Temporary Resident Visa

[annabruce]

My Russian wife is currently in the USA and has been for the last 7 years, first on a religious visa and then on F-1 (student) status.  Her status remains fully legal.  We intend to apply for her permanent residence in Canada as soon as we receive the police report from Russia.

Last June she applied for and received her first temporary resident visa to Canada.  At that time, she had already been in a relationship with me, online and through my 4 visits to the USA, for a little over a year.  Aside from the obvious fact that she wanted to visit me in June, her other reason for visiting was to meet a couple of university professors in Ontario and Quebec.  She wants to persue her Masters degree in Canada when she is finally admitted as a permanent resident.

When she applied for her visa we did NOT mention the fact that she was coming to visit me.  We only mentioned her desire to meet these professors.  She needs to visit Canada again ( 2 months before the completion of her degree ), to audition for entry into the Masters of Music program at these universities.

Because she did not reveal her relationship with me when applying for her first visa, is this likely to be intrepreted as deception by the visa officer?  Is she likely to be refused the visa now that we are legally married?  We can easilly prove that she will return to the USA since her grades are very good and only 2 months remain in her undergraduate degree.

Thanks for your advice.   

[Miryam]

Because she did not reveal her relationship with me when applying for her first visa, is this likely to be intrepreted as deception by the visa officer?

 
I don't think so. When I applied for the first time for a visitor visa, I only wrote in the form that I was planning to visit Vancouver for 15 days and then go back to the US. Visa approved. At the Port of Entry I said I was going to stay in Vancouver for 15 days and would visit a friend. After many questions, I was given 6 months to stay, but left after 15 days.

Second time I applied, we were already married. Again, visa approved, with no problems. At the Port of Entry I was only asked when did we get married (it was not during my trip to Canada) and I received 6 months to stay.

Is she likely to be refused the visa now that we are legally married?

I didn't have any problems. But our visa offices are not the same.

Good luck.

[annabruce]

Thanks Miryam.

Has anybody attempted to approach the visa office with absolute honesty?

My wife sais something like:

"Sir/Mam, I need to visit Canada from march 5 to 14 to visit my husband and attend an audition at the U.Montreal.  I am two months from finishing my degree, therefore you can count on me leaving Canada and returning to the USA to finishing the degree.  It is very important that I maintain good status in Canada because at the end of March I will be submitting a permanent residence application sponsored by my Canadian husband.  Assuming that my husband is approved as a sponsor, I would like to return to Canada at the end of July and remain there until the application has completed processing.  I have the option of remaining in the USA for an additional year at the completion of my degree by applying for the optional practial training, however I would ideally like to be with my husband instead.

Obviously, she would arrive at the visa office with a pile of documentation proving our relationship/marriage, proof of her valid status in the USA etc.

Remember, she is a Russian citizen in the USA on F-1 (student) status.  She has been in the USA for 7 years and has never allowed her status to become illegal, nor has she ever attempted to marry in the USA for love (or status).

What do you think about this?  Thanks.

[chandu007]

I don't think that will be problematic either. I also don't think they will reveal information from past non-immigration visa records.