Spousal Application - Work Status

[Prelude]

Hi!

I'm sponsoring my American wife for PR, and she'll be staying with me and applying from inside Canada. I know I have to provide my job status and option C printout covering the last 12 months, but my employment status over the last year has been abysmal and I've made very, very little money. We're moving to Alberta so I can find a decent and actually full-time job, and we're planning to submit the app once I can put my new employment on the form.

Does anyone have experience with this sort of scenario? Are we likely to get turned down if I get a good job but have had a really really lousy one (or none at all) in the last 12 months?

We just feel super alone and nervous in this whole process, even with a lawyer. :U

 

[brucem]

Hi!

I'm sponsoring my American wife for PR, and she'll be staying with me and applying from inside Canada. I know I have to provide my job status and option C printout covering the last 12 months, but my employment status over the last year has been abysmal and I've made very, very little money. We're moving to Alberta so I can find a decent and actually full-time job, and we're planning to submit the app once I can put my new employment on the form.

Does anyone have experience with this sort of scenario? Are we likely to get turned down if I get a good job but have had a really really lousy one (or none at all) in the last 12 months?

We just feel super alone and nervous in this whole process, even with a lawyer. :U

There is no financial requirement to sponsor so as long as you haven't been on welfare in the last 12 months you should be ok. Most people suggest that you demonstrate how you are going to support yourselves once your wife has PR as you will be financially responsible for your wife for three years. If you have family that would be willing to help out that is useful or any savings you can demonstrate. I completed our app on the basis that I would cover all potential pitfalls as neither my wife or myself will have a job when we move. We are in the final stages and had no questions raised about financial issues.

 

[Prelude]

Thanks so much for replying! I've seen this info on the forum a few times now and it's really reassuring. Having an example from someone's personal experience is especially fantastic, though.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Just so you know, you can submit an outland app while your wife is in Canada. At around 6-8 months for outland, it is significantly faster than inland, currently taking more than 2 years.

If your lawyer didn't advise you of this, get rid of him/her.

 

[brucem]

Thanks so much for replying! I've seen this info on the forum a few times now and it's really reassuring. Having an example from someone's personal experience is especially fantastic, though.

No problem! Good luck with the app, we all know how you feel on here!

 

[Prelude]

Just so you know, you can submit an outland app while your wife is in Canada. At around 6-8 months for outland, it is significantly faster than inland, currently taking more than 2 years.

If your lawyer didn't advise you of this, get rid of him/her.

After we collect all the necessary things for the application, my lawyer was actually the one who was planning to put everything in order and send it out so I... honestly don't know. Actually, before coming to this forum, I was unaware you could apply outland. I sort of just assumed in my reading that if you're inside Canada, you had to apply inland. ???

Applying inland means applying to an actually Canadian processing office, right?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

After we collect all the necessary things for the application, my lawyer was actually the one who was planning to put everything in order and send it out so I... honestly don't know. Actually, before coming to this forum, I was unaware you could apply outland. I sort of just assumed in my reading that if you're inside Canada, you had to apply inland. ???

Applying inland means applying to an actually Canadian processing office, right?

Inland and outland apps are both sent to the same office, Mississauga. After stage 1 approval, outland American apps are then forwarded on to Ottawa for stage 2; inland apps stay in Mississauga.

Applying inland means it will be over 2 years before your wife is a PR. In that time, she is advised to not leave Canada at all because if she is refused re-entry, the inland app is cancelled and you have to start all over again outland.

As I said before, outland will be about 6-8 months for PR and there is no risk to the app if she has to leave Canada for any reason.

Seriously, consider dropping the lawyer. The majority of applicants do the process on their own and are better for it, as you know 100% what you've filled out and what you've submitted. This forum is replete with those who regret using a lawyer because of the mistakes that were made in their applications. For me, a lawyer should be able to lay out all of your legal options; the fact that your lawyer didn't advise you of the outland option strongly indicates that s/he is not very competent with the whole Family Class process.

 

[Prelude]

That... does sound a little concerning. I mean, the whole reason we got a lawyer in the first place was so we wouldn't be navigating this blindly ourselves. I've already had concerns a few times regardless, though.

I live in a small town at the moment and this lawyer was actually the only one in the area who even listed immigration as a topic he covered, hence my choosing him out of necessity, more or less. I'm really just concerned about missing something or doing it wrong. I'm a little conflicted.

Also, why are the two types referred to as inland and outland? I'm a little confused.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

That... does sound a little concerning. I mean, the whole reason we got a lawyer in the first place was so we wouldn't be navigating this blindly ourselves. I've already had concerns a few times regardless, though.

I live in a small town at the moment and this lawyer was actually the only one in the area who even listed immigration as a topic he covered, hence my choosing him out of necessity, more or less. I'm really just concerned about missing something or doing it wrong. I'm a little conflicted.

Also, why are the two types referred to as inland and outland? I'm a little confused.

Have you actually really looked at the application package? Here is the outland package http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp. Though there is a lot to do, it is fairly straightforward; there are guides and checklists to follow for the entire application. Any questions can be answered here on this forum; there are a lot of people on here who are way more knowledgeable about the process than most lawyers, as we've gone through it ourselves.

Inland and outland refer to where the application is processed. Inland apps are processed entirely in Canada, while outland apps are processed first in Canada and then overseas at the visa office serving the applicant's country. People outside of Canada can only apply outland, while people in Canada can choose between inland and outland.

Have a look on the Ottawa thread to see the timelines of other Americans. http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/cppottawa-t118769.6240.html

 

[Prelude]

I've looked at it, since I've been going through the checklist and rigmarole of putting everything together, but my legal council told me originally that if you're within Canada, you have to apply inland, so naturally that's all I've been looking at. :/

Apparently my lawyer has no idea what he's talking about, though, so starting this week I'm going to do a bunch of reading on this board and get this done myself. It certainly doesn't seem as though he can do a better job than me, given all the things I've discovered he has no clue about, wow.

Thanks for the heads up. This has most likely saved me a lot of time, effort, and money.

 

[brucem]

I've looked at it, since I've been going through the checklist and rigmarole of putting everything together, but my legal council told me originally that if you're within Canada, you have to apply inland, so naturally that's all I've been looking at. :/

Apparently my lawyer has no idea what he's talking about, though, so starting this week I'm going to do a bunch of reading on this board and get this done myself. It certainly doesn't seem as though he can do a better job than me, given all the things I've discovered he has no clue about, wow.

Thanks for the heads up. This has most likely saved me a lot of time, effort, and money.

I felt the same way when I first looked at everything as its quite overwhelming but slowly time on the forum and repeatedly reading the application guidance and asking a few questions on here I got my head round it. It just takes a bit of time and patience to get everything together for the app but its worth it to save all that money in fees. I've always felt that lawyers deliberately tell people they have to apply inland if they are in Canada because for them its a 2-3 year money maker whereas an outland app can be done and dusted in 6 months!

 

[rugrat907]

I felt the same way when I first looked at everything as its quite overwhelming but slowly time on the forum and repeatedly reading the application guidance and asking a few questions on here I got my head round it. It just takes a bit of time and patience to get everything together for the app but its worth it to save all that money in fees. I've always felt that lawyers deliberately tell people they have to apply inland if they are in Canada because for them its a 2-3 year money maker whereas an outland app can be done and dusted in 6 months!

I agree with Bruce 1000% on the lawyer thing. We haven't filed yet, but as long as there are no serious complications there is no reason to get a lawyer. My wife (and sponsor) was pretty insistent that we would need one, but once you go through the guides and forms and read over the forums, it's just not that difficult. Time consuming, yes. But it leaves you in control.