kazemsd said:
I have been a PR since Nov. 2011. My girlfriend came to Canada on Sept. 2011 on a student Visa.
She still have 1.5 year to go (she will graduate in Dec. 2014).
We are going to get married soon and apply for sponsorship.
Should I use "Application for Permanent Residence in Canada—Spouse or Common-law Partner" and then ask my wife to send her application to a visa office outside Canada? Or use "Application to Sponsor a Member of the Family Class (FC)" (If your spouse, partner or dependent child lives outside Canada)?
I saw some posts, where people talk about a choice between "inland" or "outland" and I am confused.
If you choose "inland" then the entire application is sent to CPC-V (Vegreville, AB) and it is all processed from inside Canada. She must remain living with you (the sponsor) here in Canada as part of that process.
If you choose "outland" then the entire application is sent to CPC-M (Mississauga, ON) and when they approve you as sponsor, they forward it to a visa office outside Canada. She may live anywhere with you.
If you have been living together for at least 12 months as a couple, then you do not need to get married to apply for sponsorship. If you have been together for 24 months as a couple, she will receive a permanent PR. If not, she will receive a conditional PR and must remain in the qualifying relationship with you for two years. Failure to do so may lead to loss of her PR.
"Inland" and "Outland" are best thought of relating to WHERE the application is processed (inside or outside Canada). There are some restrictions on the applicants location for either one. Since she has status in Canada at the present time, it probably makes sense for her to process outland (and she may choose her home office or Ottawa - CPP-O - because she has legal status in Canada.) This permits her to leave Canada and remain outside Canada without jeopardizing the application status.
My other advice to her: she should be sure to apply for her PGWP next year before her student visa expires. In that way, she will be able to work in Canada as a temporary foreign worker (if she has not obtained PR yet) for up to three years. This will keep much of the pressure applicants often feel when waiting with visitor status for Canadian PR. When she is granted permanent residency she can go to the US and turn around and re-enter Canada.
Good luck!