Sponsorship Help

[chelseahotte]

Hi all!

I've been with my husband since March 8th 2009, we have been married since December 29th 2013.
I'm a citizen of the USA from Vancouver, WA & he's a Canadian citizen from Quebec, now living in Vancouver, BC.

I sadly enough to not know anyone who's done any kind of visa before.
We've been trying to work on a visa for awhile now, but he was laid off of his job last year so that made it hard for us to do the sponsorship visa at that point in time.
Is there anyone that can give me a simple answer on what exactly I'm suppose to do?
I know that's probably stupid question, but my husband and I don't want to do this wrong and there isn't really a walk through you can use anywhere.

Thank you so much.

 

[rhcohen2014]

read the first post of the first topic on this board by Leon. it will show you where to start.note the processing times written in the post are outdated. US applicants should only be applying OUTLAND right now, as it's taking 6 months for approval. don't even think about or start questioning inland. An applicant CAN apply outland even if they are IN canada while the application processes. there is a lot that goes into applying, so it will be difficult for anyone to really walk you through it unless you have specific questions about the application. you can also start by going on the CIC website and download the application and country specific guide. it is easy to find by googling "CIC spousal sponsorship". remember to look at the guide for sponsoring a spouse OUTSIDE of canada.

 

[chelseahotte]

read the first post of the first topic on this board by Leon. it will show you where to start.note the processing times written in the post are outdated. US applicants should only be applying OUTLAND right now, as it's taking 6 months for approval. don't even think about or start questioning inland. An applicant CAN apply outland even if they are IN canada while the application processes. there is a lot that goes into applying, so it will be difficult for anyone to really walk you through it unless you have specific questions about the application. you can also start by going on the CIC website and download the application and country specific guide. it is easy to find by googling "CIC spousal sponsorship". remember to look at the guide for sponsoring a spouse OUTSIDE of canada.

Thank you

 

[lovemycanadian]

Where does it say that it's only 6 months? The CIC site says it's 28 months for the LA office. If this is true, it makes me really happy!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Where does it say that it's only 6 months? The CIC site says it's 28 months for the LA office. If this is true, it makes me really happy!

American apps are processed in Ottawa. The posted processing time indicates how long it takes to process 80% of apps; 79% are processed faster than that. Straightforward American apps have been going through in around 6 months lately.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Where does it say that it's only 6 months? The CIC site says it's 28 months for the LA office. If this is true, it makes me really happy!

US applications are processed in OTTAWA, not LA. The only applications that go to LA are those that require an interview, and those applications are taking 12-16 months to process, NOT 28 months! as canuck has stated, the stats listed on the website are NOT true averages, mainly reflect "worst case" scenarios, do not only represent US applicants at the Ottawa visa office or family class applications in LA (because they process more than just those applications), and are from LAST year.

see the blue link in my signature below? that is the Ottawa visa office spreadsheet. the spreadsheet will show you the tracking of real life applications from people on this forum. You will note a majority of 2014 applicants have been approved and landed already. Currently, July applicants are getting approvals. Also, if you look to the left and see my stats, you will see my application was done in less than 6 months total processsing.

 

[chelseahotte]

Hi all!

I've been with my husband since March 8th 2009, we have been married since December 29th 2013.
I'm a citizen of the USA from Vancouver, WA & he's a Canadian citizen from Quebec, now living in Vancouver, BC.

I sadly enough to not know anyone who's done any kind of visa before.
We've been trying to work on a visa for awhile now, but he was laid off of his job last year so that made it hard for us to do the sponsorship visa at that point in time.
Is there anyone that can give me a simple answer on what exactly I'm suppose to do?
I know that's probably stupid question, but my husband and I don't want to do this wrong and there isn't really a walk through you can use anywhere.

Thank you so much.

I have another question.

Can I just apply as a permanent resident since I'm married to a Canadian or is it a little bit more difficult than that?

On a website this is listed "Proofs that you are liv­ing together (joint bank accounts, joint lease receipts, bills and mails received at the same address, joint purchases…)"
My husband and I have never lived together, so how exactly does that work? I thought you couldn't live in Canada unless you had a visa?

