Spouse Sponsorship Questions

[skstrials]

Hi, I am originally from Korea, but my girl friend and I are thinking about getting married, and having her sponsoring me in the process.

1. Is a marriage ceremony absolutely needed?
= We are both busy with our schools and work at the moment. We were thinking we would get married to get started with the immigration process, but do the ceremony a bit later when both of us get some free time in our schedule. Is a ceremony absolutely needed, more importantly, the "marriage photos"?

2. Is it possible to get married on Canadian soil, but apply from a foreign country to shorten the process time? For example, is it possible to get married in Vancouver, then drive down to Seattle to apply for the immigration there, and shave off some time in the processing?

Thanks!

 

[ImABule]

Hi, I am originally from Korea, but my girl friend and I are thinking about getting married, and having her sponsoring me in the process.

1. Is a marriage ceremony absolutely needed?
= We are both busy with our schools and work at the moment. We were thinking we would get married to get started with the immigration process, but do the ceremony a bit later when both of us get some free time in our schedule. Is a ceremony absolutely needed, more importantly, the "marriage photos"?

2. Is it possible to get married on Canadian soil, but apply from a foreign country to shorten the process time? For example, is it possible to get married in Vancouver, then drive down to Seattle to apply for the immigration there, and shave off some time in the processing?

Thanks!

Hi

You do not need an elaborate ceremony, but the marriage must be legal in the country it takes place in and by Canadian law. However, CIC will expect your wedding to conform to the social and cultural norm of the country of the person applying for PR. Therefore, if it is socially and culturally acceptable to have a small civil ceremony in Korea this shouldn't present an issue if you were to marry there. If an elaborate ceremony is expected, for example an Indian wedding, a small civil ceremony becomes a huge red flag. You will have to properly address your reasoning for the small ceremony and the absence of any family members. Since you plan on getting married in Vancouver, it should be totally fine to just have the courthouse wedding as long as it doesn't sharply conflict with your own cultural norms. You will still need sufficient photos and still need it to appear like your "special day" regardless of how you choose to marry.

If you apply outland, CIC will send your application to be processed at the VO of either your residence or your citizenship, with citizenship being the case the vast majority of the time. It will not matter if you file it from Van City or Seattle, it will end up in Manila.