Spouse Sponsorship - China

[Fencesitter]

Hi all,

I am in the process of gathering and filling all the required documents for my wife to become a PR of Canada. We have a son who is 4 months old (he is waiting for his citizenship card). I have some questions regarding some of the immigration forms.

Do I, as a Canadian citizen, need to send the sponsorship documents to Canada BEFORE including the principal applicant documents, medical exam results, police check, and supporting documents? I read on another website that the sponsor needs to send his/her application BEFORE sending anything else. Is this correct? Or do I send everything at one time???

IMM5406 states that ALL names must be translated into Chinese, does this include my name?? I don't know how to translate my English name into Chinese! I'm not even sure there would be a translation!?

Is it necessary to have my wife's family do the medical check as well? They will not immigrate to Canada, but the "Supplement to Schedule 1 - Background / Declaration" found in the region guide states that all family members must complete this form. So I am not sure if my wife's mom, dad, and sister need to go through the medical and police checks??

We have a son together, as mentioned above, but he is a Canadian citizen. Do I, as the sponsor, need to show financial evidence? Or would that only be required if he was not a Canadian citizen?

IMM5490 states that I should prove I have provided financial assistance to my wife. Since getting pregnant, my wife has been unemployed. After the birth of our son she has remained unemployed to take care of our little bundle of joy. I don't give her money each month, as we are married and share everything. We do, however, have a joint bank account where we keep our savings, but this form confuses me because I don't have any real evidence of financial support. So basically I do not know how to prove that I am providing for my wife and son. When we go shopping (for food, clothes, etc), we use the money I earn, but we don't separate the money in terms of mine vs hers. What should I do to satisfy the CIC???

What really bothers me is the fact that I can't call the visa office in Hong Kong to ask these kinds of questions. I suppose I could contact an agency to help with all this, but I don't want to spend the extra money and I don't feel I should have to pay someone to answer some simple questions. I guess that's why I have posted here, because I am sure a lot of people have experience with these things and can provide valuable assistance.

Thank you for your time in reading this post and for any information/insight into the above questions.

FS

 

[Billman]

Hi!
I'm currently sponsoring my Chinese wife through Beijing office..
Now, we don't have a child, but many things should be similar.
One thing, we only did medical for my wife. The names only have to be written in Chinese if they are Chinese names, and only when specifically stated to be written in characters. Otherwise, write pinyin.
You need to send your sponsorship documents, her application papers and all supporting documents and receipts together as a package.
We sent ours to Mississauga.
We did her medical before sending the application so that we could attach the receipt with the application. The actual medical is sent directly to the visa office in China.
Where are you located? HK or Mainland? if mainland I think you have to apply through Beijing. Shanghai doesn't handle permanent residence applications. I think HK only does HK and maybe Macau applications, but i'm not 100% sure on that one.
We sent our application early December, 2011 it was received December 12th, (though ecas website didn't update that until January), They sent my approval for sponsorship letter Feb, 7th, 2012 (just arrived today, March 2) we are now waiting for her passport request from Beijing. Looks like that will happen within the month.
Be thorough, be complete, be honest and be hopeful. Wishing you the best of luck.
Bill

 

[canadianwoman]

Do I, as a Canadian citizen, need to send the sponsorship documents to Canada BEFORE including the principal applicant documents, medical exam results, police check, and supporting documents? I read on another website that the sponsor needs to send his/her application BEFORE sending anything else. Is this correct? Or do I send everything at one time???

You send everything at one time, to Mississauga. When people sponsor other relatives, such as parents or grandparents, not everything is sent at once, which is probably what you read.

IMM5406 states that ALL names must be translated into Chinese, does this include my name??

No, just Chinese names.

Is it necessary to have my wife's family do the medical check as well? They will not immigrate to Canada, but the "Supplement to Schedule 1 - Background / Declaration" found in the region guide states that all family members must complete this form. So I am not sure if my wife's mom, dad, and sister need to go through the medical and police checks??

They don't. 'Family' on most of the forms means just the spouse and children; on the 'additional family' form they ask for details of the applicant's parents and siblings, but they do not need to do medicals, get police checks, or send photos.

