Manila Tread for English Speakers - join here!

[Chubbee]

September applicants.

Thank you Edgehead78.

 

[JGM613]

How about if the government pay 100% of my tuition fee, am I not allowed to sponsor my wife? I want to continue studying but I just lost my job and the government said that they can pay my tuition fee 100% but at the same time, I want to sponsor my wife. We will get married this coming June 7 and I will proly submit her application around July. Start of classes is last week of August. If I submit my application July, will they know if I receive tuiton fee assistance on August?

Try these threads...the last one is the most current...

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/student-on-osap-needs-to-sponsor-husbandbut-the-financial-requirements-t132211.0.html

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/do-i-need-to-prove-financial-support-for-spouse-sponsorship-t148253.0.html

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/canadian-student-sponsor-chinese-wife-is-it-hopeless-t28636.0.html

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/sponsorship-eval-form-student-with-no-income-but-large-savings-t184213.0.html

 

[JGM613]

It is social assistance
Welfare means you are not working because of disabilities, single mother because no body will take care of the baby

In Ontario...OSAP loans and Grants are not social assistance..

 

[maradhen30]

I seldom post stuff here in the forum but I would just like to share the good news. My husband got DM in his ECAS on April 14th. God is good!

This thread had been really helpful and informative. God bless you all.

 

[MarkandElvie]

I seldom post stuff here in the forum but I would just like to share the good news. My husband got DM in his ECAS on April 14th. God is good!

This thread had been really helpful and informative. God bless you all.

Maradhen 30, congratulations for the good news. May I ask why its taken you so long to get your visa? I noticed from the time of your PPR and the time you got your Visa is a long time.

 

[maradhen30]

Maradhen 30, congratulations for the good news. May I ask why its taken you so long to get your visa? I noticed from the time of your PPR and the time you got your Visa is a long time.

Thank you MarkandElvie!! They asked for my husband's remedicals and completed personal history from 2005. Then when my husband did the remeds back in December, St. Lukes did not forward the results until January of this year. Then I asked my MP to inquire about the status, they said CEM will still do a background check which took probably 3months. It was such a pain in the a**. But at least everything's done!

 

[MarkandElvie]

Thank you MarkandElvie!! They asked for my husband's remedicals and completed personal history from 2005. Then when my husband did the remeds back in December, St. Lukes did not forward the results until January of this year. Then I asked my MP to inquire about the status, they said CEM will still do a background check which took probably 3months. It was such a pain in the a**. But at least everything's done!

I am happy for you that your long wait is over and the two of you are together. I can't wait for the day when I know my wife has her visa and plane ticket in hand.

 

[Chubbee]

How about if the government pay 100% of my tuition fee, am I not allowed to sponsor my wife? I want to continue studying but I just lost my job and the government said that they can pay my tuition fee 100% but at the same time, I want to sponsor my wife. We will get married this coming June 7 and I will proly submit her application around July. Start of classes is last week of August. If I submit my application July, will they know if I receive tuiton fee assistance on August?

Same situation here. I called CIC to clarify, they said it's okay. I got approved to sponsor. If you want to be 101% sure, call CIC.

 

[Awesomeg]

How about if the government pay 100% of my tuition fee, am I not allowed to sponsor my wife? I want to continue studying but I just lost my job and the government said that they can pay my tuition fee 100% but at the same time, I want to sponsor my wife. We will get married this coming June 7 and I will proly submit her application around July. Start of classes is last week of August. If I submit my application July, will they know if I receive tuiton fee assistance on August?

You need to disclose everything.... I am a student and I disclosed everything... I got my sponsorship approved with no delays..... financial requirements are not the same for sponsoring spouses. There are other requirement that you need to check, but being a student is not going to prevent you to sponsor your future wife.

 

[bryanisip]

Thanks for all the replies! This forum is really awesome! ;D

 

[maradhen30]

I am happy for you that your long wait is over and the two of you are together. I can't wait for the day when I know my wife has her visa and plane ticket in hand.

Sorry for the late response, MarkandElvie. I hope yours will come soon. Start bugging your local MP so they can inquire in your behalf. Get them involved and get as much information as you can.

 

[drewday]

so its Tuesday now regular working day .. hoping and waiting for good news today .............hello Manila

 

[Gumper]

Hi - Hoping to hear from someone with specific experience in navigating channels of child custody in the Philippines.

The scenario: We have applied (JAN 2014) for spousal PRV for my Filipina wife & her 6-year-old son. I have been approved as sponsor. When we submitted the application we did not include the form IMM5604 (a release from the non-accompanying parent) because we were told by the Philippines social services (DSWD) and a lawyer that my wife has de facto sole custody of the child because the biological father is not named on the birth certificate (hate the label but for all intents & purposes the boy is "illegitimate" in the law's eyes).

