Need help! Canadian here moving back to canada with girlfriend, future wife.

[canadianexpat]

Hello everyone!

I'm a Canadian citizen but I´ve been living abroad for almost all my life (I´m 28 now). Now I´m in the process of going back to Canada in May/June/July, and my dear girlfriend whom I´ve been dating close to two years now is going to move back with me.

Problem is, I´m at a loss at which visa must she apply to, seeing that she´s not visa exempt (shes from Brazil), and she will only be accompanying me and will probably take some English classes. Her parents will support her and I´ll help too once I get a job in Canada.

Now we don´t mean to rush things so we were planning on living together for a while before really getting married, therefore, we are aiming for the longest possible solution for her to stay there with me, before I can get properly settled and eventually married.

Do you guys think its realistic for her to apply to a visitor visa for six months and then if everything goes OK we get married and then I sponsor her or is it hard to hard get a six months visa? I´m really confused about all that, and I think she must start applying for her visa now. We really don´t want to be apart so if there is a way to stay together during all this process it would really make our lives easier and reduce all the costs involved, seeing that she will not be able to work during her initial stay and will quit her current job.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards.

canadianexpat

 

[scylla]

I'd recommend you spend time reading through the posts in the Visitor section of the forum. It can be difficult to be approved for a visitor visa if CIC believes you may have plans to remain in Canada long term. So one of the keys to getting approved is showing strong ties to your home country.

She should definitely try to apply. It's anyone's guess whether she will be approved.

 

[daijoeboo]

I cannot comment on your situation but I can tell you about how my wife got her 6-month permit.

Basically the special visitor's permit or "6 month visa" is something they give to people who have PR applications in the system.
Before receiving it at Pearson Airport I had received approval as a sponsor and was carrying the approval letter for this and our fees receipts.
With these 2 documents I was able to get the special landing permit for her.

I don't know anything about other situations where this may be issued to people or whether it would be issued to your girlfriend or not, but that is what we did.

I would recommend bringing your girlfriend here, seeing if she likes Canada, and seeing if you guys are serious.
If everything is good, I would recommend you obtaining work here in Canada and establishing yourself again as a Canadian citizen. Employment, property, all ties to Canada will strengthen your eventual application process.

Then she will most likely have to go back to Brazil as her visa runs out and you would help her apply outland.
If you are approved as a sponsor then with that approval letter and the fees receipt you could bring her here on a visitors permit and hopefully wait out the waiting period in Canada.

Or you could get married and try to apply inland while she is in Canada.

Remember, in each case, you need to have a solid trail of photos, receipts, letters, etc., anything that will verify your relationship is genuine so applying inland from Canada when all that material is back in Brazil would not be a good idea.

Just some advice based on my process so far.

 

[canadianexpat]

Thanks for the quick replies, you guys are amazing, I hope I can contribute with my experience in the future.

I´ve been thoroughly reading the forums and its been eye opening.

So, for instance, if my girlfriend manages to obtain a five to six months visitor visa, taking in consideration that she´ll enrol in an English course, and in this period we happen to get married, do you think its too far fetched to sponsor her through inland application and request visitor visa extension? Bear in mind that I´ll probably be in a low income job, as my current profession is regulated in Canada and therefore I´ll be starting over and will only have my life savings in a bank account, granted that her parents will be helping.

Thanks in advance.

 

[scylla]

You can certainly sponsor her using the inland process once she's here and you are either married or common law. The biggest challenge will be getting this visitor visa. I personally wouldn't plan too far in advance until you know if she has a visitor visa or not.

 

[daijoeboo]

Many temporary visa restrictions prevent people from enrolling at educational institutions or working.
I am not sure what you mean by study English but many places may wish to see a PR card.
If you just mean, be in an English-speaking country and soak in the culture, then that won't be a problem.
But even the free programs I looked into for my wife all seemed to be linked to the gov't in some way, and you needed a PR card to get level-tested and enroll.

So I am not 100% confident that she will be able to 'enroll' anywhere as you say with just a visitor/tourist visa.
Not impossible but not as easy as it may seem.

