So much confusion in my mind........Sponsored by my spouse-to-be

[mvdv]

Hi everyone,
I apologize if I'm asking something really simple, but I want to be reassured.
I'm Italian and I'm getting married in Italy with my canadian common-law fiancée.
We want to move to Canada as soon as possible for a better life for us and for our future kids, so here are some questions:

1-Once we get married and we send out the application form (in our case the office is in Rome, right??), do we have to prove anything special, i.e. her minimum income for the sponsorship or anything else?
2-Once I get the approval for my PR status, I'll have to go to Canada to get my PR card, won't I?
3- If we can't find a job in Canada, we won't be able to move permanently and get a home there, in this case, can I give a friend's home address in British Columbia so then he can forward my card to Italy?
4-Worst-case scenario, if we don't find a job and I fail the 730 days period of residency in Canada but I still live together with my spouse in Italy at the same address, will I be able to renew my PR card again?

Thank you so much for your time spent on clearing my ideas!
I hope everything goes well.

 

[sbwv09]

Re: So much confusion in my head........Sponsored by my spouse-to-be

Hey there. I can't answer all the questions, but

-You will have to send your application to Mississauga first, where the approval for sponsorship will take place. From there, the application will go to Rome.

-There's no income requirement if it's just you and your spouse. However, they do want to see that you are going to live in Canada... things like job offers, a lease on a place to live, a letter of acceptance from a Canadian university, etc

-Your sponsor HAS to have convincing evidence that you will live in Canada.

Others know much more about this situation than I do, but I don't know how it will go if you aren't sure you can live in Canada.

 

[RobsLuv]

Re: So much confusion in my head........Sponsored by my spouse-to-be

1-Once we get married and we send out the application form (in our case the office is in Rome, right??), do we have to prove anything special, i.e. her minimum income for the sponsorship or anything else?

No minimum income required, however your spouse-to-be is only eligible to sponsor you while living abroad if she is a Canadian citizen. If she meets that requirement, she'll need to submit, with the application, proof of her intent to resettle in Canada.

2-Once I get the approval for my PR status, I'll have to go to Canada to get my PR card, won't I?
3- If we can't find a job in Canada, we won't be able to move permanently and get a home there, in this case, can I give a friend's home address in British Columbia so then he can forward my card to Italy?

Once the application process is finalized, assuming you are approved, the embassy will issue a Confirmation of Permanent Residence. The COPR has an expiration date - you take the COPR and your passport and travel to Canada to "land". At that time you need to provide them with an address in Canada where they can send your PR card - but you are free to leave Canada again to settle your affairs at home.

4-Worst-case scenario, if we don't find a job and I fail the 730 days period of residency in Canada but I still live together with my spouse in Italy at the same address, will I be able to renew my PR card again?

For as long as you live with your sponsor/spouse, no matter where, you are exempt from PR residency requirements and you will maintain your Canadian permanent residence status.

 

[mvdv]

Re: So much confusion in my head........Sponsored by my spouse-to-be

No minimum income required, however your spouse-to-be is only eligible to sponsor you while living abroad if she is a Canadian citizen. If she meets that requirement, she'll need to submit, with the application, proof of her intent to resettle in Canada.

Since we really want to move to Canada, but we don't have any work-connections yet, what could we use as proof of our true intent?
Our first plan was to go to Canada together to retrieve my "landed" status and, on that occasion, remain there for at least 3 weeks looking for a job.

 

[Siouxie]

Re: So much confusion in my head........Sponsored by my spouse-to-be

Things you could get to prove intent to re-establish residency include: Rental agreement, letter from parents / friends / other relatives stating you are going to live with them, job offer, copies of applications for jobs, mortgage, really, anything that shows intent to move back to Canada should do. There is a suggested list on this form: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5540E.PDF

As for retaining your PR status if you are not living in Canada, your spouse would need to be a Canadian Citizen for you to be exempt from the requirement to be physically in Canada. The only way a PR and PR spouse can reside outside Canada and still retain residency is if they are in the employ of a Canadian company or in public service for Canada.

OP10 - Permanant Residency determination: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/op/op10-eng.pdf

6.1. Accompanying outside of Canada
A28(2)(a)(ii) and (iv) provide that each day a permanent resident is outside of Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner or, in the case of a child, a parent with whom they ordinarily reside, it is deemed a day of physical presence in Canada.

Each day a permanent resident is outside Canada, accompanying a spouse, common-law partner or, in the case of a child, a parent who is also a permanent resident and with whom they ordinarily reside, is also deemed a day of physical presence in Canada provided the spouse, common-law partner or parent of the other permanent resident is employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the public service of Canada or of a province.

 

[mvdv]

Re: So much confusion in my head........Sponsored by my spouse-to-be

What about medical exams?

Do I have to include them with application forms (and criminal checks as well)?
Or do I have to wait a feedback from visa Office in Rome?

Is it correct the second one, right?

I'm tryin' to speed up the whole process

 

[sbwv09]

I have heard of some people sending their application along without these pieces of information, but I think that most people send it all together. You could actually have the whole application sent back for being incomplete. According to the checklists/application guides you are to send everything at the same time.

 

[mvdv]

First of all, thanks everybody for helping !

I found here at cic.gc.ca/english/information/medical/medexams-perm.asp :

Medical Examination Instructions
Instructions on how to take the medical examination will normally be sent to you after you submit your application to the visa office.

I'm in Italy and my canadian spouse-to-be lives already with me in common-law at the same address...

 

[sbwv09]

Here on the region specific checklist for your area, it says that police clearances and medical exams must be submitted along with everything else: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/3901e.pdf

 

[mvdv]

Another question for you all:
If I do not have a valid canadian residential address when I land, can I pick up my pr-card personally somewhere ?

 

[ohman4966]

no its is mailed to you usually within 4 weeks to the address you provide

 

[chelley]

mvdv

i do hope you have read and appreciate the feedback you are receiving...

not sure why the link says you should get medical instructions from the visa office (One of the many other special features of the CIC website i'm sure), but it is HIGHLY advisable NOT to submit the application without the medicals and the required police records (for any country the applicant has been in for more than 6m)...

if you do submit without, best case, your application will be delayed (possibly by months) while you wait for them to request and receive... worst case, your application may be refused on grounds of incompleteness...

do try to do the medicals/police reports as close to the date you apply as this will help in the case that your application processing is slow and takes over a year... (medicals expire after a year, police reports may or may not be re-requested at this time too)

good luck