Road To Canada Forums

I am in the beginning phases of the application process and have MANY questions...

A brief summary, I am married to a canadian and we are living in the states. He successfully obtained his american PR status. Now we are applying for the me to have my canadian PR status.
First question: We are debating on whether it is best to apply from the states or canada. If we apply from the states am I able to visit canada while the application is pending? If I apply from the canadian side, will I be able to come to the states while it is pending? The reason I ask, is because when my husband had his american PR application pending he could not go to canada even though he is canadian.
Second question: My husband has a really good job, but is just now starting to make a decent wage. It has been a slow few years. How much does he need to make to sponsor me? Can we get a co-sponsor from his parents if he does not make enough? I keep hearing how hard it is to immigrate to Canada, but after going through the american process this does not seem so bad. What makes it so hard to immigrate to Canada?
Third question: Since my husband is co-sponsoring me, and I have no income. Are they mostly going to just be checking my background and health? Will more emphasis be on him?

Thank you!

If you are a US citizen -- or even just a foreign national from a visa exempt country who\'s been lawfully admitted to the US for a period of 1 year or more -- applying from the States, via Buffalo\'s visa office, would be best.

1) Yes, if you apply from the States you\'d be able to visit Canada while you waited. You would, however, need to be able to convince the immigration officer at the border that you have sufficient strong ties to your home country that you wouldn\'t overstay your allowed visit in Canada. You\'d also need to convince them you can support yourself -- or that your husband will -- while you\'re in Canada, so that they\'re not concerned that you\'d work illegally in Canada while you\'re there.

If you applied inland (i.e. from within Canada), the processing time would be considerably longer, and if you left Canada and then -- for whatever reason -- were not permitted re-entry into Canada upon your return, and CIC found out, they would abandon your entire PR application. This is because inland applications require that you be residing in Canada during processing. (Outland applications have no residency requirement.)

2) Income is not an issue, in and of itself, when sponsoring a spouse. See my post in your other thread.

3) He\'s not co-sponsoring you; he\'d be the sole sponsor. A lot would be assessed. His financial situation, your plans as a couple to resettle in Canada, your background, your police certificates, your health, and -- the tough one -- your entire relationship\'s genuineness.

You really need to start looking through the guides and forms to get a better idea of what lies ahead and just how much paperwork and red tape is involved in this. Start here.

And since you will likely need to know this, current posted processing times for Family Class applications are here.

Thank you so much! You have been really helpful!