Help required please - very confused

[wpsteel79]

My wife and I are living in the UK, she is Canadian and I am British. We have been married for 6 months and living together in the UK since March 2006.

We plan to move back to Canada in 2010 and are beginning the process of applying for permanent residency with a family class visa. I have a number of questions with respect to the application process that I hope somebody could help me with.

1. Which are the correct application forms I should be completing – is there a difference in the process if sponsoring a spouse as opposed to other relatives?
2. I have read on this forum that as my wife is sponsoring me as her spouse that she does not need to meet any minimum income requirement – is this correct and where does it state this?
3. Can I submit both the sponsor and permanent residency application at the Canadian embassy in London or do I need to post them direct to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga?
4. Do I need to send my passort with the initial application or will I be asked to send this at a later date if sucessful?

I am sure there will be more questions, however the answer to these questions would get us started. Thanks in advance

[Leon]

All your questions are answered at the Canada immigration website at http://www.cic.gc.ca/ so the first thing you should do is read the sponsorship section and your application instructions.  Then come back if you still have any questions.

[wpsteel79]

Thanks, although I have looked at the website you refer and have found the information very confusing and in places contradictory. The questions I have posted are those raised following review of the website and referenced literature. I am confident that if somebody can answer these questions then I will be able to proceed with the application.

[RobsLuv]

My wife and I are living in the UK, she is Canadian and I am British. We have been married for 6 months and living together in the UK since March 2006.

We plan to move back to Canada in 2010 and are beginning the process of applying for permanent residency with a family class visa. I have a number of questions with respect to the application process that I hope somebody could help me with.

1. Which are the correct application forms I should be completing – is there a difference in the process if sponsoring a spouse as opposed to other relatives?

Yes, there is a different application for sponsoring a spouse.  You'll need the outland spousal/common-law partner/dependent application. 

2. I have read on this forum that as my wife is sponsoring me as her spouse that she does not need to meet any minimum income requirement – is this correct and where does it state this?

Yes, that is correct.  There is no minimum income requirement for spousal sponsorships.  You can find the information in the Sponsor's Guide, under Who Can Sponsor. 

You may be eligible to sponsor if:
you have an income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income, the amount of which is published yearly by the Canadian government.

This condition does not apply if you are sponsoring only

    * your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner who has no dependent children, or
    * your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner whose dependent children have no children of their own, or
    * your dependent child who has no children of his or her own.

3. Can I submit both the sponsor and permanent residency application at the Canadian embassy in London or do I need to post them direct to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga?

The entire application (sponsor's part and applicant's part) needs to go, together with the supporting documentation, to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga.  CPC-M  assesses the sponsor's eligibility and, if the sponsor is approved, they transfer the application to London where the applicant is assessed and the file is finalized.

4. Do I need to send my passort with the initial application or will I be asked to send this at a later date if sucessful?

You submit a photocopy of your passport initially - London will request your actual passport near the end of the process, once they're ready to approve the ap and issue the Confirmation of Permanent Residence.  The applicant's document checklist, in your Region Specific forms, contains more details about originals and copies, etc.

[wpsteel79]

Thanks RobsLuv that has really helped us a great deal. Finally a couple of questions...for now.

1. I have been looking at the immagrants guide and there is a reference to Appendix A and Appendix B, however this is not included in the pdf download - can someone tell me where this is as Appendix A is the document checklist?

2. When I send my application to Mississauga from the UK have people used the Royal Mail or an alternate postal service for this?

Thanks in advance

[mitamata]

The various appendix forms are in the region specific instructions. Did you download those? They're down at the bottom of the link RobsLuv posted, under Part 3.

As for sending... for your peace of mind, just make sure you send it so you can track it. I'm sure the UK has mostly reliable mail services / couriers, so it's not that important who you send with. Just get something with a tracking number ;)