 

[scylla]

I have another question.

Can I just apply as a permanent resident since I'm married to a Canadian or is it a little bit more difficult than that?

On a website this is listed "Proofs that you are liv­ing together (joint bank accounts, joint lease receipts, bills and mails received at the same address, joint purchases...)"
My husband and I have never lived together, so how exactly does that work? I thought you couldn't live in Canada unless you had a visa?

You can apply if you are married. It's not necessary to have lived together.

However keep in mind that if you are inadmissible to Canada, your application won't be approved.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I have another question.

Can I just apply as a permanent resident since I'm married to a Canadian or is it a little bit more difficult than that?

On a website this is listed "Proofs that you are liv­ing together (joint bank accounts, joint lease receipts, bills and mails received at the same address, joint purchases...)"
My husband and I have never lived together, so how exactly does that work? I thought you couldn't live in Canada unless you had a visa?

yes, if you are married, that makes you eligible to apply for permanent residency via the spousal sponsorship stream. you will want to apply from OUTSIDE of canada. even if you are IN canada visiting, you can still apply from outside. it is quite common for married couples applying from outside to not have proof of living together. that is not necessary for married couples, as that is more important for commonlaw couples. what they will want to see for a married couple is adequate relationship proof. anything that proves you have an ongoing, true relationship known to your family and friends. such items can be: pictures of outings, events and trips, photocopies of cards sent or emails sent, pictures of gifts bought, copies of wedding invitation, receipts for trips spent together or visiting eachother, etc.

 

[chelseahotte]

yes, if you are married, that makes you eligible to apply for permanent residency via the spousal sponsorship stream. you will want to apply from OUTSIDE of canada. even if you are IN canada visiting, you can still apply from outside. it is quite common for married couples applying from outside to not have proof of living together. that is not necessary for married couples, as that is more important for commonlaw couples. what they will want to see for a married couple is adequate relationship proof. anything that proves you have an ongoing, true relationship known to your family and friends. such items can be: pictures of outings, events and trips, photocopies of cards sent or emails sent, pictures of gifts bought, copies of wedding invitation, receipts for trips spent together or visiting eachother, etc.

Awesome!

Is there anything for the sponsorship paperwork that I need to do, or does it really all rely on the sponsor doing it? Some of the questions, I know I must answer but I think the majority of them are answered by the sponsor. Sorry for all the questions, I'm super awful at paperwork and I'm just curious right now. We may be getting a lawyer next month to help us out on it, but right now I'm just investigating.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Awesome!

Is there anything for the sponsorship paperwork that I need to do, or does it really all rely on the sponsor doing it? Some of the questions, I know I must answer but I think the majority of them are answered by the sponsor. Sorry for all the questions, I'm super awful at paperwork and I'm just curious right now. We may be getting a lawyer next month to help us out on it, but right now I'm just investigating.

there is an entire application for the sponsor AND an entire application for the applicant (you). there are also required documents that must be provided. there is a lot to gather. getting an attorney is not necessary. they are primarily a waste of money and generally know a lot less than the people on this forum. there are a lot of stories of attorneys giving bad advice as well, so unless you have some sort of criminal issue or dependant issue, i would recommend doing it yourself.

your first step is to go to the CIC website and read the guide for sponsorship from outside canada. there is a guide for the sponsor, and a guide for the applicant. there is where you will find the checklist and documents. it will certainly take time to accomplish. good luck!

 

[chelseahotte]

there is an entire application for the sponsor AND an entire application for the applicant (you). there are also required documents that must be provided. there is a lot to gather. getting an attorney is not necessary. they are primarily a waste of money and generally know a lot less than the people on this forum. there are a lot of stories of attorneys giving bad advice as well, so unless you have some sort of criminal issue or dependant issue, i would recommend doing it yourself.

your first step is to go to the CIC website and read the guide for sponsorship from outside canada. there is a guide for the sponsor, and a guide for the applicant. there is where you will find the checklist and documents. it will certainly take time to accomplish. good luck!

Thanks so much! You've been super helpful, and I really appreciate the time you've taken to give me some advice on how/what to do