get lots of pics of them with your husband and his family. CIC likes when they see both families trying to integrate with each other. Try to plan for a honeymoon, doesn't need to be in a fancy place or country. Save all hotel receipts, wedding receipts/deposits/invoices. Get lots of pics of the wedding ceremony/reception.

Just remember, it might seem like a good idea to quickly perform a marriage and do the PR paperwork, but it will actually cause you to wait longer, because you will likely get interview (causes about a year delay), then possibly a refusal + appeal (another year wait), etc. But if you just give it a little time and do things properly, you will possibly avoid the interview, thereby speeding up your application.

Good luck
 

katester

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Mikeymyke has given very good and honest advice. My husband and I got married after dating about 13 months. However in that time we visited each other the equivalent of 6 months. And we were still questioned and had to send extra documentation. Also, he is in the Canadian military and we were questioned about his income level and how on earth he plans to support me on such a low number until I get a job in Canada. They claim there is no income requirement but my application notes states in every section questioning our low income. So if you can take Mikeymyke's advice and use it to eliminate some red flags then you will be better off. They won't deny you for being disabled, but they can deny the application for not having enough income to support him and to pay the government back if he goes on assistance. So, speaking from experience they will question how you plan to support him they don't care that he is capable of getting a job (trust me!) they care that if he never gets a job you will be able to pay his way or pay back the government if he goes on assistance.

mikeymyke said:
Marrying on first visit is a very bad idea, especially when you got engaged before even meeting. The ideal situation would've been for you to meet him in person first, get engaged, leave for Canada to save up enough money for the wedding, then return to Nigeria and get married there, preferably with your family in attendance. This will cause your application to be minimally scrutinized.

But since you've already gotten engaged online before meeting, the next best thing to do to minimize the red flags, is to meet him for a month preferably, and spend time with him and his family. Get lots of pictures of you with his family, and his friends, you guys should be smiling, hugging, showing that you are happy together. When you return to Canada, by now you should have a good feeling as to whether or not he's husband material, should you now decide to get married, then you should start saving up $ for the wedding. It might be difficult since you're disabled, in that case, you can just have a simple ceremony with just close family and friends to save on cost. CIC should not scrutinize the simple ceremony because you should explain to them you are disabled, your husband doesn't make that much $ in Africa, so a simple ceremony is justified.

During the time you are in Canada, your parents and family should also start saving up $ to attend the wedding. They definitely should go, otherwise CIC will scrutinize your application because your parents and family didn't come. CIC won't accept excuses like your parents had to work, or it was too expensive, because there should be ample time from your departure from Nigeria, to the wedding date, so that your family can afford the tickets to go. If they can't attend, they must have a good excuse, such as very old age, no income, terminal illness, etc. The way they see it, your wedding is the most important day of their daughter's life, if they refuse to attend it, it must not mean very much to them. Bottom line, if you, at minimum, can get at least your parents to attend, that would do wonders for your PR application.

If they do come to Nigeria, get lots of pics of them with your husband and his family. CIC likes when they see both families trying to integrate with each other. Try to plan for a honeymoon, doesn't need to be in a fancy place or country. Save all hotel receipts, wedding receipts/deposits/invoices. Get lots of pics of the wedding ceremony/reception.

Just remember, it might seem like a good idea to quickly perform a marriage and do the PR paperwork, but it will actually cause you to wait longer, because you will likely get interview (causes about a year delay), then possibly a refusal + appeal (another year wait), etc. But if you just give it a little time and do things properly, you will possibly avoid the interview, thereby speeding up your application.

Good luck
 
M

mikeymyke

Guest
Yes you're right, even though there's no income requirement, CIC can deny your application if its determined that the applicant would be likely to go on social assistance. Being disabled might make it difficult for you if your income is low, but even then, you should provide a plan as to what kind of job your husband would do when he comes here, what both of your income levels might be, where you will live, what the living expenses are, what the job prospects are, etc.