We have a son together, as mentioned above, but he is a Canadian citizen. Do I, as the sponsor, need to show financial evidence? Or would that only be required if he was not a Canadian citizen?

When sponsoring a spouse or partner, you do not need to meet any minimum income requirements. However, the forms do ask for proof of your income or job. Also send proof of any savings or investments - these are not required to sponsor, but the visa officer wants to see how you will support yourselves once you are in Canada, so a plan outlining what you will do when you get back is a good idea.

IMM5490 states that I should prove I have provided financial assistance to my wife.

A joint bank account is good evidence the relationship is genuine, as are any other joint finances, such as credit cards. So include evidence of this. It should be enough, since you live together - she has no job, you do, and the expenses are coming out of a joint account: this will be seen as evidence your lives are intertwined.

 

[Fencesitter]

Thanks for the replies.

A few other questions I have in reference to IMM5490 - Information about Marriage. My wife and I didn't have a formal ceremony nor did we have a formal wedding. The reason why is very simple - $$$. We had been planning to get married for a long time, and during this time we were saving everything in preparation for our eventual return to Canada. We did, however, have a family dinner with my wife's side of the family. When my parents came over it was after we had been married, but both families got together for meals and tourist type activities. Will this pose any kind of problem??? Will CIC respect non-traditional marriages in which the married couple chooses not to have a formal ceremony or formal reception?

Another question on IMM5490 asks if your sponsor had to travel to your country for the marriage. I was already living in China for a few years, so I am not sure what I should say. Yes, when I first came to China of course I had to travel here, but not for the marriage. Should I answer yes or no to this question?

As for some other questions on IMM5490 pertaining to living arrangements, should we include the English version of our rental contract? Both our names are in the contract, and we have ID cards for the same address (gated community). I was considering having the ID cards translated and notarized. Would that be necessary??

The financial support is something that still confuses me. Yes, we have a joint bank account, but that is solely for our monthly savings. We do not access funds from this account for daily living. The money I get paid from my job here goes into my personal account and we use that money for living. I don't actually 'pay' my wife a monthly stipend, as we simply share the money as needed. How do I satisfy CIC?? We're married, so I think this question is a bit odd and difficult to prove how I support my wife (in fact we support each other because my wife takes care of our baby while I go off to work - so that's a full-time job for her, but there is no actual 'salary' paid by me to her each month). Do you know what I mean??

I still think this whole idea of 'proving' our marriage is legitimate is an infringement on my rights as a Canadian citizen. We have a child together and our life is very much 'real'. Would CIC think we would have a child just so my wife could become a Canadian citizen?? It seems so ridiculous!

Any help with my questions above would be most appreciated!!

Cheers,
FS

 

[Fencesitter]

One other quick question:

Do I need to fill in the IMM 0008DEP form? Our son is a Canadian citizen, so my understanding is that I don't need to worry about this one. Correct?

IMM5669 - do I need to complete a copy for myself, or only one for my wife?

Thanks!
FS

 

[canadianwoman]

A few other questions I have in reference to IMM5490 - Information about Marriage. My wife and I didn't have a formal ceremony nor did we have a formal wedding. The reason why is very simple - $$$. We had been planning to get married for a long time, and during this time we were saving everything in preparation for our eventual return to Canada. We did, however, have a family dinner with my wife's side of the family. When my parents came over it was after we had been married, but both families got together for meals and tourist type activities.

All this is fine and shouldn't hurt your application. "Formal" in this question does not actually mean "big and fancy", it just means "did you have some kind of ceremony?" I'm assuming you did. So document the ceremony and wedding you did have - even if it was just a quick civil ceremony. Show photos. The family dinner with the wife's side of the family is your wedding celebration, so document this in your answer. You just have to attach an explanation of why you did not want a big ceremony/wedding, and show evidence of the ceremony/wedding/celebration you did have.
Include photos of your parents with her side of the family, to show your relationship is know to and accepted by both sides.

Another question on IMM5490 asks if your sponsor had to travel to your country for the marriage. I was already living in China for a few years, so I am not sure what I should say. Yes, when I first came to China of course I had to travel here, but not for the marriage. Should I answer yes or no to this question?

