Remarrying after sponsoring ex wife

[Kroshka]

Here is my story...

Back in 2009 I have married and sponsored ex wife from Italy, she was from the country of my origin (Ukraine) and lived in Europe permanently. She had joined me in 2010 in Canada. Unfortunately things did not work well between us, my ex wanted children asap and with my school commitments and busy life, I did not see how our life could be settled, so my ex left me after 4 weeks of living with me.

Ridicules situation, could never thought my personal life would end like it did, but my ex has applied for the divorce and received from the court in Ukraine, where we made our marriage. Legally my ex wife became PR at landing, but she left Canada and lost her PR, also due to some issues with her picture for PR card she did not receive it at the border, so technically she never became PR.
She had remarried a guy in Italy and resides with the new family there.

I have a foreign divorce on hands, and think of remarrying now, but the new girl is from Ukraine again. We met on line, some dating site, conversed lots over Skype and Facebook, and I have invited her to visit me. Somehow we got lucky and she got visitor visa and came to see me. Looks like things work well between us; my financial and career situation has improved for the last 3 years and I can afford to maintain a family.

So if I decide to marry her in Canada, how should I treat my foreign divorce? I googled info on legalizing foreign divorces in Canada, seems there is the process for legalization in Ontario, but I live in Alberta, and no information regarding this process could find.

A friend Law student advised to translate and notarize this divorce and file for marriage license, as per his words, the translated document would be the proof that I am legally divorced and eligible for marriage. BUT I never take advice from students, been a student myself before.

Also, I have a fear that when I apply for the new sponsorship we would get troubles because of my previous marriage, my 3 years sponsorship agreement ended last year, so I can undertake the new one, but my past marriage looks fraudulent a bit: married, sponsored and divorced within 2 years.

But life goes on; I need family here, and have sincere feelings toward the new girl. I wish there was a better way to bring her to Canada.

So my fears are:

Will I be able to marry in Canada with a foreign divorce on hands?
Will I be able to sponsor the girl as spouse?
Would I get any questions from Immigration people regarding previous history?

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

 

[canadianwoman]

You can marry with a foreign divorce, though I advise you to consult a lawyer to verify what to do exactly to make sure your second marriage is legal.
You can sponsor her as your spouse once you are married (or after you have lived together for a year, you can sponsor her as your common-law partner). This is because the three years after sponsoring your first wife are over.
The visa officer will have questions about your first marriage. If there is an interview, make sure your girlfriend or soon-to-be wife knows all about the first marriage and divorce and can answer questions about it.
The visa officer might be suspicious that the first marriage was a marriage of convenience, but since your first wife did not stay in Canada after leaving you, it does look like immigrating to Canada was not her goal. I would mention in the application, when you talk about your first marriage and sponsorship, that your ex-wife has not maintained her PR status, has remarried, and is living in Italy.

 

[Kroshka]

Thanks a lot