PR Application- Married but don't yet have certificate

[mikeandlana]

Hi,
I'm marrying my fiance on Feb 14th here in Canada.  Do we have to wait until we receive the marriage certificate before applying for PR.  I understand that it can take 2-3 months before we receive the certificate.
Thanks
Mike and Lana

[cmk2]

Yes, you will definitely need the marriage certificate BEFORE submitting your application for sponsorship. Otherwise,they will return your whole application back to you.
Generally , it is your officiant who will mail your documents to get your marriage REGISTERED. It has been suggested that if you want to speed up the process, you MAY apply for the CERTIFICATE at the same time by submitting some supporting documents as to why you need the CERTIFICATE quicker than the normal wait time period.