Should I Use A Lawyer For Spousal Sponsorship In Canada or Outside?

[LLLL]

This has been such a useful forum and grateful I found it.
I am a Canadian Citizen and i met my partner online as he is here working in Canada on an LMIA. He is a Brazilian citizen however has lived and worked in Europe for over a decade. We have known each other over one year as friends first and then been together almost 1 year. His work contract didn't get extended and we are looking at spousal and common law options. I've reviewed the information for how to apply for sponsorship and it seems pretty straightforward. My questions are:
1. I'm unsure if we should do the application within Canada or outside of Canada with the risk of being denied and no option to appeal inside.
2. Should we spend the money on a lawyer for the application?
Maybe i'm reading too many horror stories online about denials. He does have 1 daughter who is 20 years old and my partner and I are very close in age (1 year apart). At the same time, he came over to Canada on his own accord in a specialised field and i'm fairly certain he is likely to get another contract. We want to save as much money to purchase a home together as opposed to a fancy ceremony or a lawyer if it is not needed.
Thank you so much for any and all advice!

 

[Helena R]

Hi there,

I don't think you need a lawyer to apply for Permanent Residency for him. It's actually not needed and it won't make the process either better or easier or faster, and they charge a fortune, so save the money !
It is tedious and the gathering the documents takes long but you can perfectly doing it on your own.
What you can do, if you have many questions or doubts about your case or how to apply, you could go to a consultation with an immigration lawyer which is not that expensive and can be very helpful, but just that, not to do the whole process.

About inside or outside of Canada, depends of what is more convenient for you, check for pros and cons for your case. If he is planning to look for another job then he might want to apply form within so he is able to work.

As long as the relationship is genuine and he doesnt have any police convictions, which he doesn't seem to, there is really no strong reason to be denied residency.
Remember to be able to start the process you have to either have lived together for 1 year or be married.

Hope it goes smooth !