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Spousal sponsorship

yoli85

Star Member
Sep 3, 2019
119
49
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Mississauga
Hi All,

I am on PR and plan to get married later this year in my home country, I plan to fill in all the details in the online form now and will submit once I get married and get the Marriage Registration certificate.

- Can I submit the application from home country and wait outside Canada till the application processing is complete?
I don't think is a great idea, specially since you are a PR. IRCC knows very easily if you have returned to Canada, and if you stay away from Canada for months any Officer will interpret that as "not living in Canada."

Also, have you seen the current processing times from outside Canada for sponsoring spouses? It's 23 months as of yesterday, you can't be away for such long time as a PR. You definitely have to return to Canada if you don't want your application rejected.

Become a sponsor
You can become a sponsor if you are:
  • at least 18 years old
  • a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act or a permanent resident,
  • living in Canada:
    • if you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when your sponsored relative becomes a permanent resident.
    • You can’t sponsor someone if you’re a permanent resident living outside of Canada.
 
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armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,287
8,892
- Can I submit the application from home country and wait outside Canada till the application processing is complete?
No, as a PR you must be physically present in Canada when you submit, and remain a resident throughout. Short trips are ok. Yes, people do have problems with this, especially if they submit while not in Canada.
 
Aug 5, 2021
19
3
Hello,

I am wondering that is there anyone like my situation.

I applied outland Spousal sponsorship online on Apr 15, 2022. Now I received AOR on July 21, 2022 but since then we have not received any biometrics or medical request yet.

The online PR tracker is still showing
Eligibility: Not started
Biometrics : Not requested
Medical exam: Not started
 

yoli85

Star Member
Sep 3, 2019
119
49
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Mississauga
@armoured @yoli85

Thanks for responding, what can be considered as a short trip?

Can I go away for a month every few months?
This is a hard question since IRCC doesn't provide information as to what's considered a "short trip." Some say a few weeks is OK, but I'll let those with first-hand experience and in the same situation as you, comment on this.
 
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armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,287
8,892
@armoured @yoli85

Thanks for responding, what can be considered as a short trip?

Can I go away for a month every few months?
Some say a few weeks, perhaps a month. Personally I'd guess that trips of a month are okay, and havne't seen problems occur at that point. (But very, very few datapoints)

Let's be clear: 'a month every few months' - does that mean spending half your time abroad? (See how different that sounds if stated somewhat differently?)

Likely a month is fine, or a periodic trips of a couple or three weeks.

It's up to you, and your problem if problems arise.

If your issue is wanting to spend more time with your spouse, apply for a TRV. It may get refused, but 100% of applicants who do not apply are not approved.
 
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mapple007

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2020
277
434
Hello, kind folks,

A strange thing happened with our application today:

- Our OWP was approved last Saturday, 17 September 2022. Today, our Visitor Record application that we sent prior to submitting our spousal sponsorship application was approved.

Does this Visitor Record cancel out the work permit? Shouldn't IRCC have withdrawn the application seeing that my wife's OWP has already been approved? Does IRCC deem her a visitor now or a worker? Can you even hold two status permits, a work permit and a visitor record concurrently?

If the visitor record had been issued prior to the work permit, we wouldn't be worrying about it, but in this case, because the Visitor record was approved after the work permit was approved, I couldn't find any info on whether her OWP would be considered cancelled.

Please kindly let me know if anyone has any info on this or has had similar experiences. We've been left scratching our heads! Combing through the IRPR, the IRPA, this forum, and reddit doesn't yield any info on this, unless we somehow missed it!

Background:
11 July 2022 - Visitor Record application submitted online
26 July 2022 - Spousal Inland+OWP, paper-based, delivered by courier
29 July 2022 - Application received
31 August 2022 @ 4:15 AM PST - AOR received
31 August 2022 - Medical Exam requested & completed
7 September 2022, completed 8 September 2022 - Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) received
8 September 2022 - Biometrics passed
17 September 2022 - OWP approved
21 September 2022 - Visitor Record approved

We have not yet received an update on our medical exam either, and the clinic has submitted the forms almost 2 weeks ago.

Cheers!
 

Kiikii

Hero Member
Jul 6, 2022
227
116
Hello, kind folks,

A strange thing happened with our application today:

- Our OWP was approved last Saturday, 17 September 2022. Today, our Visitor Record application that we sent prior to submitting our spousal sponsorship application was approved.

Does this Visitor Record cancel out the work permit? Shouldn't IRCC have withdrawn the application seeing that my wife's OWP has already been approved? Does IRCC deem her a visitor now or a worker? Can you even hold two status permits, a work permit and a visitor record concurrently?

