Should my wife apply for a visitor visa while waiting for her Permanent Residenc

[Notlob]

My wife and I are currently living in China. I am Canadian, she is Chinese. I have applied and been accepted to sponsor her as a permanent resident and her application was sent to Beijing in Sept/12. I have to return to Canada in Feb/13. The processing time for Beijing is 7 months. Should she apply for a visitor visa in case her PR application is not approved in time, and come over with me on that, or should she wait for the PR to be approved? Is it possible, if she comes over on a visitor visa to convert it to a PR or would she have to leave and re-enter?

 

[chopsticks]

My wife and I are currently living in China. I am Canadian, she is Chinese. I have applied and been accepted to sponsor her as a permanent resident and her application was sent to Beijing in Sept/12. I have to return to Canada in Feb/13. The processing time for Beijing is 7 months. Should she apply for a visitor visa in case her PR application is not approved in time, and come over with me on that, or should she wait for the PR to be approved? Is it possible, if she comes over on a visitor visa to convert it to a PR or would she have to leave and re-enter?

Getting a visitors visa is difficult when your PR application is in process, but not impossible.
My husband and I are gonna apply and try our luck with it.

 

[Sweden]

My wife and I are currently living in China. I am Canadian, she is Chinese. I have applied and been accepted to sponsor her as a permanent resident and her application was sent to Beijing in Sept/12. I have to return to Canada in Feb/13. The processing time for Beijing is 7 months. Should she apply for a visitor visa in case her PR application is not approved in time, and come over with me on that, or should she wait for the PR to be approved? Is it possible, if she comes over on a visitor visa to convert it to a PR or would she have to leave and re-enter?

you can always apply, but you might get denied.... make sure that you include plenty of proofs of her ties to her own country, otherwise she will be refused... CIC thinks ( and for good reason!) that probably she will not go back to China... but you can always try!

If she gets a visitor visa, and she is in Canada when her PR is issued, she will have to exit Canada and re-enter to "land" as a PR. She can also do that by booking an appointment at a CIC office in the country... if she chooses to exit, she doesn't have to go back to China, she can go to the US (technically she doesn't have to enter US, for which she probably needs a visa, she only needs to go to a border, explain that she wants to land - she will be stamped out of Canada and turned around at the border to complete immigration formalities).

However, be aware that if an interview is required to issue her PR, she will have to go back to China as it can not be conducted somewhere else than in the VO (no skype, etc). so depending on your situation, it might be something to consider.

Beijing approves some files quicker than 7 months, so I hope for you that it will all be completed before you have to leave to Canada... you can always apply for a visitor visa, and if it's denied, then your wife will have to "stay behind" until the PR is issued - hopefully sooner than later.

Good luck with your application,
Sweden

 

[canadiangirl78]

We tried but an officer called to ask a few questions and recommended we withdraw our application rather than get a denial. It's pretty impossible to get.