Spousal sponsorship

[iamlost]

On the app,ication form where it says years of study do we put in years from grade one ? or just the high school years ?

 

[computergeek]

1. I have read that some people are having difficulty with the London Visa Office in terms of having their applications processed -- is this still true? What is the current expected time for an application through the LVO? I read somewhere that it is about 10 months (but was told by the Immigration Officer in Canada it's anywhere from 10-16 months) ... Does anyone have any knowledge how long I should expect to wait?

The latest CIC data set says that 20% of applications are completed in 6 months, 30% in 7 months, 50% in 8 months, 70% in 9 months, and 80% in 10 months.

2. I am planning on filing an outland application even though my wife is currently in Canada with me -- I spoke with various immigration officers and a friend that works in Immigration and he said this would not be an issue -- will it be?

No. She is allowed to be anywhere in the world for Outland processing.

3. I currently live in Alberta (Calgary) and just filled out a document in order to have my wife added to my Alberta Health Care as I have already added her to my benefits at work ... will there be an issue for her to be approved for this even though she is not currently a permanent resident?

AB law says that she is your dependent living with you legally in Canada that makes her eligible. But health care rules vary by province. Still, my observation is that AB is the most generous in this regard.

4. If I am unable to add her to my Alberta Health Care, does anyone know how much the Medical Exam costs? I know there are specific doctors that you must see and was wondering if anyone had an idea what the total cost was for the entire Medical Exam?

This is a non-sequitur. Her provincial health care status has little or no bearing on the medical examination as it is not generally covered by provincial health (I did find that BC covered the blood tests). CIC does not establish pricing so you should call potential panel physicians to determine the costs. The lowest I've heard of is $190 and the highest is $700, so there's a pretty broad range.

5. Is it a problem if my wife travels back and forth between another country while the application is being processed?

Only if she commits criminal acts that might bar her from being admitted to Canada.

6. My wife has a British passport that is nearly 10 years old -- she has been to many different countries since she was 18 and cannot remember the exact dates and cities she visited -- I called Immigration and they informed me to look at the stamps on her passport to determine where she had been ... the issue is that European countries did not stamp her passport (for obvious reasons) and she cannot remember some of the cities/countries she visited (primarily for work/vacation) ... what can I do? Is there anyone I can contact regarding that? I know you need to be very specific and I don't want to have my application denied or delayed because she can't remember the various cities she visited for the last 9 years of her life.

Do the best that she can. Include a letter explaining that Schengen zone countries do not have border controls and thus did not stamp her passport so that it is possible she may have missed some (the goal here is to avoid misrepresentation). It shouldn't be an issue.

7. In regards to getting documents translated/notarized/legalized, etc. does anyone have any advice as to where I can get certain things done for a good price? I had to get a few documents translated, notarized, legalized, etc. for myself and it cost me around $450 in total after going through an agency in Ottawa -- does anyone know of anything better?

I normally look to the internet for such things, but $30-50 per page seems fairly common.

Good luck!

 

[KarlR]

If you have a visa-exempt passport, London will not ask for the original at any time, unless they suspect document fraud. Otherwise they will need it to apply the single use entry visa. They would request it when they need it, but not up front. For now, send copies.

Ah ok that's great news!!thank you very much for your info!

 

[Well Wisher]

Hello Everyone,

I am in Canada and became Canadian PR couple of months ago, recently got married back home, and my spouse is also in Canada on post graduation work permit. I will be intiating sponsorship application for her soon but right now do I have to get my marital status changed/updated with CIC and how should I do that.? Hope some one from the forum will reply to this soon. Thanks in advance.

WellWisher

 

[scylla]

Hello Everyone,

I am in Canada and became Canadian PR couple of months ago, recently got married back home, and my spouse is also in Canada on post graduation work permit. I will be intiating sponsorship application for her soon but right now do I have to get my marital status changed/updated with CIC and how should I do that.? Hope some one from the forum will reply to this soon. Thanks in advance.

WellWisher

You don't have to notify CIC. Just submit the spousal sponsorship application.

I assume you got married after you landed in Canada and became a PR rather than before.

 

[Well Wisher]

You don't have to notify CIC. Just submit the spousal sponsorship application.

I assume you got married after you landed in Canada and became a PR rather than before.

Thanks for your reply scylla.

Yes I landed in July 2013, got my PR card late Sept, got married in Oct. so I assume I dont have to notify cic only have to submit the spousal application which I will be doing very soon.

thanks again.