If the visitor record had been issued prior to the work permit, we wouldn't be worrying about it, but in this case, because the Visitor record was approved after the work permit was approved, I couldn't find any info on whether her OWP would be considered cancelled.

Please kindly let me know if anyone has any info on this or has had similar experiences. We've been left scratching our heads! Combing through the IRPR, the IRPA, this forum, and reddit doesn't yield any info on this, unless we somehow missed it!

Background:
11 July 2022 - Visitor Record application submitted online
26 July 2022 - Spousal Inland+OWP, paper-based, delivered by courier
29 July 2022 - Application received
31 August 2022 @ 4:15 AM PST - AOR received
31 August 2022 - Medical Exam requested & completed
7 September 2022, completed 8 September 2022 - Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) received
8 September 2022 - Biometrics passed
17 September 2022 - OWP approved
21 September 2022 - Visitor Record approved

We have not yet received an update on our medical exam either, and the clinic has submitted the forms almost 2 weeks ago.

Cheers!
You still need Valid TRV or a Visa to enter exit Canada no? i am sure others have a better answer but thats what i know about students and work permit holders.
 
Last edited:

EloiseMann

Star Member
Aug 2, 2022
103
46
Category........
FAM
You still need Valid TRV or a Visa to enter exit Canada no? i am sure others have a better answer but thats what i know about students and work permit holders.
A visitor record isn't the same as a TRV. It's not a travel document, it's a document that allows you to extend your stay in Canada beyond the six months. Almost like a 'visitor permit.'
 
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Kiikii

Hero Member
Jul 6, 2022
227
116
He can pay for the OWP, that is not evidence that the OWP application was submitted.

I dont' think there is a separate portal for consultants. You could ask him/her.
Well i just requested entire set of docs submitted by my Immi consultant to IRCC for my records and there is OWP application + receipt package which was part of the submission. Thankfully i have got my PR confirmation yesterday no OWP
 
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armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,287
8,892
Well i just requested entire set of docs submitted by my Immi consultant to IRCC for my records and there is OWP application + receipt package which was part of the submission. Thankfully i have got my PR confirmation yesterday no OWP
All seems odd to me. Sure consultant submitted online? Who did you get the 'entire set of docs' from? (You can get complete set from IRCC but takes longer.)
 

yoli85

Star Member
Sep 3, 2019
119
49
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Mississauga
Hello, kind folks,

A strange thing happened with our application today:

- Our OWP was approved last Saturday, 17 September 2022. Today, our Visitor Record application that we sent prior to submitting our spousal sponsorship application was approved.

Does this Visitor Record cancel out the work permit? Shouldn't IRCC have withdrawn the application seeing that my wife's OWP has already been approved? Does IRCC deem her a visitor now or a worker? Can you even hold two status permits, a work permit and a visitor record concurrently?



Cheers!
Hmm I don't think there is a problem here. The offices that process OWP and Visitor Records are not the same and my guess is that online systems do not necessarily show all the information to immigration Officers. Since the OWP is processed on Paper and the Visitor record was an online application, I don't think both offices have client information updates instantly.

I wouldn't be concerned, but let's hear the opinions from others.
 

yoli85

Star Member
Sep 3, 2019
119
49
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Mississauga
Well i just requested entire set of docs submitted by my Immi consultant to IRCC for my records and there is OWP application + receipt package which was part of the submission. Thankfully i have got my PR confirmation yesterday no OWP
So the consultant never submitted the OWP? xD
If you never received an OWP chances are it was never submitted also.
There's no point in continuing the discussion since you already got the PR confirmation.
 
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Ponga

VIP Member
Oct 22, 2013
10,417
1,468
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hi All,

I am on PR and plan to get married later this year in my home country, I plan to fill in all the details in the online form now and will submit once I get married and get the Marriage Registration certificate.

- Can I submit the application from home country and wait outside Canada till the application processing is complete?
Sorry, but t I don't understand the question. Are you saying that you wish to sponsor your spouse after you get married? If so, since you are a PR and not a Canadian citizen, I believe that you can only sponsor if you are in Canada.
 

Kiikii

Hero Member
Jul 6, 2022
227
116
A visitor record isn't the same as a TRV. It's not a travel document, it's a document that allows you to extend your stay in Canada beyond the six months. Almost like a 'visitor permit.'
Visitor visa is a teravel document please google. I have enetered and retunred twice in Canada
All seems odd to me. Sure consultant submitted online? Who did you get the 'entire set of docs' from? (You can get complete set from IRCC but takes longer.)
Form my consultant they are registered with IRCC i got copy of everything they submitted cos i will be helping my sister apply for hers soon.