OUTLAND sponsorship

[bmh]

Hi! I have a question for my cousin who wishes to sponsor his wife to come to Canada.  Right now they both live in Europe, so is it possible to do an outland application while they are BOTH living out of country? Or what would be the best option for them?

Thank you!

[CharlieD10]

If your cousin is a Canadian citizen, he may sponsor her while living outside the country.  He will be required to show proof of his intention to re-settle in Canada when her PR is approved.

If he is a PR himself, he MUST be residing in Canada in order to qualify to sponsor her.

[bmh]

Thank you for your reply!

He is a Canadian citizen.  Im not sure what their plans are... but if there is intention to re-settle but not in the next couple of years lets say, can he still apply? It does take a while to get PR's therefore if he gets it for his wife now, he wont have to wait when they want to come to Canada.

[CharlieD10]

How long it will take depends on what country will process her application.  As far as the timelines of the European offices go, most averages are under 12 months.

If they are not ready to proceed, they can wait until closer to the time when they are willing to re-settle.  While she can land in Canada and then return to Europe, she needs to accumulate 730 days residence out of every 5 years in order to keep PR status.  They will waive the requirement so long as she is residing with her spouse, but there is hardly any point to them taking on the expense of the process if they are not ready to re-settle, especially as they will not be faced with a lengthy processing time.

[bmh]

.. i have another question I understand that my cousin can apply from outside canada, but would he be able to visit canada while the application is in process, and with his wife and baby too if they wanted to?

Thank you!

[CharlieD10]

Yes, they can do that.  If she is from a visa-exempt European country (most are) then there should be no issues with her and their child visiting while the application is in process.

[bmh]

Thank you!