Sponsoring wife - Manila or Hong Kong

[gary4554]

Anyone with experience sponsoring a spouse who is living and working outside of their home country? My wife is from the Philippines, but living and working in Macau, China for the past 5 years. I'm told we can submit our documents to either Manila or Hong Kong. Aside from the extra paperwork, police checks, are there advantages to filing in Hong Kong?

The PAFSO strike has increased processing times substantially in both centers, but Hong Kong is showing 10 months while Manila 14 months. I'm sure both are likely much higher as the process times have not been updated by the CIC for some time.

I've no concern about proving the relationship, we have 5 years of documentation, the only question is which center would be better for us. If anyone has some experience, please share, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mikeymyke]

Hong Kong has rampant fraud, but their processing times are ridiculously fast, go for it! They just approve people like crazy over there!

 

[Rob_TO]

I'm told we can submit our documents to either Manila or Hong Kong. Aside from the extra paperwork, police checks, are there advantages to filing in Hong Kong?

There should be no "extra" paperwork whether you choose one visa office over the other. Both Manila and HK will require police checks from Macau, the Philippines (assuming your wife lived there at least 6 months after turning 18), and any other country she's lived in for 6 months or longer.

I think the easiest answer is just to choose the VO with the shortest processing times, so in your case go with HK.

Also keep in mind that the end choice of what visa office to use no matter what you indicate in your application, is up to CPC-Mississauga after they approve you as sponsor. Many people have selected a certain visa office based on where they are currently living, but have had their applications forwarded to their home country regardless, due either to CPC-M simply not reading what they had selected, or thinking they have closer ties to the country they hold a passport from even though living elsewhere. So if you really want HK make sure to write a cover page specifically explaining why you are choosing HK as a visa office, and hope it actually goes there.

 

[sing_tao]

Hong Kong has rampant fraud, but their processing times are ridiculously fast, go for it! They just approve people like crazy over there!

Hi mikey, i just applied my wife in august and my visaoffice is hong kong, i saw some people got approved really fast but some needs to wait more than a year, do u know wts the expected timeframe ?
I already got my aor and SA approval, i logged in ecas and can see that the status for my wife is application received on august 12 and received medical results as well, i guess now the waiting time begins?

What is the next step? An email will be send to my wife for aor ?

Thanks