marriage between canadian national and british national

[jclark]

I was hoping someone could offer me some advice on the following matter:  My partner is in England and I am here in Canada...we plan on getting married and residing in Canada.  My partner was here and overstayed his time by two months and immigration Canada asked him to voluntarily leave the country, which he did.  We have been told that it will be at the discretion of the customs agent whether he may return to the country which seems like a bit of a roll of the dice to purchase airline ticket and arrive in Canada only to be told you cannot gain entry into the country.  My question is this: Does anyone know if it is easier to marry in Canada, England or the US?  We would prefer to marry in England as his mother is there and quite elderly.  Does anyone know what we are up against?  I would really appreciate thoughts and experience on this matter.
thanking you in advance
Joanne

[lesintheuk]

Depends on what you mean by 'easier', do you mean in terms of sponsoring him for his residency in Canada?  As far as I know, it shouldn't matter one way or the other where you marry for sponsorship reasons.

However, if you decide to marry in the UK and you have a civil ceremony (at the local Town Hall), you will need to get 'permission' from the UK government. You need a Ceritificate of Approval, look here http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visitingtheuk/gettingmarried/certificateofapproval/.  Before that though, you need to have entered the UK on fiance or marriage visitor entry clearance, not just as a tourist (this is all assuming one of you is not a UK citizen).  The COA can take up to 3 months to process, then once you get it, you have to give your notice of marriage and wait at least 2 weeks after that to have your ceremony.

All of this can be avoided if you marry at a CofE (Anglican church).  In the UK, you get your marriage certificate straight away (as in, on your wedding day), in Canada, I have heard that you have to wait a few months for it (I could be wrong though, I was married in the UK).