Living outside Canada/Residential address-HELP

[mr.peace]

Here's my case:

I got a Canadian wife for almost 4 years who is living with me in Thailand. She doesn't have a job, I got one but I don't have a work permit because the company that I am working with does not qualify with the minimum number of Thai employees as against the foreigners.  In Thailand, many are working without work permits and non-immigrant visas - a common practice.  Many of us just do border exits to Cambodia and Laos by van/bus, and we get 15 days stay or sometimes we get a tourist visa that would allow us to stay for 2 months.  Legally, we are tourists.  In my case, I've been doing it for almost 2 years now.  We have our own apartment with our names on the invoice/receipt.

Now we want to move to Canada as fastest possible that's why we are so eager to undergo the immigration process - the sponsorship.  Now my questions are:

1.  Is my wife eligible to sponsor me even if she doesn't have a job for the moment?
2.  Is she considered living outside Canada even if she is just a tourist here in Thailand?
2.  What will be our residence?  Here or in the Philippines?
3.  I think I have read somewhere that one of the causes of delay is when the applicant is not a citizen of the country where he is residing.  Is it true?
4.  Which is better, using our Philippine address or Thailand address?

Please help.  Thanks a lot.

[Leon]

It does not matter that your wife doesn't have a job but if she has been outside Canada for 2 years, even on a tourist visa, I don't think you can consider her to be living in Canada.  Living outside Canada adds the burden of proof that you will be moving to Canada when you get your PR.  Such proof could be having arranged housing, having a job offer, acceptance to college or at least some letters from relatives supporting your plans and offering a place to stay while you look for housing and some of your own plans as to where you will live and what you will do in Canada.

If you are tourists in Thailand, you can not apply through the visa office there.  You can give a mailing address in Thailand but you must apply through the visa office in the Philippines.

[mr.peace]

It does not matter that your wife doesn't have a job but if she has been outside Canada for 2 years, even on a tourist visa, I don't think you can consider her to be living in Canada.  Living outside Canada adds the burden of proof that you will be moving to Canada when you get your PR.  Such proof could be having arranged housing, having a job offer, acceptance to college or at least some letters from relatives supporting your plans and offering a place to stay while you look for housing and some of your own plans as to where you will live and what you will do in Canada.

If you are tourists in Thailand, you can not apply through the visa office there.  You can give a mailing address in Thailand but you must apply through the visa office in the Philippines.

Yeah, I think that she should be living outside Canada.  She actually went back to Canada last Nov 2009 and came back here in Thailand on February 2010 - it's still more than a year though.  There's no problem with the place because she has a sister there where she stayed when she went back and who is also very willing to accomodate us. My worry is that the application might be delayed because of the residence issue.  They might be looking for any visa to support our stay in Thailand.  What we want is to expedite the processing and avoid any reasons for delays.

[mr.peace]

May I also ask the opinion of PMM, angelbrat, Love_Young, and other veteran members or anybody who has an idea?

Thanks a lot...