Some questions about the Family Class Sponsorship

[ReadyToMove]

Hi all, I have recently joined this site as I am planning to emigrate to Canada so would like to learn as much as possible about our options, my partner is Canadian and she will sponsor me. We are currently living in Ireland while she has a Working Visa which will expire in less than 2 months. So far we've got the medical and family and friend declarations ready so I think we just have to wait until August 16th for my partners Working Visa to expire (which means we will have been living together for 1 year, in a relationship for almost 2 years) We are planning to go to Canada for a visit from July 21st until the 17th of August, my partner will stay in Canada, I will return to Ireland and lodge the application. I've spent some time reading here and it seems there can be quite a long wait for a PR card to be issued. Seeing as I would like to keep any time spent apart down to an absolute minimum and am trying to find ways to speed things up if that's possible, I have a few questions:

Is it possible/wise to visit Canada and see my partner during the time my application is being processed? Or would immigration be nervous about letting me in seeing as I might come across as a flight risk on the chance my application may be refused.

I read there is a Open Work Permit available for sponsored partners which will allow me to work/study in Canada while my application is being processed. Has anyone here applied for this permit? I can't seem to find much information about them. Or might it be better to apply for a visitors stay extension so at least we can be together during the waiting time. Our application will be external and will be processed by the London office.

My partner will be nearly certainly going straight back into her old job when she returns to Canada as a social service worker. Her parents stated that they will provide accommodation for us as long as we need it (we're both 27 years old) and I will have some funds available (Hopefully around 10,000 CAD)

Many thanks for any help!

Jason.

 

[Leon]

There's two types of applications, outland and inland. For visa exempt people (like from Ireland) outland is recommended. If you apply outland, you use the forms for sponsorship of relative who doesn't live in Canada, you do not have to go back to Ireland to lodge the form, you can go back and forth as you like. The time it takes would be 39 days to approve sponsor plus average 4 months in London. If there were questions about your application and you were called for an interview, you would be called to London. Therefore, whatever address you give, make sure there is somebody there to pick up mail and check your answering machine if you are not home. There is no open work permit available for this application because it's pretty fast, see below.

Then there is inland. Inland means you are living in Canada and that means it's not advised for you to leave while this application is being processed. It is also slower. You can apply for an open work permit with this application and you will get it at your first stage approval in 5-6 months if all goes well and PR in 1-2 years. However, if there are questions about your application, something not clear, it will be sent to your local CIC office without first stage approval and they will call you for an interview. Depending on the local office caseload, you may wait for this interview for 1-2 years, all that time without a work permit and without being able to leave.

 

[RIP_MJ]

Check this post out.

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/please-help-outland-or-inland-sponsorship-t20862.0.html

 

[lbw]

I have Canadian and British citizenship, and was living in the UK with my British boyfriend. We applied for sponsorship in December 2007, which was approved within a month. The application for PR was started through the London Office in Feb 2008 - we finally received notification for the passport request yesterday (30th June 2009). Decision has been made and approved. We took a chance and moved over here last September as we were able to sell our home in the UK at a good time. My partner just made sure he went back to the UK before the 6 month visitor visa expired each time and immigration at TO airport had our file in their system, which made his entry back into Canada easy.
Good luck and hope it all works out for you.