Hi,
I would like to sponsor my common law partner to come to Canada with me. I am a bit confused with many questions. On the fence about inland vs. outland sponsorship and wondering if anyone can shed some light on this for me.
In general, I understand that it takes about 2 years living in Canada once the PR card is obtained to qualify to apply for citizenship, is that correct?
Before I get into outland vs inland, I have a few concerns regarding my ability to sponsor.
1: I have lived in Thailand for two years but think i am still registered as a resident in Canada. Will they just consider me a traveller?
2: I was married before but never had the marriage registered with the Canadian embassy. We divorced and I have the papers to prove it. Will that cause problems? Do I have to register the marriage and divorce before I apply? Would my ex be notified in any way of my intentions to sponsor?
3: I am also wondering if it will matter if I am in default with my OSAP student loans…
I am not bankrupt.
For inland sponsorship:
I am wondering if my partner can enter on a tourist visa before we apply for sponsorship. I am also wondering if she can apply for a standard work permit while waiting for the first stage of the application to go through, before is able to get an open work permit. I also understand that it's recommended to stay in the country during the application process but she may leave once she obtains her PR card, is that right? I read somewhere that she must live in Canada 2 out of every 5 years to maintain PR status.
Outland:
For Thailand, I hear it will take 41 days for the 1st stage of the application to go through, but 31 months for the second stage. I understand that it can be better to apply outland because my partner will be able to travel while processing, but she may be called back to Thailand, or Singapore (!?) for an interview and is basically grounded while they hold on to her passport for a while. Not sure about the details on that.
My big question about outland sponsorship is if she wanted to enter Canada with me after the 1st stage of the application would she need to make a separate visa/work permit application, and go through that separate process? Or, would she somehow have clearance at that point to enter Canada?
Any help would surely be appreciated!
Thanks,
Pat