 

[leor05]

Hi,

I am currently a PR in Canada and I am planning to sponsor my wife who is an American citizen, our situation is we want to live in Canada but at the same time she will remain working in the U.S. We are currently living in two different countries US-Canada we were dating for 4 years (long distance relationship) Ohio <--> Windsor and recently got married last July. We want to live together here in Canada but do not know (confused) on the steps to take in order for her to be able to stay live here in Canada but work in the US. My questions are as follows.

*Can I sponsor her as an outland application?
*Will it affect her traveling back and forth to US?
*How fast will she be able to live here in Canada? (she will start her new job on Dec 16)

your reply is much appreciated.
Thanks

 

[zardoz]

Is she intending to do a daily commute across the border? If not, how many days per year is she expecting to not set foot in Canada? You need to be very careful about the residency obligation requirements.

 

[leor05]

Is she intending to do a daily commute across the border? If not, how many days per year is she expecting to not set foot in Canada? You need to be very careful about the residency obligation requirements.

Yes she is intending to do a daily commute. Basically we just want to live together in windsor Canda and she just goes to work to michigan.

 

[zardoz]

Yes she is intending to do a daily commute. Basically we just want to live together in windsor Canda and she just goes to work to michigan.

That's going to be a rough commute but it can be done. I strongly suggest that she applies for a NEXUS card. Scylla is something of an expert on those I seem to remember. My wife commuted from Toronto to Buffalo every day while she was a student.

 

[bg]

a few quick clarity questions. I apologize. if you have answered these elsewhere

I am a Canadian citizen, living and working in the US on a work visa for the past 7 years. I met my fiance here and we have been dating for 2 years, and just got engaged. We are thinking of moving back to Canada with a transfer with my company.

Is the fact that i have not resided in Canada for 7 years any issue? does it change the process?

If i get transferred back tp Canada with my company, it usually happens really quickly. Will she be able to come with me? maybe as a visitor at first? or will she need to stay behind until i get her a visa? How long will that take with my situation?

If she does come up there somehow while we wait for a visa, is she restricted from traveling back to the US? if so for how long?

appreciate any insight.

thanks

 

[computergeek]

That's going to be a rough commute but it can be done. I strongly suggest that she applies for a NEXUS card. Scylla is something of an expert on those I seem to remember. My wife commuted from Toronto to Buffalo every day while she was a student.

http://getnexus.com/

Nexus is awesome - I just renewed my membership and consider it the best $50 I've ever spent of the company's money.

Plus, when you have permanent status on both sides of the US/Canadian border the renewal is painless - they "approved" my card rather than "conditionally approving" it (someone else I know on a work permit received a conditional approval letter), presumably because I have PR in Canada and am a US citizen.

 

[leor05]

That's going to be a rough commute but it can be done. I strongly suggest that she applies for a NEXUS card. Scylla is something of an expert on those I seem to remember. My wife commuted from Toronto to Buffalo every day while she was a student.

She already did apply for a Nexus card in fact she will have her interview in a few days from now. Our big question is will she be able to live with me here in Canada while she work in the US? might be temporarily ? if so how quick?

Our main goal is we can live together in Canada while she still works in the US (what is the fastest route to go living legally in Canada)
Who is Scylla?

 

[computergeek]

*Can I sponsor her as an outland application?

There are no geographical restrictions for sponsoring someone via an Outland office (which means they can live in Canada).

*Will it affect her traveling back and forth to US?

Legally she is a foreign national and thus subject to inspection and review each time she enters Canada. But that has nothing to do with PR. What I would suggest is that she carry a copy of the sponsor approval letter with her. I'd also advise keeping visitor records (even though they technically expire each time she leaves Canada).

*How fast will she be able to live here in Canada? (she will start her new job on Dec 16)

That's the question everyone asks. It will be somewhere between a month and a couple years depending on a broad range of factors. CPP-O (Ottawa being the office outside Canada that will handle her application) can take up to 14 months but often completes straight-forward files in 8 months. If there are issues (like an interview, criminality, or other complicating factors) then they will send the file to NYC or LA and it will take closer to 1.5 years probably.

 

[zardoz]

She already did apply for a Nexus card in fact she will have her interview in a few days from now. Our big question is will she be able to live with me here in Canada while she work in the US? might be temporarily ? if so how quick?

Who is Scylla?

Scylla is one of the long term, highly respected members of the forum, who has personal experience on cross border travel.