On a work permit in canada inland or outland?

[pred8er]

Hi Folks,

I am a US citizen living and working in Canada at this moment and I am going to send in my applications for sponsorship to Canada via my wife who is a Canadian Citizen.

Should we be applying inland or outland?

I am living in Canada so i am guessing inland. But i also have been wokring in Canada for 5 years on work permits.

thanks!

[Leon]

Since you are already in Canada working, it doesn't really matter that much.

Downside of outland is that if there is an interview, you would have to go to where your file is being processed. You can pick your homeland for processing or since you are on a work permit in Canada you can get it processed in the US.

Downsides of inland is that it takes longer, you are not advised to travel while it's in process and if they need an interview, it can in some cases add years to your processing time.

[dfb]

I am in same boat - US citizen married to Canadian citizen.  I have been living in Canada for the past 4 years on a valid work permit.  I applied outland.  At first, I also assumed that I had to do inland, since I am living in Canada, but learned here that that is not the case and in fact, it is much quicker to do outland.  Also, there are travel restrictions to applying inland.

[pred8er]

thanks guys,

If my wife wants to sponsor me while I am inside Canada working here, can we still apply for outland?

can someone send me the link to the page where i could download the outland files for my wife sponsoring me please?

I havent been able to find these...

thank you very much

[dfb]

It is a totally different set of forms.

[pred8er]

Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on which set of forms we should use:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/spouse.asp

or

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp

We are thinking:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/spouse.asp  as we both are in Canada, and travel restrictions shouldne be a problem for us really. We arent going anywhere anytime soon since we are expecting....

[Leon]

Since you are expecting, inland might be better because if there is an interview for outland, there might be a need to travel at an inconvenient time.  Just make sure your application is bulletproof so you get your first stage approval.  Even though you are on a work permit, you don't want your application to drag on forever because they want interview because of some little detail they want to clarify.  You might want to travel at some point you know and besides, with the economy, you might not get your work permit renewed next time.

[RobsLuv]

The advantage to filing inland is that it allows non-visa-exempt nationals, who will most likely not be readmitted if they have to leave Canada, the option to remain legally in Canada with their partner while having their PR assessed.  If they were to file outland and they had to leave to attend an interview overseas, they'd be separated from their partners for the duration of the process.  It also allows people who are in Canada with work or study permits to continue working or studying while waiting for permanent status - but there are disadvantages to inland that need to be considered.  One is that if the applicant leaves and they aren't readmitted to Canada, the inland application is forfeited.  Also, there is no right of appeal, and thirdly, the processing times are long. 

If a US citizen in Canada with a work or study permit files an inland application, there is little benefit unless they absolutely need to be able to continue working or studying and there is doubt as to whether or not their permit will be extended.  Processing outland through Buffalo is faster - 5-10 months as opposed to 12-18 - and interviews are frequently waived for US/Canada spousal couples if they provide sufficient proof of their "genuine relationship".  Even if there was an interview, travel to Buffalo might not be a big issue, depending on the Province - so I'd say the pregnancy shouldn't be the primary concern between filing inland and outland, except as it relates to healthcare and time "exiled" in Canada with an inland application because of the risk of forfeiture if the applicant leaves Canada during processing and cannot re-enter.  With outland there is no residency requirement - you stay in Canada for as long as you can keep your temporary status valid by extending your work permit or, worse case scenario, apply to change your conditions to a visitor if your work permit is not extended.  Spouses of Canadians with PR aps in process are nearly always extended, at least as visitors. 

The healthcare is your primary issue, I'd say, because you'll likely want your pre-natal and delivery covered.  So if you have the option to keep that without it being absolutely necessary through having your work permit extended again, file outland and get the thing over with in 6-10 months, as opposed to having to wait 12-18 months for status.

[Leon]

The healthcare is your primary issue, I'd say, because you'll likely want your pre-natal and delivery covered.  So if you have the option to keep that without it being absolutely necessary through having your work permit extended again, file outland and get the thing over with in 6-10 months, as opposed to having to wait 12-18 months for status.

I believe it is his wife who will be having the baby and since she is a Canadian citizen, that will probably not be an issue   I actually thought of the same thing for my answer and then I read the original post again

[pred8er]

thanks for the information guys it was very helpful.

One last thing, which forms should i fill out for a Outland application with my wife sponsoring me.

Anyone have a direct to the page to where the forms can be downloaded please?

thank you

[Leon]

This is the page with the outland forms: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp