Spousal sponsorship with criminal record and/or deportation order

[raincouver298]

My fiancée (Mexican tourist) and I (Canadian citizen) were planning to get married this December and start a spousal sponsorship for her.

However, she's visiting me and something unexpected happened. She was caught shoplifting in an important supermarket in Vancouver. Police were called and now she has a court citation in a couple of months. Most likely she will be deported and not allowed back in the country, plus any fines and possible jail time.

After discussing why this happened, and accepting her explanations and her promise that something like that would never happen again, I do have a few questions I hope you can help me with:

1- If we get married and start a sponsorship application right away, all of this before her court date, will she be able to stay in the country, and void any deportation order?

2- If she gets convicted and have a criminal record in Canada, a spousal sponsorship application is sure to be rejected?

3- What would you say is the best course of action in this situation?

Thanks for your help

 

[canuck78]

You won’t be able to process the sponsorship until the charges are resolved. Not sure how long you have spent in person but perhaps a little extra time together will actually be a good thing to determine if this is a pattern. You will be financially responsible for her for 3 years.