Originally Posted by Rainmaker

Hi All,

Fantastic job with this forum. By far the single most informative site I have come across and a great point of reference for many of my queries.

I shall soon be undertaking the application to be sponsored by my soon to be Canadian wife for PR. In a nutshell, 4 year relationship, she lives in Vancouver (Canadian citizen), I live in London (UK citizen), big wedding day in August 2015, and in needing a fresh new start I have decided to relocate to beautiful Vancouver to start the new chapter in our lives together there.

The threads have been very helpful, however I would greatly appreciate guidance on the following points:

1. Outland Application. Am I correct in thinking that through this method I will still have the freedom to fly in and out of Canada without any issues due to my UK passport or do I have to remain outside of Canada whilst my application is being processed?
2. Fast Track. Am I correct in thinking that there is not a "fast track" system of any type that through payment will allow for faster processing of an application?
3. Application Submission. I have not gone through the forms fully, but give that I am in London, would I submit the application to the Canadian High Commission here or would I send it to the centralised address in Ontario?
4. Civil Ceremony. Am I correct in thinking that any application of this type will not be processed without a marriage certificate, and that the application can be submitted immediately on receipt of the certificate?
5. Straight Forward Application. Is there any benefit in spending a few thousand pounds to see an Immigration Specialist at this stage given that this is what I presume to be a "straight forward application"?
6. Medical Examinations. I have read that medical exams will be required from my family members too. I am sure I have misunderstood and that that would only be a requirement if I have dependents immigrating with me correct?

I have today booked my medical exam due on April 13th, and will fly out to Vancouver soon after for the civil ceremony. The civil ceremony was going to take place around the same time as the wedding in August, however because of time, which is really not on my side, it shall take place this month in order to submit a complete application. As I shall not be able to work in Vancouver during the application process, I may have to continue working here in London, which would mean that my fiance will fly out here after the wedding too. I have not looked into this option at all (in the back of my mind I have this dream of a 3-6month application process) however should it come to it are you able to shed any light on the best way to go about this in terms of her visa requirements?


Gals and guys, apologies in advance for the long winded thread, but I am pretty much freaking out at the moment as I race against time to get everything sorted out asap...... any comments, guidance, assistance, support, ANYTHING you are able to offer would be GREATLY appreciated!



Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
A

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian

1. You can remain in Canada on the outland application and still travel while waiting.
2. There is no fast track just make sure your application is complete and all the required documents, fees and requirements are met so that the application is not delayed.
No need to get an Immigration consultant involved if its a straight forward application. Many have done this themselves.
Medicals only required for dependent children either accompanying or not.
Somebody else will fill in the gaps or you can check the Wiki on spousal sponsorship.

Originally Posted by Rainmaker

Hi All,

Fantastic job with this forum. By far the single most informative site I have come across and a great point of reference for many of my queries.

I shall soon be undertaking the application to be sponsored by my soon to be Canadian wife for PR. In a nutshell, 4 year relationship, she lives in Vancouver (Canadian citizen), I live in London (UK citizen), big wedding day in August 2015, and in needing a fresh new start I have decided to relocate to beautiful Vancouver to start the new chapter in our lives together there.

Originally Posted by SchnookoLoly

Welcome! I'll fill in some of the gaps and reiterate some of what FL said. Please do read the Wiki article on Spousal Sponsorship as well as the FAQ. These do answer most of your questions.



Read this to understand the pros and cons between inland vs outland: Spousal Sponsorship-Canada : British Expat Wiki

Yes, you can travel just fine with an outland application.



There is no fast-track option. File a complete application (follow the tips in the FAQ) and hope for the best.



The whole application goes to Mississauga - all parts of the application package. Mississauga will check that the application is complete and assess the sponsor, then forward the application to the relevant office abroad if the sponsor is successful.

(I really need to add this to the FAQ, thanks!)



Depends if you qualify as common-law. Read the wiki article for the definition of common-law. if you qualify then yo ucan apply immediately. If not then wait until you are married. What to do with the certificate depends on where you get married. For example, in the UK you get your certificate right away, you can copy that and send it immediately. In Ontario, you'll get an unofficial certificate on the day and the actual one I think 6-8 weeks after the wedding. Lots of people submit with the unofficial and then forward when the official one arrives. If you're on a clock then this is a fine option, if you're not and are happy to wait for the official one then do that.



Spousal Sponsorship-Canada/FAQ : British Expat Wiki

If you are straight-forward then you don't need a consultant. About 95% of people on here, myself included, have just done it themselves.



You need a medical, as do any dependants. If your dependant is immigrating with you, then yes. If your dependant is not immigrating with you, then no medical means you can never sponsor them in the future. Extended family does not need a medical.



Ah okay, so as soon as your civil ceremony is done, send your app in with whatever yo uget from BC. Not sure if that's the official or unofficial one. Average processing time depends on which office CIC will process your application at as processing times vary (see the link above for "how long will it take" as well as this Spousal Sponsorship-Canada/FAQ : British Expat Wiki).

For your fiance visiting you in the UK, she'll have to prove all the same stuff a normal visitor would prove - she's only there temporarily, she's not going to work, she has ties back to Canada, etc. I'm not sure what her options are in terms of working - I think there's a UK spouse visa yo ucan apply for which gives her some sort of working ability maybe? Not certain - I'm not up on the UK visas. Check the wiki and also the "moving back to the UK" section of the board.

Also, if you are aged 30 or under, you could look into getting yourself an IEC visa which will allow you to work while your application is processing. The program is going on nowish, though, with Stage 2 expected to open any day - places go incredibly quickly. (2500 spaces in Round 1 went in 12 minutes.) You will need to be ON THE BALL to get one of the remaining spaces (another 3000ish spaces over 2 more rounds of applications are expected).

Read through the rest of the FAQ page and the main Wiki article, you will find them both really helpful as you navigate the application package.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by SchnookoLoly

Spousal Sponsorship-Canada/FAQ : British Expat Wiki



(Seriously, the FAQ will answer about 99% of your questions! Always check there first!)

Happy to help!