Canadian - Kenyan marriage/immigration....need advice

[pdm217]

I'm in love with a wonderful woman from Kenya who I met while she was in Canada last winter.  She went home in April but has now obtained another 6 month visitor's visa for her and her 5 year old child.  They will be coming to Canada in 2 weeks.  If things go well I hope to propose to and marry this woman but I have some questions that I'm hoping someone on here can answer.  They are:

1- Would we be better off to go ahead and get married while she is in Canada on her visa?

2- If we do marry, how long should we expect it to take once she applies to come to Canada permanently?

3- I've heard that it's more complex because I live in Quebec....is it that much worse?

Thanks...

[CharlieD10]

1 - You may marry anywhere, where you get married will have no effect on the processing of any immigration application, so long as it's legal.

2 - Nairobi's average timeline is 32 months for processing.  That's an average for 80% of cases, some may be processed faster, some slower.

3 - It's not 'worse', you just need an additional approval from the provincial authority, MICC, after being approved by the federal authority.  It adds maybe 3-4 weeks to the process to get the selection certificate.

[pdm217]

32 months...wow.  I was afraid of that.  Thanks CharlieD10 for your help.

[CharlieD10]

No problem.

Don't let the 32 months scare you.  Prepare a strong application in support of your sponsorship, and it doesn't necessarily have to take that long.  That's not guaranteed, but it can really help your timeline if your application is well-organized and easy to assess.

You might also want to consider together whether you can sponsor her Inland.  That means you submit an application to sponsor her in Canada, and when her visitor status is close to expiring you apply for an extension on the basis of your PR application.  Some considerations of going the Inland route include having adequate funds to support all of you (she will not be allowed to work), health care insurance (visitors do not qualify for provincial coverage) and anything that might affect her back home, such as a job she must return to, or school for the child.

[canadianwoman]

For an applicant from Kenya, I suggest applying inland. The outland processing time for Kenya is 32 months, as mentioned. It's true that some people get the PR visa issued much more quickly than that, but I wouldn't count on it. Inland takes around 10 months for her to get a work permit and the ability to apply for health care, and then a further 9 or 10 months to get the PR. For inland she cannot leave Canada for any reason during processing (if she does, the application is void), and cannot work until she gets the work permit.
Once she gets into Canada, you can marry her and apply right away.
If there are reasons why inland will not work (her job, family responsibilities, etc.) and she applies outland, then keep in mind she will almost certainly not be able to get another TRV to visit you while the PR application is being processed.

[pdm217]

Thanks so much for the advice...I really appreciate it.

[MsMobas]

Thanks so much for the advice...I really appreciate it.

It took my husband 6 months from outland - Nairobi. Do not let that time line fool you. Submit all you have to and need to.

All the best!