waiting for approval

[peggyfran]

We finally got all the necessary paperwork and I filed to sponsor my husband and two children. We are currently living in the United States and have purchased property in Prince Edward Island. The application will probably not be approved before our move date of July 31st. What is the best way to proceed? Should my husband wait here with friends until approval or can we all move up anyway while waiting?
Thanks for all the help this forum has provided me.

 

[OhCanadiana]

We finally got all the necessary paperwork and I filed to sponsor my husband and two children. We are currently living in the United States and have purchased property in Prince Edward Island. The application will probably not be approved before our move date of July 31st. What is the best way to proceed? Should my husband wait here with friends until approval or can we all move up anyway while waiting?
Thanks for all the help this forum has provided me.

Hello! Your husband could visit you - on a tourist visa - while you wait out the application process to be completed. He would need to be a tourist ... in other words, he wouldn't be able to work, would need to have the intention of exiting Canada if his approved stay runs out before he can become a PR, has to limit the belongings he takes in to Canada to be consistent with being a tourist, etc. Making this happen if he is an American citizen or from a visa-exempt country is much easier than if he needs a visa to enter Canada so additional details would be helpful to help you out here.

Regarding your children - are you sponsoring them also or are you in the process of applying for citizenship certificate (if you are a Canadian citizen, they may already be Canadians)? If you are sponsoring them, they'd also need to visit and you may run in to issues registering them for school (not sure what the rules are in PEI) since they would be visitors.

 

[peggyfran]

Thanks for the help, I didn't even think about school My husband is an American citizen, my children were born in the US, I am guessing they cannot be dual citizens without applying for this?
My husband (and our two children) could stay in the USwith friends while we wait for approval, but that would obviously be our last resort.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, this is such a stressful time for all of us.

 

[OhCanadiana]

Thanks for the help, I didn't even think about school My husband is an American citizen, my children were born in the US, I am guessing they cannot be dual citizens without applying for this?
My husband (and our two children) could stay in the USwith friends while we wait for approval, but that would obviously be our last resort.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, this is such a stressful time for all of us.

My pleasure

Are you a Canadian citizen by birth or naturalization? If so, your children are Canadian citizens by birth (so, yes, they are dual citizens) - you shouldn't sponsor them. Instead, apply for a citizenship certificate for them - see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules/index.asp for eligibility and instructions for your specific situation.

 

[peggyfran]

Oh, I am a citizen by birth. I filed my forms to sponsor, hopefully this won't be an issue?

 

[OhCanadiana]

Oh, I am a citizen by birth. I filed my forms to sponsor, hopefully this won't be an issue?

It shouldn't be - just let CPC-M know you want to withdraw the sponsorship for your children since you just learned they are citizens by birth (and if they don't confirm back receipt, let the visa office know once your case is transferred to them).

I would encourage you to apply for the certificate of citizenship asap and include proof of your travels to Canada since it can be a lengthy process.