I would say no, and then attach the explanation that you were already living in China. Whenever the yes or no answers do not quite convey your situation, you can attach a note explaining the details.

As for some other questions on IMM5490 pertaining to living arrangements, should we include the English version of our rental contract? Both our names are in the contract, and we have ID cards for the same address (gated community). I was considering having the ID cards translated and notarized. Would that be necessary??

Any proof you live together is good, so I would include the English version of the contract and the translated ID cards. The ID cards can be included with the other things you'll need translated - that is, they may not need to be notarized separately.

The financial support is something that still confuses me.

Just attach an explanation of your finances - like you wrote here. If you have any receipts for major home purchases, you can include copies of them. When CIC asks for proof of support, they are mostly thinking of the situation where the Canadian spouse is in Canada and the applicant is abroad. So then if the Canadian provides support, it can be easily shown by Western Union receipts or copies of bank transfers. You don't have this, but your situation is different so they won't expect it. The fact that you support your wife should be obvious from your living situation - so just prove your living situation. You live together with your child, your wife stays home to take care of him, you work, you pay for the household expenses with your salary. Just write an explanation of all this, with any proof (such as proof of the joint account) that you have.

I still think this whole idea of 'proving' our marriage is legitimate is an infringement on my rights as a Canadian citizen. We have a child together and our life is very much 'real'. Would CIC think we would have a child just so my wife could become a Canadian citizen?? It seems so ridiculous!

No arguments here. It is ridiculous. But from the sounds of it you have a lot of evidence your relationship is genuine, so you should have no problem getting approved.

 

[Fencesitter]

I've been a non-resident of Canada for tax purposes and therefore haven't filed Canadian income tax returns for about 8 years. Do I need to provide an "Option C Printout"? I have all my pay stubs and tax records showing I have paid income tax in China. Will this be a problem?

 

[canadianwoman]

No. Just write an explanation of your situation, and include copies of your pay stubs for the last year and a copy of your income tax records from China.

 

[Fencesitter]

Thanks a lot, CW.

One other thing, and I'm sure I'll have a few more questions as I complete the application package...is it okay to staple documents or should I use a paper clip?

What about these questions:

Do I need to fill in the IMM 0008DEP form? Our son is a Canadian citizen, so my understanding is that I don't need to worry about this one. Correct?

IMM5669 - do I need to complete a copy for myself, or only one for my wife?

Thanks so much!

FS

 

[Fencesitter]

I keep second guessing myself! Do I need to fill out the IMM5604 form for my son? He is a Canadian citizen and the only person I am sponsoring is my wife. Thanks!

FS

 

[Fencesitter]

IMM5481: Will CIC contact my current employer? I don't want them to because I do not want to let my employer know that I will be leaving China until I know for sure if the PR visa has been granted. If for some reason my wife was refused the PR, I would need to continue working for this employer. So what should I do??

 

[cantor2537]

I believe u need to provide a letter from your employer stating how much u make, that you have a job, etc.

I am self employed as a doctor but also work for the government, so I had to ask my supervisor to write a letter stating how much I made, how long I've been employed, etc. I also included an option C printout and a tax return from my corporation, seems kind of silly but I just had to follow the rules.

As for the proof of relationship part, unfortunately we all have to go through it, even though my wife is American and would have absolutely no gain by having a fake marriage with a Canadian. Be prepared for an interview though. I heard from an immigration consultant that they interview a lot of Chinese applicants, and about 50% get rejected initially, but ultimately 90% are successful on appeal. My wife has a friend whose husband got rejected three times (for the US). She had to go back to China to have a real wedding with a huge banquet, etc. Now, it's always been harder to immigrate to the US but with the current government, things are becoming a lot stricter for all of us, especially those not from a western nation.

 

[Fencesitter]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't think my wife will have to be interviewed because we have a son who is a Canadian citizen and I have a great job offer back in Canada. Still, like you said, we'll be prepared for anything. We're not concerned if my wife does need an interview, as everything is legitimate, so the chances of being rejected are very rare.

Any info on my specific questions in reference to the various IMM forms would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
FS

 

[steaky]

Don't staple the forms. I used plastic folders to organize each form and their attachment.