03-23-2011, 01:20 AM
My son-in-law landed today!
I am not a frequent visitor to this forum, but owe you a huge debt of gratitude. When we began our journey to get Sean PR status we were considering “inland”. In fact, we did not even know about “outland”. Through this forum we educated ourselves and felt this was the best way to go.
I have been the person putting most of the PR package together as both my son-in-law and my daughter hate paperwork and I quite enjoy it. They were kept up-to-date, provided me with necessary information and I did the legwork.
The original intent was to visit Canada and meet Sarah’s family over Thanksgiving. They would then head back to Florida where Sean had a job opportunity starting in the spring and where his father lived. If things went well and they wanted to ‘give it a go’, they would find a place together in Florida and apply for fiancé status. While here for Thanksgiving, all that changed. Sean loved Canada and they decided to try to live up here. It was arranged they would head back to New Hampshire, pick up some of Sean’s things and come back up here for the winter. They would then decide whether they were staying here or going to Florida in the spring.
That second attempt to cross the border into Canada did not go well. They arrived at the border with some of his possessions (remember he had no intention of going back to New Hampshire so had to bring his things here for storage over the winter) and were stopped. They spent five days in a motel in Buffalo trying to get the paperwork figured out so he could come to visit. He was eventually handed a Visitor’s Record that had an expiry date of the following spring. I truly believe it was during that time that they realized they did not want to be apart. Whether it be Canada or the USA, they were staying together…Thank you Canada Customs!
They were married on April 3, 2009. Crazy as it seems this becomes such a small part of the overall story.
And the rest, as they say, is history. There were some troubles getting the paperwork together: Sean has been married before and has a daughter that lives with his ex, who was afraid if he got her into Canada he would try to keep her so she just avoided getting the medicals done and a passport acquired. It took a nail biting Christmas trip to the States (there is always great concern you will not be allowed back in) in order to get the daughter’s medical done and a passport. Interestingly enough, while there, her mom decided to move cross-country so the little girl came to visit here for two months while her mom got settled. That seemed to pave the way for better understanding and all the proceeding paperwork was accomplished quite speedily.
Then there was the FBI report. Three sets of fingerprints; the first one they couldn’t read and the second they said didn’t cover enough of the print. Sean went to the OPP and had FIVE sets done. Finally, they managed to get his report back…clear! It had taken nine months!!! Obviously, the medicals had run out. They had submitted the application with copies of the FBI letters explaining the delays and why the application wasn’t complete.
Even with all that, the application was finally submitted in October of 2010. We had a phone call from someone working on his case asking us to explain what was happening with his daughter and requesting paperwork confirming any custody arrangements. We received a letter asking for the FBI report, but not asking for updated medicals or an interview. The letter arrived asking for his passport dated March 10, 2011.
I now have a son-in-law and another granddaughter. Life is good. We took it slow and easy, never getting too flustered. It can be done.
Just wanted to tell you our story. The timeline seems like a long one, they have been married two years next week. However, it actually only took the Canadian government from October of 2010 to March of 2011 to finish the paperwork (approx. five months). So don\'t get too hung up on those new \"timelines\" they have posted.
Alls well that ends well!
Thanks again Road to Canada…you answered many of our questions along the way, soothed our nerves through some areas and helped us stay on track. Good luck to everyone still going through the process…it will be worth it in the end!
I am not a frequent visitor to this forum, but owe you a huge debt of gratitude. When we began our journey to get Sean PR status we were considering “inland”. In fact, we did not even know about “outland”. Through this forum we educated ourselves and felt this was the best way to go.
I have been the person putting most of the PR package together as both my son-in-law and my daughter hate paperwork and I quite enjoy it. They were kept up-to-date, provided me with necessary information and I did the legwork.
The original intent was to visit Canada and meet Sarah’s family over Thanksgiving. They would then head back to Florida where Sean had a job opportunity starting in the spring and where his father lived. If things went well and they wanted to ‘give it a go’, they would find a place together in Florida and apply for fiancé status. While here for Thanksgiving, all that changed. Sean loved Canada and they decided to try to live up here. It was arranged they would head back to New Hampshire, pick up some of Sean’s things and come back up here for the winter. They would then decide whether they were staying here or going to Florida in the spring.
That second attempt to cross the border into Canada did not go well. They arrived at the border with some of his possessions (remember he had no intention of going back to New Hampshire so had to bring his things here for storage over the winter) and were stopped. They spent five days in a motel in Buffalo trying to get the paperwork figured out so he could come to visit. He was eventually handed a Visitor’s Record that had an expiry date of the following spring. I truly believe it was during that time that they realized they did not want to be apart. Whether it be Canada or the USA, they were staying together…Thank you Canada Customs!
They were married on April 3, 2009. Crazy as it seems this becomes such a small part of the overall story.
And the rest, as they say, is history. There were some troubles getting the paperwork together: Sean has been married before and has a daughter that lives with his ex, who was afraid if he got her into Canada he would try to keep her so she just avoided getting the medicals done and a passport acquired. It took a nail biting Christmas trip to the States (there is always great concern you will not be allowed back in) in order to get the daughter’s medical done and a passport. Interestingly enough, while there, her mom decided to move cross-country so the little girl came to visit here for two months while her mom got settled. That seemed to pave the way for better understanding and all the proceeding paperwork was accomplished quite speedily.
Then there was the FBI report. Three sets of fingerprints; the first one they couldn’t read and the second they said didn’t cover enough of the print. Sean went to the OPP and had FIVE sets done. Finally, they managed to get his report back…clear! It had taken nine months!!! Obviously, the medicals had run out. They had submitted the application with copies of the FBI letters explaining the delays and why the application wasn’t complete.
Even with all that, the application was finally submitted in October of 2010. We had a phone call from someone working on his case asking us to explain what was happening with his daughter and requesting paperwork confirming any custody arrangements. We received a letter asking for the FBI report, but not asking for updated medicals or an interview. The letter arrived asking for his passport dated March 10, 2011.
I now have a son-in-law and another granddaughter. Life is good. We took it slow and easy, never getting too flustered. It can be done.
Just wanted to tell you our story. The timeline seems like a long one, they have been married two years next week. However, it actually only took the Canadian government from October of 2010 to March of 2011 to finish the paperwork (approx. five months). So don\'t get too hung up on those new \"timelines\" they have posted.
Alls well that ends well!
Thanks again Road to Canada…you answered many of our questions along the way, soothed our nerves through some areas and helped us stay on track. Good luck to everyone still going through the process…it will be worth it in the end!
