Not sure which to apply for Spouse in Canada class or Family class?

[redman19]

My wife is currently in Canada with me on a visit visa . I am a Canadian citzen by birth and our two kids are Canadian as well. Should I apply for spouse in Canada class or family class ? My wife is of Syrian origin , so she is unable to go back to her home country.

Please assist .

 

[BethanyM]

My wife is currently in Canada with me on a visit visa . I am a Canadian citzen by birth and our two kids are Canadian as well. Should I apply for spouse in Canada class or family class ? My wife is of Syrian origin , so she is unable to go back to her home country.

Please assist .

Spousal Sponsorship is one type of Family Class Sponsorship.
If you are going to sponsor your wife, it is a Spousal Sponsorship.

Another type of Immigration program which might be available to your wife would be a Refugee Claim - possibly.

Since she is married, you have children together and you want to sponsor her, then the Spousal Sponsorship is what you want.

In filing a Spousal Sponsorship there is a place on the form where you can indicate if you are applying INLAND or OUTLAND.

You said your wife cannot return. The reasons are obvious. Syria is a humanitarian tragedy.
So there is only one option for you: Apply for Spousal Sponsorship INLAND

This is the program you want and I believe it will work very well for you.

Good Luck. Ask again if you have more questions.

 

[redman19]

I appreciate your elaborate response. Just one more question if she applies for refugee , she will not be able to get any benefits from the government down the road correct?

In addition , a police certificate is required for her from the time she was born to 18 years old , but obtaining a police certificate from Syria would be really difficult or impossible.

I have applied for a police certificate from the previous residence in Qatar , where we lived for 5 years , I applied in May , and until now we have not received anything , but we have received a letter from the agency that is taking care of this process confirming the document is still under process , can I still apply ?

 

[BethanyM]

I appreciate your elaborate response. Just one more question if she applies for refugee , she will not be able to get any benefits from the government down the road correct?

In addition , a police certificate is required for her from the time she was born to 18 years old , but obtaining a police certificate from Syria would be really difficult or impossible.

I have applied for a police certificate from the previous residence in Qatar , where we lived for 5 years , I applied in May , and until now we have not received anything , but we have received a letter from the agency that is taking care of this process confirming the document is still under process , can I still apply ?

I am not really familiar with the Refugee program, but I did just look at qualifications required to claim Refugees Status from Inside Canada, located here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/inside/apply-who.asp

You mentioned Qatar. If your wife is legally able to return to Qatar then she may not even qualify for refugee claim.
Again, I'm not familiar with the refugee application,
but I really think a straight-forward INLAND SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP (which is one category in the Family Class Sponsorships) is the way to go for you.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you've been married for more than two years, you have children, you've lived together overseas for years and now in Canada.
To me, your Spousal Sponsorship sounds like a very good file which should have few problems.
The only problems are the need to get documents.
I think those problems can get sorted through.
If I see any other information about obtaining police clearances in difficult situations, I'll let you know.

 

[BethanyM]

I appreciate your elaborate response. Just one more question if she applies for refugee , she will not be able to get any benefits from the government down the road correct?

In addition , a police certificate is required for her from the time she was born to 18 years old , but obtaining a police certificate from Syria would be really difficult or impossible.

I have applied for a police certificate from the previous residence in Qatar , where we lived for 5 years , I applied in May , and until now we have not received anything , but we have received a letter from the agency that is taking care of this process confirming the document is still under process , can I still apply ?

Here, I found some useful info. You'll want to keep this link.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/mid-east/syria.asp

Good news - Immigration does not require you to provide a Police Certificate from Syria.

For Qatar, follow these instructions. At this link:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/mid-east/qatar.asp

I would send for the Qatar Police Certificate again. I can't understand why it would take since last May.
Follow the process in the directions at the link for Qatar.

 

[redman19]

Well she is unable to go back to Qatar as her residence there is no longer valid .. She is unable to go back and get the certificate. We have hired an external agent in Ottawa to do the police certificate , and the representative said that it would take anywhere from 4-6 months , and they have been following up with them in order to obtain it . Not sure why its taking so long , but the agent has provided us with a letter stating that the police certificate is under process.

We have been married since 2009 , and we have a 5 year old and a 2 year old at the moment .

Another question , once I apply , how long until she receives the status ?

The information you provided is very beneficial to me , I appreciate it.

 

[profiler]

Well she is unable to go back to Qatar as her residence there is no longer valid .. She is unable to go back and get the certificate. We have hired an external agent in Ottawa to do the police certificate , and the representative said that it would take anywhere from 4-6 months , and they have been following up with them in order to obtain it . Not sure why its taking so long , but the agent has provided us with a letter stating that the police certificate is under process.

We have been married since 2009 , and we have a 5 year old and a 2 year old at the moment .

Another question , once I apply , how long until she receives the status ?

The information you provided is very beneficial to me , I appreciate it.

If you apply inland, include an application for an Open Work Permit ($255). That will give her implied visitor status until the PR application is processed, and she can work, if she chooses to.

Implied status is granted as soon as CIC's mailroom receives the application. The OWP takes about 4 months to get, and it will come in the form of a paper permit in the mail.

From that point, the latest processing times being promised are 12 months for PR applications (both inland and outland).

 

[BethanyM]

Well she is unable to go back to Qatar as her residence there is no longer valid .. She is unable to go back and get the certificate. We have hired an external agent in Ottawa to do the police certificate , and the representative said that it would take anywhere from 4-6 months , and they have been following up with them in order to obtain it . Not sure why its taking so long , but the agent has provided us with a letter stating that the police certificate is under process.

We have been married since 2009 , and we have a 5 year old and a 2 year old at the moment .

Another question , once I apply , how long until she receives the status ?

The information you provided is very beneficial to me , I appreciate it.

The government has stated their objective is to process all Spousal Sponsorship Applications within 12 months.

I believe Spousal Sponsorship is the appropriate application for you, and with the police certificate in place
you should be approved without problem.

There is a thread for people involved with Refugees applications. Here is the link.
They may be able to give you some ideas also.

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/refugees-and-asylum-b56.0/

 

[profiler]

You should also note that, you are not to send PCC's with the new application. They will request them when they are ready for them.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

My wife is currently in Canada with me on a visit visa . I am a Canadian citzen by birth and our two kids are Canadian as well. Should I apply for spouse in Canada class or family class ? My wife is of Syrian origin , so she is unable to go back to her home country.

Do not try the refugee/asylum route. You have a very straightforward spousal case and it will be far simpler.

Spousal Sponsorship is one type of Family Class Sponsorship.
If you are going to sponsor your wife, it is a Spousal Sponsorship.

Note that OP was correct in his terminology.

Inland is specifically called the "Spouse in Canada Class".

Outland is specifically called the "Family Class".

 

[BethanyM]

Do not try the refugee/asylum route. You have a very straightforward spousal case and it will be far simpler.


Note that OP was correct in his terminology.

Inland is specifically called the "Spouse in Canada Class".

Outland is specifically called the "Family Class".

Okay, noted. Thank you.
I'd like to get more knowledgeable and help others as they start out.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Okay, noted. Thank you.
I'd like to get more knowledgeable and help others as they start out.

That's good. It's a big learning process, as there is so much to know and it is always changing. When starting out on the forum, I Googled everything. I looked on this forum, other forums, the IRCC website. Most questions have been asked before, so try searching for the same topic on the forum (using Google, not the forum search function because it sucks) and reading previous responses from senior members; I always tried to find a previous post from a senior member confirming the answer before I posted myself. Start with the simpler topics and questions that you are most comfortable with answering.