We made a note in the "child custody" section of the application to this effect and included a sworn affidavit from my wife as to everything she has done as sole provider for the boy. I'm a bit concerned now that this may not be sufficient, that CIC may require a court issued judgement of custody in lieu of form IMM5604. Such a judgement could also take quite a while -- or this is where I'm hoping someone may have real Philippines experience??!! (The easy thing would surely be to have the bio-dad complete the 5604 form and return it to us to send to the Manila VO. But my wife isn't sure she can find the guy, doesn't really want to speak to him, and isn't sure he would cooperate. She put this clown behind her 5 years ago & has done an amazing job raising "our son" that for me the psycho-emotional fallout of trying to find the guy is a course of action that is just not worth it.)

I am actually working on a project in Europe right now, so I can't reach the call centre from here, but this forum is often a better knowledge source anyway imo. I don't want to wait to get a letter much later this year from the VO saying that they require IMM5604 or a judgement of custody for the application to proceed....and then it taking who knows how many more months for a solution to that! Sooooo, anyone with any real experience in this out there who can weigh in? Thanks!

 

[auditt]

Hi - Hoping to hear from someone with specific experience in navigating channels of child custody in the Philippines.

The scenario: We have applied (JAN 2014) for spousal PRV for my Filipina wife & her 6-year-old son. I have been approved as sponsor. When we submitted the application we did not include the form IMM5604 (a release from the non-accompanying parent) because we were told by the Philippines social services (DSWD) and a lawyer that my wife has de facto sole custody of the child because the biological father is not named on the birth certificate (hate the label but for all intents & purposes the boy is "illegitimate" in the law's eyes).

We made a note in the "child custody" section of the application to this effect and included a sworn affidavit from my wife as to everything she has done as sole provider for the boy. I'm a bit concerned now that this may not be sufficient, that CIC may require a court issued judgement of custody in lieu of form IMM5604. Such a judgement could also take quite a while -- or this is where I'm hoping someone may have real Philippines experience??!! (The easy thing would surely be to have the bio-dad complete the 5604 form and return it to us to send to the Manila VO. But my wife isn't sure she can find the guy, doesn't really want to speak to him, and isn't sure he would cooperate. She put this clown behind her 5 years ago & has done an amazing job raising "our son" that for me the psycho-emotional fallout of trying to find the guy is a course of action that is just not worth it.)

I am actually working on a project in Europe right now, so I can't reach the call centre from here, but this forum is often a better knowledge source anyway imo. I don't want to wait to get a letter much later this year from the VO saying that they require IMM5604 or a judgement of custody for the application to proceed....and then it taking who knows how many more months for a solution to that! Sooooo, anyone with any real experience in this out there who can weigh in? Thanks!

I do have experience with that. The only difference is my name was on the birth cert and I signed a paternity acknowledgement in the Philippines. CEM made us do a DNA test which showed the results that we already knew that she was not my daughter. The whole DNA process was a joke since I told them she was not mine but I choose to take responsibility for her.

All that aside, the Canadian government will respect the laws in the Philippines on custody. I was nervous too and hired a lawyer in Manila, apparently one of the best for family law, and he wrote a report on the custody laws stating cases that proves that in the Philippines any child under 7 who is born not to married parents, even if the father is around, that the mother has sole custody. Its in their legal system and my lawyer said he has never actually heard of the Canadian Embassy actually making anyone go through the court system. He cost me about $1500 to do this. He quoted me for the entire court route to be around $20,000 and 12 - 16 months. If she was not married, you will be fine. CEM will ask for a letter stating the relationship details of the biological father and her. After I handed in the letter and my lawyers case law, I never heard anything about it again.

 

[Gumper]

All that aside, the Canadian government will respect the laws in the Philippines on custody. I was nervous too and hired a lawyer in Manila, apparently one of the best for family law, and he wrote a report on the custody laws stating cases that proves that in the Philippines any child under 7 who is born not to married parents, even if the father is around, that the mother has sole custody. Its in their legal system and my lawyer said he has never actually heard of the Canadian Embassy actually making anyone go through the court system. He cost me about $1500 to do this. He quoted me for the entire court route to be around $20,000 and 12 - 16 months. If she was not married, you will be fine. CEM will ask for a letter stating the relationship details of the biological father and her. After I handed in the letter and my lawyers case law, I never heard anything about it again.

Excellent! Thanks VERY MUCH for the input auditt. Very reassuring. I have to write to CEM anyway re: an address change for my wife, and an update on her job situation. I would like to include an extra note on the custody thing to what we already put in the application....maybe the lawyer who did the affidavit for us knew something after all because he included a note on the short-lived "history" of the relationship. I've tried to find specific references in Philippines law that we could cite but so far haven't been successful...if you can share anything in that way that would be great. One more possible hitch: the boy actually turns SEVEN this coming August, what effect if any could that have on the process? Technically after age 7 (as I understand it) the child can then "choose" the parent, yes? Should we get a lawyer to write an affidavit for boy on his birthday stating his preference for his mother?! Our application was submitted in January, so CEM may or may not treat our application before he turns 7. Thanks once again!