Road To Canada Forums

Hi all at RoadtoCanada --

First post here, we're hoping someone can help us w/ some immig. info - I've looked through the forum posts, but our situation is slightly diff. than I've seen. My wife (U.K. passpt) and I (U.K. born/passpt w/ Cdn citz card) are heading back to Canada to live - I am returning after 23 years - we currrently live in France.

Reba @ CanucksAbroad was helpful with this info;

"...She can likely enter Canada as a visitor, and you could start the process after you get there. But don't file an "in-land" application, they take about 18 months to 24 months! File "out-land", they're usually done in 6 months..."

...but now we've more questions! We're now wondering whether;

- to apply for a visitors visa from France
- to start a temporary resident visa from France
- to start a permanent resident visa from France
- it is possible to start and out-land app. after we have arrived in Canada.
- or land w/ U.K. passports (six-month allowance) + marriage cert. and apply for everything once arrived?

We're hoping to avoid problems @ port of entry.

We've tried contacting/phoning Cdn. Immig. w/o any luck - any info would be greatly received!

Many thnx --

John.

If your not moving back right away and can meet the requirements CIC has for applying while both of your are outside the country, I'd just apply now and have it done and over before you get here.

Canadian citizens not residing in Canada may sponsor their spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner and/or dependent children who have no dependent children of their own. Canadians travelling abroad as tourists are not considered to be residing outside Canada.

Sponsors not residing in Canada must provide evidence that they reside exclusively outside Canada on the date of giving the undertaking and will reside in Canada at the time their sponsored spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner and/or children become permanent residents of Canada. Evidence that they will reside in Canada may include one or more of the following:

• letter from an employer;
• letter of acceptance to a Canadian educational institution;
• proof of having rented/bought a dwelling in Canada;
• reasonable plans for re-establishing in Canada or severing ties to the other country.
• http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information...3900E2.asp

The above are the requirements if the sponsor is a Canadian Citizen living overseas if they want to sponsor someone.

She can probably in theory enter as a visitor and you could apply for PR once here, but there is never a guarantee a non-citizen will be admitted nor is there any guarantee she would be allowed the full 6 months, but if she does get in, you can always extend her stay if needed, but never a guarantee one will be admitted.

Hi AWA1979 >

Many thanks for the quick reply -- we attempted to start the PR process from here, but having read your info and others are considering the outland option once we've arrived w/ my proof of income, intention to stay, CDN address, family ties, etc... A return ticket maybe a good idea too - just to be covered.

thnx again

John.

Definitely file outland - the question is just whether or not to do that once you get to Canada, or before you come. Since she is from a visa-exempt country, you can't apply for a temporary visitor visa before traveling to Canada - she will have to just come to a Canadian port of entry and hope to be admitted. Chances are that, traveling with you, she would be admitted - but once she's here, she is not eligible to work or have healthcare, etc., until she has her permanent status. So the sooner you get an outland application in process, the sooner she can be established in Canada. If you're not coming to Canada for a bit yet, I'd strongly suggest that you go ahead and get the outland application in process. Unless someone has to wait because they're not eligible to sponsor from abroad (no citizenship), it's always better to get the thing in process ASAP. That way, if an interview is required, you'd likely still be near the overseas embassy that will be processing the application and won't have to travel from Canada to attend the interview.

You don't need proof of income for a spousal sponsorship. You don't have to have a Canadian address, and if you're going to have family ties when you get to Canada, you presumably already have family in Canada (which is not, btw, a prerequisite for sponsoring a spouse but family can write letters declaring their intention to provide support and housing until you get established to help meet the requirement of proving intent to re-settle).

It will be a whole lot easier to come back to Canada when she's already got permanent status awarded than to deal with the uncertainties of trying to get her into the country as a visitor.

One other mention: you are currently living in France, which means her application would be processed through Paris. They're finalizing applications in 6-10 months right now - but, being a UK citizen, she also has the option of having her application processed through London. They're processing in 2-8 months . . . so, if travel to London for a possible interview is not a huge issue, I'd suggest choosing London as opposed to Paris. Also, once the application is in process, and you get past the point of a possible interview, it's fine to come ahead to Canada to wait out finalization. (There's information on this page of the US2Canada site that gives you specifics about how to manage this entry.) She will have to post her passport back to the overseas embassy, but that doesn't seem to be an issue between the UK and Canada (don't know about France to Canada - some countries don't allow it), but once she has her Confirmation of Permanent Residence and her passport back from the embassy, she can travel across the border into the US, and then right back again to Canada to "land".

