Help for woman from U.S. marrying a Canadian...

[rachel85704]

Okay, so, as the title suggests, I'm from the U.S. and I'm marrying a Canadian man. I have a few questions about the immigration process to Canada.

First of all, I'm visiting him a little later this month and plan on visiting again for an extended period at the beginning of March. My first question is, would it be a good idea for us to get married while I'm visiting this month and start the Immigration application process before I go back in March? Or should we wait until March to get married and start the application? I'm planning on driving across the border in March for the visit, so would it be easier for me to get across for a 6 month visit if I'm already his wife and we've started the Immigration process or would it be easier if I go across and then we start it?

Also, I'm wondering what the likelihood of being able to get an extension on the usual 6 months would be if I have a pending Immigration application?

I'd really appreciate any help that you guys could offer, both in answering my questions and in offering any more advice that you may have.

[rachel85704]

And another question... I'm assuming that doing an outland application would be easiest, right? And if that's the case, if I will no longer have an actual U.S. address after going to Canada in March, could I use a relative's address (such as my grandmother)? And if so, how much mail can I expect to be sent to her address during the Canadian Immigration process? In other words, would having her mail anything that I get from them to me in Canada cause an issue? I'm referring to the fact that it would take a couple/few days to get to me after she sends it out.

If anyone could provide me with information regarding the Immigration process, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks ahead of time. 

[rachel85704]

Sorry that I keep adding to my thread before actually getting any answers! I just keep thinking of things AFTER I click "Post".


My mother plans on coming to Canada with me. We plan on doing the Super-Visa for her (She's retiring and won't need to work). Obviously I'd need to be a PR to sponsor her... But does anyone know if someone can Sponsor their in-law? So, while I'm waiting for my application to finish processing, my husband could sponsor my mother for the Super-Visa?
And if not, what's the likelihood of her being able to get an extension to stay in Canada for more than 6 months as a visitor? That way she could stay while my application processes and then we could do hers once I'm approved.

[CharlieD10]

1. At what point you get married is really up to the two of you.  It won't make it any easier for you to cross the border, nor will it make it any harder, so long as you do things correctly when crossing, like being clear that you are visiting, not moving in before you actually have your PR status.  I suggest you read Leon's first post in the sticky thread at the top of the forum to get an idea of what the process entails, so you can adequately decide what might be easier done before you arrive in Canada.

2. Getting an extension of visitor status is a matter of proper documentation, being his wife already would be a bonus, but it doesn't greatly impact the process.

3. Outland is definitely the way to go, as long as you have a straightforward case.  Inland presents few advantages for visa-exempt persons with a straightforward relationship and proper documentation.

4. You can use your husband's address as your mailing address, that will not be a problem.  Quite a number of US spouses wait out the process in Canada, CIC is used to sending mail to Canadian addresses for American applicants, you don't have to maintain a mailing address in the US if you're planning to wait out the process in Canada.  It's not a lot of mail, in general Buffalo tends to use email.

5.  In-laws cannot sponsor, there is no blood relationship.  You will need to be a PR in order to sponsor your mother for the super-visa.  She may come to visit for up to 6 months as a visa-exempt person.  When she has a super-visa, she may visit for up to 2 years without needing to apply for status extension.  Again, an extension depends on proper documentation.  Consider also that until you can apply for her super-visa, you will be responsible for all her medical expenses, so you might want to go ahead and get insurance for her right away, instead of waiting for the time when you need it to qualify her for the super visa.