If we marry in Jan, will it look "too fast" if we apply in Feb? And 1 more Q...

[kandc]

My boyfriend and I are planning on getting married in December or January, whenever he is able to take a weekend off work to come here. Will it look bad if we apply the following month/as soon as we get our marriage certificate? Or is that normal?

And second, if we're applying from outside Canada (he's in the US), is he allowed to come and live with me as a visitor for the final 6 months of the processing time? With the hope being that by the time his visitor time allowance runs out, he'll have been granted PR and can just go back, get all of his belongings and move up for good.

Thanks to anyone with some answers : )

[CharlieD10]

No, it will not look too fast.  There's no reason you shouldn't want to be together and plan your affairs so that there is the least amount of time between your marriage and your application for his PR.

Yes, he is visa-exempt as long as he's American, so he can come to visit for up to 6 months at a time.  Don't use the word "live" at the border, though.  The correct term is "visit".  Ensure he has some proof of his ties to the US and proof of his ability to support himself such a bank statements for his savings, or if you are with him when he crosses, do as much of the talking as possible.  It's also a good idea to have proof that you will be submitting the PR application, such as your receipt for fees paid, with you.

[kandc]

Oh, and is the wait time listed on the CIC site accurate (from your experience)? 70 days for me and 11 months for him? Or does it tend to be a little shorter or longer than the listed time?

[kandc]

No, it will not look too fast.  There's no reason you shouldn't want to be together and plan your affairs so that there is the least amount of time between your marriage and your application for his PR.

Yes, he is visa-exempt as long as he's American, so he can come to visit for up to 6 months at a time.  Don't use the word "live" at the border, though.  The correct term is "visit".  Ensure he has some proof of his ties to the US and proof of his ability to support himself such a bank statements for his savings, or if you are with him when he crosses, do as much of the talking as possible.  It's also a good idea to have proof that you will be submitting the PR application, such as your receipt for fees paid, with you.

Yes, will be very sure to use "visit" and not "live"! Thanks for those tips, and for answering my questions.

[Zouk Princesse]

My boyfriend and I are planning on getting married in December or January, whenever he is able to take a weekend off work to come here. Will it look bad if we apply the following month/as soon as we get our marriage certificate? Or is that normal?

And second, if we're applying from outside Canada (he's in the US), is he allowed to come and live with me as a visitor for the final 6 months of the processing time? With the hope being that by the time his visitor time allowance runs out, he'll have been granted PR and can just go back, get all of his belongings and move up for good.

Thanks to anyone with some answers : )

Ummm...didn't you just say in another thread that you didn't think you guys were ready for marriage? Now you've got a date? I understand you want your bf closer to you, but marrying him so that he can come live here really isn't the way

[kandc]

Ummm...didn't you just say in another thread that you didn't think you guys were ready for marriage? Now you've got a date? I understand you want your bf closer to you, but marrying him so that he can come live here really isn't the way

The only reason I was asking if there might be another option for us is because of my father's disapproval of us getting married (because my boyfriend is not wealthy and because we've only spent a month together in person).

I know he is the man I want to marry.

[suki]

(because my boyfriend is not wealthy and because we've only spent a month together in person).

Just a quick question, have you looked at the actual immigration family spousal application itself? they want some hardcore proof of relationship status, pictures, wedding receipts, communication logs, all the time you have invested in one another etc.

[kandc]

Just a quick question, have you looked at the actual immigration family spousal application itself? they want some hardcore proof of relationship status, pictures, wedding receipts, communication logs, all the time you have invested in one another etc.

We have several pictures, 3 and a half years worth of instant messaging logs (hours each day for most days), emails, phone bills, plane tickets, hotel bills, hand written letters and cards... hoping that will be enough. And of course wedding photos and receipts when we do get married.

[ShaunT]

We got married in Sept 10th and application submitted yesterday. That was as quick as we could get all the paperwork together and our application processed. If we could have applied sooner we would have done. I don't see why it should be too quick and have read through the various forums of people who had only known each other for a couple of months then married and applied instantly and were granted permission without any issue.

