Sponsoring Conjugal Partner from Philippines?

[Rob_TO]

As for marriage in the Philippines, I would have had to do the following:
- get Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry on the first weekday after arrival.
- attend the family planning seminar and apply for the marrige license, same day if the timing worked out, otherwise the next day.
- 11th day after the license is applied for it is released, and we can then get married, but it depends if that 11th day falls on a weekend or not, then we would need to visit the Local Registry Office the following monday to receive it.
- also the wedding day would be better timed over a weekend, so planning is involved to schedule things out.

So really, the bare minimum of time is about 2 and a half weeks, though 3 weeks makes it more comfortable. And thank you for the encouragement, every one of us needs that in our situations, the long process and waiting and not being able to be together.

Keep in mind you could also both travel to another country to get married, where the process for getting married could be much quicker/easier. Remember a marriage can be performed anywhere in the world and as long as it's legal in that country and to Canada, it's fine for PR app. Doesn't matter how Philippines will view it.

Are there some countries around that region that Philippine citizens can easily travel to?

 

[S_and_C]

So what do you plan on doing now?

Well, for now we are both a little disappointed that I couldn't make the trip, we've been both going through a lot of ups and downs the past few weeks. For me personally, I've been thinking of alternative ways than spousal sponsorship, such as conjugal, which prompted me to ask the question on the forum.

I've also been thinking of Express Entry / work permits since she does have a university degree and a good job as a high school science/chemistry teacher in her home country. Work permits say they take on average 3 months to process out of Manila, so this is much quicker and allows her to make money for herself and her family out of the gate, with the advantage that she could stay with me assuming the job is in the same city. Even if it is in a different city, as long as she is closer to me the better. The main challenge is having a job offer in hand, so that the proof of $10k+ CDN in the bank is not required. The language test and education credentials are additional costs that are still required regardless.

But for now, we are taking things a day at a time. I myself will soon start to be busy with work, starting on a new client site on Monday, but in my spare time I will continue to think of how to get her here.

 

[canadalover4987]

You should not rush things out,,, you don't need to travel in the 3rd country to get married as this may cost more you more financially. Invest on travelling together while you are in the Philippines, like in local island like Cebu or Palawan, keep all the travel ticket and hotel receipt under your names. Start to collect all evidences and be patient. be patient. be patient. Soon it will pay off.

If you chose marriage---CIC may think-----marriage for convenience. (so please ensure to state the history of the relationship on why you married her in short amount of time.) THIS IS A RED FLAG ON WHY YOU MARRIED HER W/O SPENDING TIME GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER. CIC will check how often you communicate with your partner. So invest on that. You can spend thousand of hours reading on this forum to learn from other peoples experience. Dont lose hope, this should inspire you.

You and your partner need to demonstrate your commitment to each other. ITS GENUINE AND BONEFIDE. (Marriage just for the sake of migrating to Canada is something you MUST avoid- you dont want CIC to think that way) You need to convince CIC that your intention is true and real.

 

[S_and_C]

Keep in mind you could also both travel to another country to get married, where the process for getting married could be much quicker/easier. Remember a marriage can be performed anywhere in the world and as long as it's legal in that country and to Canada, it's fine for PR app. Doesn't matter how Philippines will view it.

Are there some countries around that region that Philippine citizens can easily travel to?

Yes, I had looked into that before, there are a bunch... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Filipino_citizens
But as was said by canadalover, there is a higher cost. Of course the issue is the travel itself related to my situation, not that there aren't alternatives. Thanks for the idea though.

and thanks canadalover for the encouragement, and mirroring some of the concerns that have been floating around in my mind.

 

[canadalover4987]

Just be positive and it will pay off... and be patience.

 

[scylla]

I've also been thinking of Express Entry / work permits since she does have a university degree and a good job as a high school science/chemistry teacher in her home country. Work permits say they take on average 3 months to process out of Manila, so this is much quicker and allows her to make money for herself and her family out of the gate, with the advantage that she could stay with me assuming the job is in the same city. Even if it is in a different city, as long as she is closer to me the better. The main challenge is having a job offer in hand, so that the proof of $10k+ CDN in the bank is not required. The language test and education credentials are additional costs that are still required regardless.

Forget about the work permit route - at least as a teacher. In order to obtain a work permit, she would first have to secure a job offer and her employer would need to get an approved LMIA. As part of the LMIA process, the employer must prove they advertised the job and there were no Canadians available to take it. Given there are way more teachers in Canada right now than jobs - LMIAs for teachers simply aren't being approved. So if she's going to go the work permit route, look for a job outside of the teaching field.