I really need some help here guys. I feel as though I am chasing my tail.
My husband is Canadian by birth. I am US citizen by birth. We were married on Oct 4, 2012; however, we have known one another since April of 2006. We had a friendship, and after his previous wife (of 42 years) passed away in January, we became romantically involved in May and married in Oct. These are my problems.
How do we document this as being an ongoing relationship since our friendship has been such a long one and it 'appears' as though our courtship to wedding was lightning speed? I have been taking notes here and there to compose a timeline of everything since we initially met.
My children are grown. My eldest daughter is 24 years old, married with 2 kids and a 3rd on the way. My son is 22 and doing his own thing. My youngest daughter is 20, engaged and living with her fiancé. She has only been living with him for 5 months.
Ok, so a little background data:
I reside in Michigan.
I am going to go to Canada to essentially 'live' with hubby in the next few weeks.
I was previously married (2 xs). I have both divorce records and such.
I will be crossing the border probably 5 days a week so I can continue to work in the US as CBSA has stated they might or might not issue me an OWP, really based on how they feel at the moment in time I guess.
I have a current visitor record in my passport.
They 'flagged' me one week before our wedding and turned me back to the US, denying me entry until I had 'proven' that I was actually residing in the US and not 'hiding' in Canada. It was one of those voluntary withdrawal types of things so the lady told me that it wouldn't affect my chances of immigration/sponsorship after the wedding.
I think that is about all the background I need to let you know about right now, because it is pertinent to my questions.
Gosh, I really hope that someone has read this post this far!! ;D
Ok, so question time:
1. Does my 20 year old daughter HAVE to go onto the application as a dependent? If so, what paperwork MUST she fill out? She does not plan on coming to Canada with me. If she MUST go on as a dependent would I actually NEED custody papers for her? She is 20 years old and custody of her was NEVER issued, it was just a ‘given’ that she lived with me and not with her dad, he never had an issue with it.
2. Which names do I put in my 0008? Do I use ALL of my previous married names as well as my maiden, or just my last married name? EX: I was born York, then married Archie, then Crawford, and now Legary. So would I put them ALL on there?
3. Should I complete a medical exam and turn it in with my initial application, or should I wait? I have already requested the fingerprint information from the FBI.
4. On the background declaration, do I actually need to list all my addresses since I was 18 years old or only my addresses for the past 10 years? The form actually says since 18, and the instruction manual says 18 or last 10 years, whichever is most recent.
5. What do I list as my current status in Canada if I am only on a visitor record?
6. Which office do I choose for my interview if necessary? I looked at all the codes and such. I think the table is telling me that it is CPP-O. Is that correct??
7. Should I file for a work permit at the same time as I file my application? I have read that an open work permit can be obtained at same time as AIP, but you get an OWP when you obtain PR status anyhow with no extra fee involved, from what I understand. I guess I am unclear of the purpose of this.
8. If I am going to be essentially staying with my husband in Canada but travelling for work into the US is it ok for us to file “within Canada”? I understand that outside of Canada is faster, but the paperwork seems much more daunting to file from outside.
9. On the 0008 it asks you to enter the last date you entered Canada. I am a little confused on this part, because if I am going between the US and Canada for work 5 days a week, do I use the date I actually set up ‘house’ with husband, or the actual last date that I came into Canada from a day’s work?
10. We were told by the US and Canada border guards that changing my passport to reflect my new married name was not an issue as I still have 6 years left on my passport before renewal. We decided that in the interest of saving time/money that we would not have my passport changed until I must renew it. Is this wise?
11. On form 5285, there is a question about length of cohabitation. Do I input the date that I actually began living with husband and then the date we are signing the application in the from to portion of that question?
12. The same form asks about friends/family and when met and such. What if my eldest children have never physically met my husband because they live so far away from me? He has only met my youngest and my roommates and some of my co-workers. I am a little concerned they will find that odd that my eldest haven’t met him yet.
13. My youngest daughters’ father and I were never married, not in a common law relationship. Do I list him in the previous marriages/common law section of form 5285 or no? I don’t think so, but want a sure answer.
If you have made it all the way, I want to thank you up front for your reading dedication. I know this is a lot of information to process and answer, but I truly appreciate any and all assistance here. I would like to send in my application as totally complete as possible to avoid delays or rejections or any of that other not so fun stuff.
I humbly await any responses.
