Questions for Sponsoring My Pregnant Wife from Abroad

[Klystomane]

Back with an update after what feels like a very, very long time.

We have not submitted our application yet as we did not want to undergo the medical while my wife was pregnant and also because we have been apart for the past few months and weren't ready to move back to Canada just yet. I have been in Shanghai finishing up my work contract which will end in February and the plan is for me to move to Seoul in March, submit the application outland, and then for us to move to Canada to wait it out.

My wife and I ended up having our baby girl in Seoul, South Korea about three months ago. Therefore, both mother and child (due to the law from 2009) are legally Korean at this point.

Some quick questions:

1. We only need to submit an application for my wife, with our daughter being listed as her independent, right? I scoured the Internet for a case similar to mine but couldn't find anything even remotely close.
2. Does our daughter need to go through a medical checkup as well (She's only three months old).

Looking forward to your responses, thanks.


Cheers,

 

[Klystomane]

*bump*

Would appreciate some feedback, thanks!

 

[screech339]

If the baby is born in Canada, it will likely be covered by OHIP right away (as a Canadian citizen). This means that any medical care the baby needs would be covered, but any medical care your wife needs would not. If the child is born outside of Canada, then the same rules will apply that apply to your wife.

I think you can get the medical done (sans xray) and just submit the whole application including the medical, then add the xray later. Hopefully someone who has done this can verify.

The baby will get medical coverage if born in Canada but only to the baby medical needs. However the wife will not be covered so she will have to pay for the cost of delivery. Just cuz the baby will be Canadian born, doesn't mean that the mother will be medically covered. Doesn't work that way. And when the baby is born, the first few days after delivery, any medical cost associated with the baby, will still get billed to the mother.

Explain why those with babies that need pre-natal care due to pre-mature birth, the mother ended up with a million dollar medical bill. Again, just cuz the baby ended up born in Canada doesn't mean that all the medical coverage will be put on the baby's medical coverage.

Screech339

 

[screech339]

There was a case not long ago, I think last summer, an Australia couple went to visit Canada while the wife was 6 months pregnant. On the day of flying back, the wife went into labour. They had to go to hospital, of course, and deliver the baby. Since the baby was 3 months premature, the baby was kept in hospital for 3 months. You would think that the baby is Canadian, thus all the post natal care would be covered by baby medical coverage. Nope, the couple was stuck with a million dollar medical bill.

Screech339

 

[OhCanadiana]

Some quick questions:

1. We only need to submit an application for my wife, with our daughter being listed as her independent, right? I scoured the Internet for a case similar to mine but couldn't find anything even remotely close.
2. Does our daughter need to go through a medical checkup as well (She's only three months old).

Looking forward to your responses, thanks.
on

Cheers,

1. Yes, only one application for both of them. Your wife would be the primary applicant and your daughter her dependent.

2. Yes, as an applicant, your daughter will also need the medical exam. She does not need a police check (since she is under 18 years old).

It may put your mind at ease to know that the medical exam will be more different than your wife's (e.g., no HIV testing required unless risk factors are present per http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/dmp-handbook/index.asp#chap3.4.2). The Panel Physician will also observe your baby's development relative to the "Chart of Early Childhood Development" at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/dmp-handbook/index.asp#app3.10.

Good luck!

 

[Klystomane]

1. Yes, only one application for both of them. Your wife would be the primary applicant and your daughter her dependent.

2. Yes, as an applicant, your daughter will also need the medical exam. She does not need a police check (since she is under 18 years old).

It may put your mind at ease to know that the medical exam will be more different than your wife's (e.g., no HIV testing required unless risk factors are present per http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/dmp-handbook/index.asp#chap3.4.2). The Panel Physician will also observe your baby's development relative to the "Chart of Early Childhood Development" at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/dmp-handbook/index.asp#app3.10.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply.

Do you know what the requirements for the physician(s) conducting the medical exam are? We plan on submitting our application Outland (in Seoul), so the medical exams will also have to be conducted there.

Thanks!

 

[Rob_TO]

Thanks for the reply.

Do you know what the requirements for the physician(s) conducting the medical exam are? We plan on submitting our application Outland (in Seoul), so the medical exams will also have to be conducted there.

Thanks!

You MUST go to a CIC-approved panel physisician. Follow this link to find the designated ones in Seoul. There are over a dozen you can choose from, and each should know the specific requirements for upfront family sponsorship PR purposes.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/pp-md/pp-list.aspx

They will also charge different prices, so you can call around to a few of them and choose based on best price/location.

 

[Klystomane]

It's been a year since I posted (my, where does the time go) and I thought I would come back and post an update to my current situation, in case anybody finds any of the following information useful.

After almost two years, we finally submitted our application yesterday.

So the short version is that last June, I accepted a US based position in my company and as a result, we all moved to the US and are currently living here. With that said, our visas are temporary (three years) and at the end of the third year, we need to leave the country (we intend to return to Canada).

Some obstacles/problems I ran into/foresee, in no particular order:
1. Police certificates are required for all countries where the applicant (18yo +) has resided consecutively for six months or more. My wife moved here to the States in August (with our daughter), left the country in early February (before staying a full 180 days), and came back in March. Since obtaining a PC in the States takes up to 14 weeks and is a complete pain in the butt, we decided we would just indicate that she has not stayed for a continuous six months (proof being the entry/exit record we attached with our application). Not sure if this is going to fly, but the plan is to submit it if they really want it later on.
2. Since my wife has lived in the US for less than one year, the application is technically an outland application being sent from Seoul, Korea. Medical checks were done there as well, which is also why we decided to just go ahead and submit the application without a US PC; I'd hate for the medical checks to expire. We thought about doing the medical checks in the US, but I wasn't sure if they would be accepted and they are ridiculously expensive here stateside....
3. Intent to return to Canada upon approval. This is the main issue I'm concerned about. We have every intention of returning to Canada upon approval for PR, but I'm not sure how CIC will view my working in the US. Our visas are temporary and so we must leave in 2017. I tried to explain to them that it takes them 1+ years to make a decision, and by that time, my contract will be over and we will be able to go home.

Those are the main points of interest in our case.

Hopefully it'll all be over soon...what a complicated process it's been!



Cheers,
K

 

[scylla]

1. You should definitely expect that CIC will demand you provide an FBI certificate. We've seen plenty of similar cases here and once you're anywhere close to six months total (even if it's not continuous) - they will ask for one. Assume your letter won't fly and apply for one now.
2. The medical can be done anywhere - doesn't matter.
3. You should provide evidence that show ties to Canada to prove you plan to return (e.g. property owned, any bank accounts or other assets, etc.).

 

[Klystomane]

1. You should definitely expect that CIC will demand you provide an FBI certificate. We've seen plenty of similar cases here and once you're anywhere close to six months total (even if it's not continuous) - they will ask for one. Assume your letter won't fly and apply for one now.
2. The medical can be done anywhere - doesn't matter.
3. You should provide evidence that show ties to Canada to prove you plan to return (e.g. property owned, any bank accounts or other assets, etc.).

I was hoping I could avoid the arduous process of obtaining an FBI certificate...I guess I have no choice then....

Thanks!