jihadberberi said:
No, my wife doesn't have TRV.
19 months too much for outland!! Is the inland recommended by the Canadian authority as the outland?
CIC asks to use Outland whenever possible but in your case, you're are correct. 19 months is really long.
Here is what I suggest: Try for a TRV. They are somewhat hard to get and going to be even harder with 3 Canadian citizens in the family. The VO will probably suspect her intent is to remain in Canada, not temporarily visit (which is true in this case). You will need to submit a very strong case for a TRV, including a very strong reason she will be going to Canada. (Do you have family in Canada?) Her application should include sufficient funds for the travel (at least 2k CAD per month for herself), any titles to property in her name (think house), businesses in her name, letters from a job saying she is expected to return at X date. It might even be best for her to leave you and/or the children in Lebanon to strength her ties to Lebanon - but you'll need a pausible explanation to why. If it doesn't make sense, the VO will be suspicious.
If she gets approved, I would have the Inland PR application ready when you come to Canada....
Forward it to yourself in the mail. (If she's caught with it at the border, the IO will probably refuse her.) Mail it as soon as you get to Canada. Make sure to include the Open Work Permit application and pay the fee for that. Even if she doesn't want to work, it will give her legal status and allow her to remain legally in Canada until a decision is made/she lands as a PR.
If she cannot get a TRV, Outland is her only option. The good news is since you're a citizen, you can remain with her in Lebanon until she gets the PR. Citizens aren't required to be in Canada to sponsor (like PRs are).
About the 19 months - keep in mind 19 months really means it takes 19 months for the VO to process 80% of applications. Some are done faster and some are done in more time (usually those that require interviews). If you can put together a good application with sufficient proof of your genuine relationship (and trust me, kids alone aren't proof enough) you will probably be done faster than 19 months - but no one can say for sure.
Anyway, try for the TRV. You may want to research TRV refusals on the forum or join the Lebanon/Beirut VO thread and ask them for advice. (I gave general advice, but each VO is different and I don't know much about Beirut.) Once you have the TRV approved/denied, then you can figure out the next step.