US outland applicants' thread :)

[Mariac819]

Hello everyone! I just moved to Erie, PA from Nebraska to be a little closer to my Canadian fiance. We plan to get married in Ontario, Canada in two weeks. After we are married, where do we send the spousal sponsorship off to? How long does it normally take?

Here is the link to get started.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse.asp

Processing times will vary. Check out the Ottawa Spreadsheet in my signature for an idea of times for the Ottawa VO (Where USA Apps go).

 

[oconnoec]

Hello everyone! I just moved to Erie, PA from Nebraska to be a little closer to my Canadian fiance. We plan to get married in Ontario, Canada in two weeks. After we are married, where do we send the spousal sponsorship off to? How long does it normally take?

If you are an American, the fastest processing time right now is to apply via Spousal sponsorship and apply as Outland instead of Inland, which is much faster. The instructions for each part - first part being your sponsor(spouse)'s information such as income and canadian citizen or permanent resident status, second part being the immigrant's information (you!)-- are very detail oriented and go through each step of each form you'll have to fill out. Don't leave any boxes blank or forms unsigned and just follow the instructions on where to mail your entire application.

Part of the list of documents you'll need to obtain includes an FBI clearance letter from the government, which is now taking around 12 WEEKS to get! So, I would get your fingerprints in and get that part submitted ASAP while you get the rest of your documents together and application forms filled out and ready to go.

Once your sponsor is approved (taking around 41 days for the case processing center in Mississauga to process it), then your application will most likely go to Ottawa visa office for your part. The average processing time for the whole thing once you have submitted your app is around 100-110 days right now, according to other people's experiences on this site.

Good luck!

 

[VAtoBC]

Our package is all ready to submit, except for my spouse's FBI criminal record check results, which will show no criminal record of any kind. Funds were withdrawn from her bank account almost six weeks ago. Any hope that it's in process, and not delayed another six weeks due to installation of new computer system at the processing facility in West Virginia? Any point in submitting our package WITHOUT the FBI document, eg. with copy of her application and copy of bank statement? We paid our processing fees online to CIC before Sept.30. Will they be suspicious of the delay between payment and sending the package? I'm leaving to join her in VA on Nov. 3 and would prefer to send the package from Canada before I go.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Our package is all ready to submit, except for my spouse's FBI criminal record check results, which will show no criminal record of any kind. Funds were withdrawn from her bank account almost six weeks ago. Any hope that it's in process, and not delayed another six weeks due to installation of new computer system at the processing facility in West Virginia? Any point in submitting our package WITHOUT the FBI document, eg. with copy of her application and copy of bank statement? We paid our processing fees online to CIC before Sept.30. Will they be suspicious of the delay between payment and sending the package? I'm leaving to join her in VA on Nov. 3 and would prefer to send the package from Canada before I go.

yes, since FBI checks are now taking 12 weeks to process, it's probably a good idea to send in the application without it, with proof of the request and payment. This will at least get the sponsor's application submitted and started processing. FBI checks are not needed for the first stage of sponsor approval, so CIC tends to look the other way when it's not in the package, and will request it upon sponsor approval. The only risk is that not having it submitted when the applicant's application is opened at the visa office can cause a delay in processing until it's submitted. It's possible it could arrive and be submitted before that happens or it's possible it won't.

 

[VAtoBC]

yes, since FBI checks are now taking 12 weeks to process, it's probably a good idea to send in the application without it, with proof of the request and payment. This will at least get the sponsor's application submitted and started processing. FBI checks are not needed for the first stage of sponsor approval, so CIC tends to look the other way when it's not in the package, and will request it upon sponsor approval. The only risk is that not having it submitted when the applicant's application is opened at the visa office can cause a delay in processing until it's submitted. It's possible it could arrive and be submitted before that happens or it's possible it won't.

Thanks for this, rhcohen2014. If documents not received by the end of this month, my spouse may phone them, then we'll submit with proof we've applied.

 

[dbentley1313]

I have been reading this thread for the past year or so and now it's my turn to jump into the ring. It's really great that so many people are on here helping one another with this tedious process! I find it very overwhelming, yet comforting to know that my hand will be "vitually held" through all of this by all of you nice people!!!!

Here's my situation: I am a US citizen who just got married to a Canadian citizen. We live in Toronto and I am getting my application together for him to sponsor me as his spouse. We definitely want to go the "outland" route as we know this process takes less time, however, as I'm going through the website and bookmarking documents I have come across 2 different "guides" if you will. One is 3900 and one is 3999. They both are for spousal sponsorship for someone outside of Canada. Which should I follow and use? Perhaps this is a strange or silly question, it's just that I've got them both bookmarked and want to be CERTAIN that I will be following and filling out the EXACT documents for this process.