For myself, even though I make a healthy salary and can support my wife easily, just to be on safe side, I wrote a detailed letter explaining what kind of job my wife will do, what our incomes will be, our job prospects and how easy it is to find work, I have no debt aside from my mortgage, my wife is young, healthy, of prime working age, lived in the USA before, and can speak English, so she can easily adapt to Canadian society and work. Then I summed up by saying, "Therefore, it is very unlikely my wife will obtain social assistance".
 

alliekay333

Newbie
Jul 6, 2014
8
0
Thank you so much for your replies. This information is very good. My fiance and I will discuss what we are going to do from this point.
 

on-hold

Champion Member
Feb 6, 2010
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As came up in an earlier thread on a similar subject (search for Togo if you want to read it), a common question that couples in your situation are asked is "What will you do if your application for sponsorship is refused?" The answer that CIC wants to hear is that you'll live together in the non-Canadian citizen's home, because this is considered a demonstration that the relationship is real, and would exist without the possibility of Canadian citizenship. One red flag that you're going to raise is that you state you can't live in Nigeria -- and this will be compounded by West Africa's reputation as a source of immigration, relationship, and marriage fraud.
 

alliekay333

Newbie
Jul 6, 2014
8
0
I did not say I could not live there, only that it would be hard. Which is why Canada is our first choice. However if it comes to it then yes I will go live in Nigeria.
 

keesio

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alliekay333 said:
have not actually met but we are engaged and want to get married.
Note that this is one of the biggest red flags you can have in an application regarding MoC (Marriage of Convenience). It is guaranteed to cause problems with your application.

Follow mikeymike's advice. It is good not just to help alleviate the red flag but also just good advice in general when thinking about marrying someone you never really met in person.
 

alliekay333

Newbie
Jul 6, 2014
8
0
Yes, it was our original intention that I go there to visit him and his family and meet everyone. We were simply asking because it would save money on air fare if we could marry right away. However we have agreed that we will stick to our original plan and I will visit him next year for a month or two. If everything works out we will hopefully get married before the end of 2015 on my second visit. I have also asked my mother to come and she has agreed, now I am just waiting for a response from the rest of my family.

Thank you all for your helpful advice.
 

keesio

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Sounds like a good plan. Good luck!
 

on-hold

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Feb 6, 2010
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I'm bringing this up because it includes important issues that you should consider -- not solely because of personal safety, but because they will influence how your application for sponsorship is received by CIC. A few months back there was a rather similar case to yours on the forum, which ended up with the relationship being hashed over extensively and several varieties of warning given. I don't think that any of us should get into that again, it's not a very pleasant thing to do to someone who comes looking for help (and I'm guilty myself of being rather blunt about things) but a lot of people here have experience with the hazards and formalities of marrying abroad, and the advice we give is NOT a commentary on your personal situation. From living in Thailand I've seen both sides of the equation, how foreigners are cheated and ruined, AND how perfectly legitimate marriages that look illegitimate can thrive and last. But there are still things to consider -- look at this older thread, much of which is relevant to your situation:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t203204.0.html

Again, not a personal commentary, just the same as reading a mortgage before you sign it, and perhaps poking around the neighbourhood a bit.
 
M

mikeymyke

Guest
Without clicking on that link, is this the blind disabled woman who was trying to sponsor someone from Togo?
 

on-hold

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Feb 6, 2010
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mikeymyke said:
Without clicking on that link, is this the blind disabled woman who was trying to sponsor someone from Togo?
It is -- do you think it's inappropriate to link to here? The thread veered wildly off topic, and got pretty heated, but it covers the same issues and the OP here can look at it without feeling she has to defend herself. In the end I felt that that issue became too personal, it's better if it's not directed at someone.
 

amjad1002

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alliekay333 said:
Hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice.

I've been dating a man from Nigeria for over a year now online. We have not actually met but we are engaged and want to get married. What we are wondering is would it be ok to marry on my first visit to see him and his family, or would it be better to go see him and then go back to get married later. Which would be better for when we apply for his PR to come here? I am going to sponsor him after we are married so he can come live with me in Canada (Africa is a hard place to live and I have disabilities.)

Any advice or suggestions?
In my case me and my wife meet in first time in person and she stay in my country for few days and we get married after understand each other so up to you if u want to safe air ticket expense the you can stay there for some days and then get marry Cic will no objection.
You just explain in detail like how you meet and how you know each other etc.