keydean said:
Hi! My husband is from the UK, and so am I originally, but he's on a visitors visa that expires May 17th.
We applied under the Inland Family Class Spousal application in on 15th Jan 2014 but have yet to hear anything from immigration at all. No letter or email, is that normal or should I be concerned? I know that processing takes a while but isn't there some kind of letter to say "thanks, we got it"?
Because they have moved processing from Vegreville to Mississauga, the normal process has been disrupted. It will take some time for the process to settle into its new behavior pattern.
A TRV ("visa") is a travel document permitting the holder to travel to Canada. A visitor record is a status document indicating the person is in Canada legally on visitor status. He does not need a visa (because the UK is visa exempt) so I assume he has a visitor record.
Did you apply for an open work permit along with the PR application? If so, he has "implied status" which means he can remain in Canada until they make a decision on the work permit application. Implied status does not arise from just filing a permanent resident application. Implied status ends when he leaves Canada, however...
keydean said:
Also, our daughter was born on 21st Feb 2014, do you think that her being Canadian and him Welsh would constitute as "Urgent" with him having to return in May? Has anyone else tried to get their visa put through as Urgent?
There is no mechanism for requesting urgent processing. While you can request it, I've never heard of anyone being given urgent process based upon their own request (CIC did expedite applications in Manila after the typhoon last year, but that was exceptional and applied to a class of applicants, not a single applicant).
keydean said:
I'm so scared that they won't let him back in the country on a visitors visa, as we can't even give the border police a reference number or anything to prove we've applied. It will tear our little family apart if he can't get back through! (We're going to the UK as his brother's getting married, but for the whole trip I think my heart will be in my throat).
It is unlikely they will refuse him at the border, but it is possible. I hope you kept a copy of the receipt for payment of fees - that's usually all it takes. Plus, it is likely the application is in the computer system but has not yet been acknowledged.
keydean said:
If he can't get back in to Canada, then what is my Canadian daughter to do in the UK? Any advice???
Presumably your daughter is a dual national. If she is born in the UK, she will need to obtain a certificate of Canadian citizenship. If she is born in Canada, I recall that there is a registration mechanism to ensure she can claim her UK citizenship (though I'm less familiar with that process).
Don't worry too much about this - it's very unlikely the officer will refuse. It is possible, but the CBSA officer would need to have some valid ground for doing so.