Thank you to anyone who can help...I'm putting out good vibes for everyone all the time when I see they are doing this too!!!

cheers!

 

[rhcohen2014]

I have been reading this thread for the past year or so and now it's my turn to jump into the ring. It's really great that so many people are on here helping one another with this tedious process! I find it very overwhelming, yet comforting to know that my hand will be "vitually held" through all of this by all of you nice people!!!!

Here's my situation: I am a US citizen who just got married to a Canadian citizen. We live in Toronto and I am getting my application together for him to sponsor me as his spouse. We definitely want to go the "outland" route as we know this process takes less time, however, as I'm going through the website and bookmarking documents I have come across 2 different "guides" if you will. One is 3900 and one is 3999. They both are for spousal sponsorship for someone outside of Canada. Which should I follow and use? Perhaps this is a strange or silly question, it's just that I've got them both bookmarked and want to be CERTAIN that I will be following and filling out the EXACT documents for this process.

Thank you to anyone who can help...I'm putting out good vibes for everyone all the time when I see they are doing this too!!!

cheers!

i can't tell you based on the document numbers. what i can tell you is that there are "country specific" instructions, so double check the titles of the documents to see if they specify a country or region. 1 may be a general guide, and one may be country specific. Also double check who the guide is for. I really can't remember if there were separate guides for the sponsor and applicant.

 

[keesio]

IMM3900 is the instructions on how to fill out the forms for the sponsor
IMM3999 is the instructions on how to fill out the forms for the applicant (the one who is being sponsored)

 

[Mariac819]

I have been reading this thread for the past year or so and now it's my turn to jump into the ring. It's really great that so many people are on here helping one another with this tedious process! I find it very overwhelming, yet comforting to know that my hand will be "vitually held" through all of this by all of you nice people!!!!

Here's my situation: I am a US citizen who just got married to a Canadian citizen. We live in Toronto and I am getting my application together for him to sponsor me as his spouse. We definitely want to go the "outland" route as we know this process takes less time, however, as I'm going through the website and bookmarking documents I have come across 2 different "guides" if you will. One is 3900 and one is 3999. They both are for spousal sponsorship for someone outside of Canada. Which should I follow and use? Perhaps this is a strange or silly question, it's just that I've got them both bookmarked and want to be CERTAIN that I will be following and filling out the EXACT documents for this process.

Thank you to anyone who can help...I'm putting out good vibes for everyone all the time when I see they are doing this too!!!

cheers!

If you look through the guides they have different forms outlined.

SPONSOR - Guide 3900 - Sponsorship of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child living outside Canada

APPLICANT - Guide 3999 - Sponsorship of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child living outside Canada

 

[Amalthea]

Added myself to the spreadsheet App received 09/22/14 but haven't recieved AOR yet

 

[dbentley1313]

Thank you all for clarifying! I knew I had them saved for a reason.

cheers!

 

[lokyy]

- Next steps are her background checks and FBI clearance checks, which they will do internally without contacting you.
- Ottawa does not send an AOR, but if they want any additional documents or you haven't paid your RPRF (right of Permanent Residency fee), your wife will get an email requesting that (if you put an email in your application), she also may get a Passport Request, which is simply scanning the bio page and faxing/emailing it in
- COPR comes through regular standard mail.
- She does not have to leave Canada, but you might want to update her address to your Canadian address (done by emailing Ottawa requesting address update with your and her UCI, file number, etc), so the COPR will get sent here. She then just has to drive to the border and 'flagpole' to land as a PR.

hi,so,Ill be applying for outland sponsorship from US..my wife is a canadian citizen...I was about the post this question and I just saw your reply and Id like to ask you or anyone that can reply...Since I stay more her ein Canada that in the US while the application is in process..should I write in the forms MY address in the US or my wifes address in Canada so the COPR gets sent to her house(which is where Im staying)? or should I write in the forms my address in the US and later on (when?) update MY address to Her address here in Canada so the COPR gets sent to her and we can Flagpole?

 

[Mariac819]

Added myself to the spreadsheet App received 09/22/14 but haven't recieved AOR yet

They rarely send AORs now

 

[dbentley1313]

This might be a strange question... Do most people fill out all the documents then print them and manually send them in all as ONE packet? (including photos, supporting docs etc.)

OR

Do you fill out the documents, file them ONLINE then follow up by sending supporting docs via snail mail?

It seems like most do the first, but I wasn't sure if it made the process go faster to upload docs online? Thanks for any insight. I'm going to pick up ink cartridges for my printer & more paper today!! Ha Ha!!

cheers!

 

[keesio]

Do you fill out the documents, file them ONLINE then follow up by sending supporting docs via snail mail?

Unless this is something new, there is no way to submit the forms electronically online.