[ddobro2]

Totally reminds me of this article I had read a while ago about a Quebec woman married to an American (they also had a baby), who was ordered to leave the USA and not return for a year. I think the incident was that she was coming back from a trip to the Caribbean or something with her husband's family, and at the airport when questioned, she misunderstood the question she was asked in English about what she was doing in the United States, and said that she "lived" in the USA when what she really meant to say was that she was staying "staying" there temporarily. Or maybe she said "stay" and the Americans interpretted that as "live." Anyway, it was a linguistic misinterpretation and I think she sued over the decision. Can't find the article anymore though.

Don't use the word "live" at the border, though.  The correct term is "visit". 

[AmericaninQuebec]

I always say that I'm staying with my husband while I wait for my permanent residency. They have a record showing I've been here for 18 mths now though, so I don't think anyone is confused about what I'm doing here. Hehe.

More to the point, misgivings about your rush to get married aside (I don't know you at all, so I don't want to be judgmental), you do realize that the application costs over $1000, right? I mention this because you said you were both broke.

If you guys do decide to go forward with all of this he will also need to get a medical exam done. Mine cost me over $200 in Canada, but I have heard that in the U.S. it can cost over $400 (I don't believe these types of exams are covered by insurance). Also, you can only use doctors specifically authorized by the CIC, and so he may have to travel to see one.

On top of that he will have to apply for his FBI background check, which takes about 3 mths (if not longer) to get back. Plus if he has lived in any other countries for 6 mths or longer he'll need to get background checks from there as well.

Also, take into serious consideration the fact that when you sponsor him you are agreeing to be responsible for him for the next 3 years. If you break up and he decides to say, but uses government resources, etc., you could be held accountable for those expenses.

Finally, while yes he can come stay with you for 6 mths at a time, he can't work or go to school. Are you prepared and able to pay for everything?

Just some food for thought before you go through with the marriage.

[costaudjoe]

Hello kandc,

In your first post: "Is marriage the only way? Is this just crazy??",  you had some serious reservations about getting married.  In this post (1 day later!) you state that you will be getting married in the new year.   As someone looking in from the outside, it's hard to not see this as a decision made in haste.

By no means am I asking you to justify yourself to me.  I only raise the point to help you seriously reflect on how you proceed in this matter.  Americaninquebec offers you very sage and excellent advice. And I would like to say that in addition to being responsible for the person you sponsor, ending the marriage can be very complex even if things are amicable (I am going through this right now).   If things go south, not only will you be on the hook for the person but possibly locked into a lengthy legal fight...

Please consider what I say to help you make the best decision and in no shape or form a criticism of your choice.

[kandc]

Thanks to both of you above for your responses.

 @  AmericaninQuebec; I do know the application and fees related to it for medical checks, etc. will be over $1000. When I say "broke" I don't mean TOTALLY broke... I have a moderately well paying job and we both have some money saved but not enough to live together for a whole year if he is unable to work. We've worked out a budget together several times and determined that 6 months, maybe 7 or 8, would be pretty much our max.

 @ costaudjoe; I feel that I do have to say that my only reservations in the matter are related to my dad... he isn't my boyfriend's biggest fan, does not want to see me get married so young (I'm 22) and doesn't feel we've spent enough time together to commit like this. He's quite upset about it and my dad is very important to me so it puts me in a rough situation. I know the legal commitment I'm in for, and I definitely wouldn't be making a decision like this if I wasn't 100% sure of my relationship.

I really do understand and appreciate the concerns people have expressed though. It's good to see the whole picture, from all points of view.

[Zouk Princesse]

Kandc, if you really are determined to go through with this, here's the advice I can give you : it's one thing to rush the marriage (that's your call there), but you certainly do not want to rush the application.  As others have stated, the background checks and medical exams can be a fairly long process. As a reference point, our US medical exam cost about $350 and it took about 9 weeks for the FBI check to come in. My husband and I knew exactly what supporting docments we wanted to send, but it took us about 4 months to get everything to where we were ready to send our application off -this includes about a month waiting on our marriage licence.

Regarding submitting your application a month later, I've actually seen in the appeal cases where the panel has questioned why the sponsor took 8 or 10 months to file the application, so submitting sooner definitely works in your favour. However, it is far better to wait a few extra weeks and submit the best app you can, than to rush and submit it sub-par. Take your time to not only gather, but arrange your documents, and give yourselves the best possible chance going in.