Sponsoring wife to Canada from EU

[ericdca]

Hi all,

My fiance and I will marry in Dec 2013. I am currently working in Canada as a PR and she is studying in EU under a student visa and still have a year to go before graduation. We both hold Vietnamese passports.

We plan to apply for a spouse sponsorship after the marriage (out land application). I have a few questions here, will very appreciate any advice:

* I have heard that we have an option to forward the application to visa office in London, UK after the approval in Mississauga (hope so) other than the one in Singapore. The visa office in London seems to be a lot faster. Is this true and how can we choose that ?

* We want to apply for a temporary visa so my fiance can visit me while waiting for the spousal application.

- When should we do that ?
a) Before the spousal application (which means now, Nov 2013) - the advantage is she does not have to do the fingerprint thing which starts in Dec, 2013
b) After the spousal application but before the approval in Mississauga
c) After the approval in Mississauga

- Can she (will be my wife at the time) stay in Canada for a long time or have to go back to EU while they process our application

+ Any other suggestion that could help us maximize the time staying together.

Thanks a lot!

Eric

 

[ericdca]

Hello, anyone experienced a similar situation ?

 

[Sweden]

*WHere is your future wife studying? EU is quite large... if she is studying in the UK, or any scandinavian countries, and has been admitted with a visa for a year ( she doesn't need to have been there for a year, but her visa should be for at least a year), then she can choose the visa office corresponding to the country of residence. But - CIC can always decide to send the application to Singapore. Choose London ( or Paris, or Vienna, etc. depending on where she is studying), and keep your fingers crossed!

* you can apply for a visitor visa, but there is a good chance that it will be denied, if she has more links to Canada (you) than to her home country. You can always try, but very few get a visa.

*if she gets a visa, she can stay for as long as her visa stays. As her application will be outland, she can be anywhere in the world. If she is in Canada, and her visa is about to expire, she can apply for an extension, and she can stay until she gets an answer from CIC.

Good luck,
Sweden

 

[ericdca]

Hi Sweden,

Thanks for your information.

* My future wife is studying in Finland and she has been studying there for the last 2 years, her current 1-year visa will be expired in about 9 months. I guess it should be ok if we submit the sponsor application in, say Jan, 2014 without the need of her new 1-year visa (which might not be possible until the current visa is about to expire).

* How can we maximize the chance of getting a visitor visa ? Would her current full time student in Finland helps to make it stronger that she will return to Finland after a short visiting ? When should we apply for the visa (we anyway will try, just hope they accept it)

Cheers,
Eric

 

[Rob_TO]

* My future wife is studying in Finland and she has been studying there for the last 2 years, her current 1-year visa will be expired in about 9 months. I guess it should be ok if we submit the sponsor application in, say Jan, 2014 without the need of her new 1-year visa (which might not be possible until the current visa is about to expire).

You can request the London visa office, but there is a high chance CIC will reject that request. Technically you need to have 1 full year of status remaining in a given country at the time of your application, to request processing from there. If you submit in January, she will only have around 7 months left, so she would not qualify. CIC will most likely send your application to Singapore.

The reason for this is in case an interview is required after the current visa expires. If the application goes through London then the interview will be in London or Finland. But if her visa is expiring in less than a year and there is no guarantee of getting a renewal, then there could be a chance she wouldn't even be admitted to the country to do an interview, in which case the application would be cancelled.

 

[ericdca]

Hi Rob_TO,

If that's the case I don't know if anyone is qualified since Finland only give 1-year student visa I guess. Do you know the link that CIC mention about this topic ?

Anyone is familiar with the processing time in Singapore visa office, I have heard that some take more than 2 years as they are mentioning in the website.

Do you have any other suggestion for our case?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[Rob_TO]

If that's the case I don't know if anyone is qualified since Finland only give 1-year student visa I guess. Do you know the link that CIC mention about this topic ?

Actually if you have been admitted to a country for 1 year, then I believe you could apply from that country anytime during the 1 year.

The mention in the applicant guide is here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3999Etoc.asp
Question 4 - Immigration Office requested for the processing of your application
Indicate the name of the Immigration Office which serves:
your country of nationality, or
the country in which you are residing, provided that you have been lawfully admitted to that country for at least one (1) year.

HOWEVER in reading the actual Operation Manual, it seems to explain that really the choice is all up to CPC-Mississauga: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/op/op01-eng.pdf
5.17
Special procedure for the family class
The application for permanent residence for members of this class no longer gives applicants a choice as to which office will process their applications. CPC-Mississauga, which receives the applications, will make this determination pursuant to R11 and will forward the file to the appropriate visa office. The option of selecting the office where the sponsor wanted the application to be processed has been deleted from the "application for sponsorship and undertaking."

So it looks like CPC-M doesn't even consider the request people make in the 4th question of IMM0008. Though I'm sure it doesn't hurt to ask, as many people seem to have the applications processed where they want.

Anyone is familiar with the processing time in Singapore visa office, I have heard that some take more than 2 years as they are mentioning in the website.

Check the thread here on Singapore visa office: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/singapore-timeline-t28993.7590.html

 

[ericdca]

I see, thank you! This seems to be tricky.

We are thinking of applying for a temporary visa now (before the marriage) so that she can visit me sometimes earlier next year. Wondering if that has any affect on the sponsor application, at that time it should have been sent out and our marriage status has changed.

Eric

 

[canadianwoman]

Applying for a TRV is OK. She can use the fact she is studying in Finland as some proof she will leave Canada. She can show her Finnish resident permit, the Finnish visa, the official document from the school showing she is studying there, whatever else she can get showing she is taking classes in Finland.
If she applies for a TRV when she is still single, and when she uses it she is married, it should be OK. Do not lie to the border agent, but do not volunteer info either. If he or she asks who she is going to visit, saying her husband is fine.

 

[ericdca]

Thank you!

Comparing the chance of getting a TRV when submitting
- before sponsor application
- during the application processing time, after the approval in Mississauga

which one is higher ?

Best,
Eric

 

[canadianwoman]

I would say before the sponsorship application.