An absolute confusion here

[inaina]

I'm desperate for an advice. Please................ ???

I've lived in Canada with my Canadian boyfriend for 1 year now. Have left the country twice, had no problems going back. Except maybe for the last one where I was brought to the immigration room at the airport with lots of other people, asked hundreds of questions and now have a hand-written date on my passport when I need to leave (gave me 6 months as usual, but it's the first time when IO actually wrote it down. Does that mean anything?). I have another 1,5 months (I get dizzy even thinking about having to leave the country). My boyfriend and I have finally decided to get married.
We seem to have 2 options.
1) Do it here in Canada and wait for at least 6 weeks for our marriage to be registered and then submit our paperwork. Meanwhile I would try going to US for a day or two to reniew my 6 months hoping that they will let me back into the country.
2) Fly to Las Vegas, get married there, come back with an American merriage certificate and start immigration process right away. Of course hoping that immigration people will let me back. But will they when it's so obvious that most likely we went to Las Vegas to get married?! (we're planning to do an outland application thing)

I'm going crazy and feel like I'm not capable anymore to decide anything. I really need some help here... What would you do?!

 

[fallenstar831]

You can apply for an extension to your 6 month visitor visa through here... http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/extend-stay.asp

 

[inaina]

Really? I didn't know that, thanks!
But I wouldn't be able to leave the country until I get the answer, right? How about if they approve it, am I allowed to go to US and get married then?
Sorry for so many questions!

 

[sbwv09]

Just so you know, a lot of people have ordered their marriage certificate and have gotten it in as little as 6 weeks from the wedding date, even though the website says 10 weeks. Also, you'll need an official marriage certificate wherever you get married. I know I checked for my state and the wait was 6-8 weeks, so if you do get married in Vegas, make sure you can get the offical copy immediately and not just something they sign that day. You get that in a Canadian wedding as well. Also, many people send that 'record of solemnization' and just send along the offical document when they get it, so that's an option too.

 

[Asta]

About Las Vegas, i heard u can marry in similar ceremony in Niagara Falls. everything is quickly no lines and so on, but i dont know when u are getting marriage certificate in that situation. its not for sure, need to check it out.

about visitor status extension, yes u can extend it via cic site online or sending them application by post mail. usually thats how visitors extend their stay. i did that too but i sent it with my sponsoring application. been 2 months and 11 days and still nothing from them. still waiting.

so u have to apply for ur visitor extension when u have at least 1 month left till it expires. it might take 3 months for them to consider. during their process ur status changes to "implied" (nezinau kaip isversti). i have that status now. u can (have to) stay in a country and wait for their reply.

i wouldnt suggest u marry in Las Vegas, it would look a bit suspicious to immigration officer when they look at ur application. try to do ur marriage as natural as possible. since i just have read the article now that minister wants to make all that sponsoring process even more harder

u can send ur application with only the notice paper that u get just married, and later when u get marriage certificate , send it (copy) to immigration office. but it might slow down ur application process if they missing some documents.

i dont know if i told u but when i got just married and some weeks later we tried to go to usa for one day, they didnt let me into USA saying that Canada might not take me back, since we just got married and might want to stay illegally blabla. so keep that in mind going to usa border.

 

[dlee31]

I agree. I would apply for a visitor extension ASAP, before you have less than 1 month left on your current visitor's visa.

I had to apply for an extension last year (arrived Sept 11, 2008 and my TRV expired March 10, 2009).
I sent in an application for an extension early Feb 2009.
I was worried about my status from the time my TRV expired until I got an answer from Immigrations because the website said it takes them 2-3 months to process the application and make a decision. In other words, I would be in limbo from March 10, 2009 until I got or did not get the TRV extension.

My application for extension was denied and I got a letter asking me to "leave the country immediately"
BUT it wasn't that bad because
1) The answer came in late May and I had already finished what I needed to finish (I left Canada June 3 with no problems)
2) The extension rejection did not affect my spousal PR application/decision later that year

You can apply for an extension and get married in Canada while you are waiting for an answer.
Then, depending on what answer you get, you can either
1) extension given: send in your PR application as a married couple and start the process inland/outland
2) extension denied: go back to your home country, send in your PR application as a married couple and start the process outland

And while you are waiting for the visitor's visa extension you can also start working on your PR application because it does take awhile

Also, I would suggest not leaving the country and risking being denied re-entrance.

p.s. if you're going to apply for a visitor's visa, make an appointment with a DMP for an immigrations medical ASAP!! That was the biggest hassle for me when I applied for mine.

 

[toby]

dlee31:

When you say that getting a medical was a hassle, would you elaborate, please? In our case, my wife (applying for a residence visa) walked into an approved medical clinic, without appointment, and 30 minuets later was out with receipt for her checkup in hand.

Are you referring to getting medicals done in Canada? What's the delay there?

Thanks

 

[dlee31]

dlee31:

When you say that getting a medical was a hassle, would you elaborate, please? In our case, my wife (applying for a residence visa) walked into an approved medical clinic, without appointment, and 30 minuets later was out with receipt for her checkup in hand.

Are you referring to getting medicals done in Canada? What's the delay there?

Thanks

In my case I meant getting an appointment for the medical in NW Calgary when I tried to get a TRV extension. I'm sure there are DMP offices that are less busier than the one I went to, but it was the closet and cheapest (probably why so many people went there). I had to call three times just to get in touch with the receptionist, then barely got an appointment for three weeks later because there were no available time slots until then.

The medical itself was ok, pretty straightforward and all. I did have to wait three hours for my chest x-ray because they only had one technician that day. The nurse at the x-ray desk actually suggested I come back early the next day, but I didn't want to drive an hour into the city again just for that so I waited it out. I'm a nurse myself and I understand that things happens sometimes (i.e. a staff member does not show up to work). Anyway, the healthcare system in Alberta was definitely not at its best when I was there. Hopefully it's gotten better since then.

My medical in Seoul (for PR application) was much less of a hassle. There was no appointment required, I showed up early, filled out the forms, and was done in an hour or so.

 

[Asta]

i did my medicals in mississauga, and i had to wait about a month because doctors were on xmas vacation till januarry 11. other doctors were males and i needed a female. couldnt imagine a male checking my breasts :-X