Hi Robs - many thanks for the detailed info.

think we're going to take the advice frm you and awa1979 and get onto it via the U.K., but with French guarantors/medical/police clearance - it gets confusing around that area. i.e. we live here, apply to U.K. to go to Canada...

we've been re-reading both yr posts to get it in our heads, it'll be best that we've got something on the go - giving my families addr. as a secondary CDN contact, should the process still be ongoing (likely) after we've moved.
I'm updating my CDN passpt also - a nice pile of app forms here!

thanks again to you both for the info -

cheers,

John

Hi again --

day one left us w/ a few questions (surprise,surprise) - many thanks for the prev. help - its amazing we cant call a CND govt helpline for info...

just to confirm, as we are filling out the 'Outside of Canada' paperwork, are these considered 'Outland' - or are they 'Outland' by nature of being sent to an out-of-Canada Embassy? maybe its both?! -- just havent seen 'outland' written down anywhere...

we also have a query about an additional page included w/ the sponsoring a spouse form IMM 3901 E (08-2008) ; (Family Class Sponsorship of a spouse, etc...living outside Canada Part 3: Country Specific Instructions' U.K., France,...)

Under Appendix 'A' / 'Supplementary Infomation Questionarie IMM5562' - 'Your Travels' - it is asking for ten years worth of travel history? My job until recently, involved business travelling out of the U.K. nearly every month for six years to varying locations - it will be almost impossible to remember or trace all of my travels.... it seems to be related to a) Albanian Residents or, b) males born in the former Yugoslavia 1924 to 1980 inclusive, but I think it also applies to me as the spouse/sponsor to include the travel info....

any suggestions? start remembering?

One other form we cant seem to locate is the medical form IMM 1017 - although one (un-numbered) form appears at the end of the same IMM 3901 docs checklist... Maybe IMM1017 has turned into Appendix 'C' now... can anyone confirm this?

many thanks in adv. for the info --

cheers,

John

Start here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information...ons/fc.asp
Region specific guide for applying through the UK here
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/3901e.pdf

"Outland" refers to where the file is processed, the sponsorship part is processed in Mississauga then the file is shipped to the overseas office.

The form you're referring to in the region specific guide is IMM 5562 and no, it's doesn't refer to just Albanian or males from Yugoslavia. Those ones are clearly marked
It's applicable to the primary applicant. IE - if you're the sponsor - it's referring to your wife.

IMM1017 you receive from the DMP - it's the receipt from the medical
You take Appendix C to the DMP's office

johnnybgoode Wrote:Hi again --

day one left us w/ a few questions (surprise,surprise) - many thanks for the prev. help - its amazing we cant call a CND govt helpline for info...

just to confirm, as we are filling out the 'Outside of Canada' paperwork, are these considered 'Outland' - or are they 'Outland' by nature of being sent to an out-of-Canada Embassy? maybe its both?! -- just havent seen 'outland' written down anywhere...

we also have a query about an additional page included w/ the sponsoring a spouse form IMM 3901 E (08-2008) ; (Family Class Sponsorship of a spouse, etc...living outside Canada Part 3: Country Specific Instructions' U.K., France,...)

Under Appendix 'A' / 'Supplementary Infomation Questionarie IMM5562' - 'Your Travels' - it is asking for ten years worth of travel history? My job until recently, involved business travelling out of the U.K. nearly every month for six years to varying locations - it will be almost impossible to remember or trace all of my travels.... it seems to be related to a) Albanian Residents or, b) males born in the former Yugoslavia 1924 to 1980 inclusive, but I think it also applies to me as the spouse/sponsor to include the travel info....

any suggestions? start remembering?

One other form we cant seem to locate is the medical form IMM 1017 - although one (un-numbered) form appears at the end of the same IMM 3901 docs checklist... Maybe IMM1017 has turned into Appendix 'C' now... can anyone confirm this?

many thanks in adv. for the info --

cheers,

John

thanks derby girl -- think gotcha on most of that.

this was the bit that seemed to ask for my travel info - ;

"...List all trips you (the sponsored person), and if applicable, your family members have taken outside your country of origin or of residence in the last ten years (or since your 18th birthday if this was less than ten years ago). Include all trips: tourism, business, training, etc. If you or your family member did not travel outside of your country during this period, check "did not travel.."

...hmmm. maybe the definition of family member means immediate family, not spouse. i'll go with that.

gotcha on the Appendix 'C' medical form - I've since found IMM1017 online here;

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM1017SCLE.pdf

thanks again for yr info DG --

John.

As far as the family info on travel - I am not completely sure - but I think it refers to immediate family that are included in the application for PR

Wait for further confirmation though - PMM will know for sure :)

johnnybgoode Wrote:thanks derby girl -- think gotcha on most of that.

this was the bit that seemed to ask for my travel info - ;

"...List all trips you (the sponsored person), and if applicable, your family members have taken outside your country of origin or of residence in the last ten years (or since your 18th birthday if this was less than ten years ago). Include all trips: tourism, business, training, etc. If you or your family member did not travel outside of your country during this period, check "did not travel.."

...hmmm. maybe the definition of family member means immediate family, not spouse. i'll go with that.

gotcha on the Appendix 'C' medical form - I've since found IMM1017 online here;

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM1017SCLE.pdf

thanks again for yr info DG --

John.