Sponsoring a spouse who has a multi-entry visitor visa

[bittersweet_C#m]

Hello guys, I am in this situation I wonder if there is a way we can work it out.

I'm dating a girl and we are supposed to get married sometime next year in Canada. She holds a Chinese passport, but resides permanently in France (I'm still in Canada). When she first visited Canada, she was able to obtain a multi-entry visa. The letter describes her length of stay as the following:

The immigration officer will determine the length of your stay in Canada, which unless otherwise noted, will be for six months.

I'm a Canadian citizen and I wish to sponsor for her permanent residency. But we are struggling with the wait times.

If we decide to marry next time she visits Canada, we can at most stay for 6 months as indicated on her letter. I need to know if there is any way that she can extend her stay for us to remain together longer, until her permanent residency is approved.

Also, we'd like to start the application as soon as we sign the papers. I obviously need to submit my application to the office in Canada, but what about her? Should she hand in her forms in Canada, or the Paris or Beijing office?

Again, what we're mostly concerned of is how long we can stay together in Canada, before she has to leave. We'd like to extend the stay as much as possible, and hopefully she will never have to leave before the grant for permanent residency.

Please help, many thanks!

 

[Ponga]

Since she is residing in France, she can apply through the Paris visa office (as long as she has been lawfully admitted into France for at least the last year).

You will send everything (the sponsor application, her PR application and all of your evidence of your relationship) in one very large envelope (or small box) to the address for Outland applications (in Ottawa). They will then forward her part of the`bundle' to the appropriate visa office for her assessment.

If she returns to Canada and is in fact granted the 6 month stay, she can simply apply for an extension after ~ 4-1/2 months, indicating that she has applied for spousal sponsorship.


Good luck!

 

[andrew-brit]

Also, we'd like to start the application as soon as we sign the papers. I obviously need to submit my application to the office in Canada, but what about her? Should she hand in her forms in Canada, or the Paris or Beijing office?

Your application needs to include all forms (Sponsor and Applicant). and relationship proof. It all needs to go to Mississauga and they it will be sent to a Visa office.

Again, what we're mostly concerned of is how long we can stay together in Canada, before she has to leave. We'd like to extend the stay as much as possible, and hopefully she will never have to leave before the grant for permanent residency.

I am not familiar with a mutliple entry visa but I am on a visitor visa and I just extend it about a month before it is due to expire. A lot of people remain in Canada while their PR application is in progress.

 

[andrew-brit]

Since she is residing in France, she can apply through the Paris visa office (as long as she has been lawfully admitted into France for at least the last year).

You will send everything (the sponsor application, her PR application and all of your evidence of your relationship) in one very large envelope (or small box) to the address for Outland applications (in Ottawa). They will then forward her part of the`bundle' to the appropriate visa office for her assessment.

CIC chooses where the application goes. It could go to Paris, or it could go to the principal applicants country of citizenship. Recently we are seeing some applications stay in Canada as well for the duration of processing.

Also the application gets sent to Mississauga for Outland, not Ottawa.

 

[bittersweet_C#m]

Please elaborate on the fact that people staying in Canada past their allowed length. Is it legal? How much longer can the visa be extended if we choose to extend?

 

[andrew-brit]

People apply for a visitor extension. In the application they include proof that they have applied for PR (such as fee receipt or Sponsor Approval). CIC will grant them a set number of months. It could be for as many months as you ask for, or it could be less than the number of months you ask for.

My visitor visa expired 2 weeks after I applied for PR, so I recently just submitted an application to extend it. As long as you apply before it expires your status is 'Implied Status' which allows you to stay in Canada as a visitor until they approve (or decline) your application. When they reach a decision, if it is a positive one you will be told how long you are allowed to remain in Canada as a visitor.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Please elaborate on the fact that people staying in Canada past their allowed length. Is it legal? How much longer can the visa be extended if we choose to extend?

yes, it's legal, as long as you apply to extend your stay as a visitor with CIC. the cost is $100 and you can apply online or through the mail. generally, those with pr applications submitted, or proof they are getting ready to submit, are rarely denied extensions. most people request 12 months so they can get through the process. Even if a person is in canada as a visitor, they can still send in an outland application. this is actually the recommended way to apply, not inland.

 

[truesmile]

Just to be clear, there is NO implied status for outland applications. That applies only if you submit an inland application, which would not be sent abroad for processing.

 

[bittersweet_C#m]

Thank you for the reply. Our current plan now is submit the spouse's application to her country, I submit mine to Mississauga. We are to apply for extension 30 days before her length of stay passes, indicate in the application that we have applied for sponsorship and PR. Wait for the extension and see what happens.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Thank you for the reply. Our current plan now is submit the spouse's application to her country, I submit mine to Mississauga.

To clarify, you do not send the applications to separate offices. BOTH applications (applicant and sponsor) get sent TOGETHER in the same package to mississauga. Once the sponsor is found eligible, CIC will forward the applicant's paperwork to the appropriate visa office abroad. The address for sending the package is in the application guide.

 

[bittersweet_C#m]

Excellent. Thank you very much.