 

[screech339]

Many temporary visa restrictions prevent people from enrolling at educational institutions or working.
I am not sure what you mean by study English but many places may wish to see a PR card.
If you just mean, be in an English-speaking country and soak in the culture, then that won't be a problem.
But even the free programs I looked into for my wife all seemed to be linked to the gov't in some way, and you needed a PR card to get level-tested and enroll.

So I am not 100% confident that she will be able to 'enroll' anywhere as you say with just a visitor/tourist visa.
Not impossible but not as easy as it may seem.

I believe your wife can take English courses offered through LINC but you would have to pay for it. These English courses at each level are done in less than 6 months and it is not part of the larger program that requires more than 6 months to complete like a university or college diploma. Since each English level is completed in less than 6 month, she would not require a study visa. I have seen English courses offered as stand alone courses at college / private (CIC approved) companies. Something for you to look into.

 

[canadianexpat]

Hi guys, just wanted to update you about the whole thing, as this might be someone else's case some day.

My girlfriend successfully received her "visitor visa with multiple entry V-1", now I'm worried if the CBSA IO will be too concerned about the length of her stay, considering that she enrolled in an English school for the duration of 4 months but is hoping to be granted the full fledged six months on grounds that she'll be touring the country and enjoying my company.

She does have reasonable proof of funds, a return ticket, ties to the home country and we will be sharing expenses with mostly my help up to the point where we'll get married and she can apply for a work permit and ease the burden.

That being said, does any one know if the CBSA is too adamant on the period to be conceded or I'm worrying too much.

Also, do you guys think that maybe I'm off the hook from the CIC eyes regarding their fear of overstaying girlfriends/boyfriends of Canadian citizens, they gave her a visa after all. Can we be upfront with the CBSA officers if questioned about our plans to marry in the near future or that can entail a deportation?

Thanks for reading and sorry if this isn't exactly the right board.

Canadianexpat

 

[Kayaker]

At the border, the officer's main concern will be whether she plans on leaving at the end of her stay, or that she understands the limitations of her status (cannot work or study) and that she has to apply for an extension if she wants to stay longer. A return ticket is always good proof of the former. It's always good to be completely honest with the CBSA officer, but that doesn't mean she should tell them her life story and her entire plans for the future, so to speak. If they ask if she is planning to get married, she should tell the truth. It will be helpful if she also tells them that she understands that she cannot stay in Canada indefinitely, and that she will apply for an extension of her visitor status if necessary, and that she will apply for PR as soon as she is married. What they want to know is that she understands the rules and that she is going to follow them.

Also, even if at the border the officer tells your girlfriend she has to leave in x-months, she can apply online to extend that stay. It is recommended to apply for an extension approx. 4 weeks before the date she should leave. Online extensions cost 100$ and are usually pretty straightforward. She will have to show proof of funds for her stay (I submitted screenshots of my bank statements) and also write an explanation why she wants to extend her stay. I already had my PR application submitted, so I wrote that I want to wait it out in Canada with my husband. I asked for 1 year and got 1 year. Some people have asked for and gotten 2 years, but I have heard of some people getting less time they asked for (asked for 2 years but got only 1). In any case, you can extend again, if you pay the fees (100$) and submit the paperwork.

Good luck!

Hi guys, just wanted to update you about the whole thing, as this might be someone else's case some day.

My girlfriend successfully received her "visitor visa with multiple entry V-1", now I'm worried if the CBSA IO will be too concerned about the length of her stay, considering that she enrolled in an English school for the duration of 4 months but is hoping to be granted the full fledged six months on grounds that she'll be touring the country and enjoying my company.

She does have reasonable proof of funds, a return ticket, ties to the home country and we will be sharing expenses with mostly my help up to the point where we'll get married and she can apply for a work permit and ease the burden.

That being said, does any one know if the CBSA is too adamant on the period to be conceded or I'm worrying too much.

Also, do you guys think that maybe I'm off the hook from the CIC eyes regarding their fear of overstaying girlfriends/boyfriends of Canadian citizens, they gave her a visa after all. Can we be upfront with the CBSA officers if questioned about our plans to marry in the near future or that can entail a deportation?

Thanks for reading and sorry if this isn't exactly the right board.

Canadianexpat