Bringing spouse and son for a working visit to Canada? Possible?

[NewDad]

There is so much on this site that I am getting information overload.

I am Canadian. I lived and worked in Canada most of my life. I retired at 52 and decided to spend most of my time as a perpetual tourist in Philippines. I come back to Canada for a month every year and a half or so to maintain a residence.

I have a CL spouse in Philippines (she is Philippine citizen). We have been together 5 years and our son was born 6 weeks ago. I am now 57 and my wife is 25. We support ourselves on my RRSP savings. We are happy doing this but I would like to bring my wife and son to Canada for a 4 to 6 month working vacation. My savings are too small to fly half way around the world vacationing with my family unless we both work while we are there. (I can easily find work in my profession and I would hope my wife can find a job in a place like Pizza Hut or a similar entry level job.)

There will probably come a day when we want to settle near a school in Canada when my son is school age but that is in the future. For now I want to know what visa and/or work permit I need for my wife.

Where do I go from here? What is the time frame to do this? Should I expect problems getting a Canadian Passport for my son born in Philippines?

 

[amikety]

As long as you were born in Canada, your son can have citizenship. You need to apply for his certificate.

Really, your options are limited with your wife. Until you plan to move back permanently, there isn't reason for Canada to give her status. Getting a visitor visa for her will be even more difficult. There's no provisions for a spouse to get a work permit - she would have to find an employer willing to sponsor her and that's very difficult. Very... Very difficult.

There is demand for Pinay nannies but its 99% live-in. She could "visit" you and your son on the weekend... But no an attractive option and she must qualify as well.

Since you have been common-law, you can apply Outland and stay with her until her PR is approved, then come back to Canada but you must give Canada compelling evidence you plan to settle in Canada.

 

[amikety]

PS: No one is going to give your wife a work permit for a 4-6 month working vacation.

Under the plans you've detailed above, I don't think you'd get any visa for your wife. Very unlikely.

 

[NewDad]

Thanks for the quick reply. Even though it is not quite what I had hoped, it does not come unexpected. I have not tried to bring my spouse for a visit to Canada until now because I suspected it may be a nightmare.

From the info on the CIC website it looks like it could take a year to get a citizenship certificate, then passport, for my son. Does that sound consistent with the experience of others?

Is there anyone who brought their wife and kid for a visit? Would it matter if she did not plan to work?

 

[amikety]

The issue with your wife visiting is CIC has had a lot of fraudulent visitors from the Phillipines overstay. Having a Canadian husband and son in the country will make it harder. It will look like she's a high overstay risk with few ties to her home country.

If you think you can reside in Canada 2/5 years rolling, PR could work for her. Then she can work too. She just needs to stay in Canada 730 days out of every five years. She could even get a seasonal job (country club for summers?) that would let her have time off to travel. If she can meet citizenship requirements (3 of 4 years) then after she gets citizenship, she's released on staying in Canada.

 

[Leon]

She doesn't have to spend 2/5 years in Canada in order to keep her PR if she is living with a Canadian citizen spouse.

Because she has a Canadian citizen spouse, immigration will be very reluctant to give her any kind of temporary visa because they think she may not be coming to Canada temporarily so the best option is to apply to sponsor her for PR at the same time you apply for a citizenship certificate for your child. In order to sponsor your wife for PR while being outside Canada yourself, you need to prove to immigration that you plan to move to Canada when she gets her PR. If you are able to arrange housing, you have a job offer or something like that, it would really help. Otherwise, at least write up some good looking plans on where you want to live, what you will do for a living, what your wife will do etc.

When she gets her PR, you can go to Canada and work. As a PR, she will have the same rights as a Canadian except she can't vote. If you go back to the Philippines, her days spent with a Canadian citizen spouse will count towards her 2/5 year residency requirement as a PR so she can't lose it as long as she lives with you.

 

[NewDad]

She doesn't have to spend 2/5 years in Canada in order to keep her PR if she is living with a Canadian citizen spouse. . . .

. . . When she gets her PR, you can go to Canada and work. As a PR, she will have the same rights as a Canadian except she can't vote. If you go back to the Philippines, her days spent with a Canadian citizen spouse will count towards her 2/5 year residency requirement as a PR so she can't lose it as long as she lives with you.

I'm confused, but interested. Are you saying I apply for Permanent Residency for my wife, then bring her and my son to Canada for a while (How long? 6 Months) then go back to Philippines for 6 months as a vacation, then repeat, and there is no interruption in her permanent residency qualifying requirement?

I thought that once you started the process you were not allowed to leave the country until she had put in her time. If we still had freedom to go back and forth between Philippines and Canada then that is our ultimate goal anyway. I love Canada as the land of opportunity. It was for me and I want it to be for my wife and son. But I am a snowbird at heart so half the year in the Philippines is much preferable to freezing in the dark in Alberta.

 

[Leon]

I'm confused, but interested. Are you saying I apply for Permanent Residency for my wife, then bring her and my son to Canada for a while (How long? 6 Months) then go back to Philippines for 6 months as a vacation, then repeat, and there is no interruption in her permanent residency qualifying requirement?

That's right. Or as long as she gets her PR visa and lands, she can leave any time without risking her PR. You could also stay in the Philippines for as long as you like. Even if her PR card expires, she would still qualify for a PR travel document in order to return to Canada and renew her PR card because she still meets the residency requirements.

I thought that once you started the process you were not allowed to leave the country until she had put in her time. If we still had freedom to go back and forth between Philippines and Canada then that is our ultimate goal anyway. I love Canada as the land of opportunity. It was for me and I want it to be for my wife and son. But I am a snowbird at heart so half the year in the Philippines is much preferable to freezing in the dark in Alberta.

No, even if the spousal rule wasn't there, she would not have to stay in Canada for 2 years straight right after getting her PR. Many people who get their PR leave right away to complete work contracts and other obligations back home. Even without a Canadian spouse, a PR just has to fulfill 730 days in Canada any time in their first 5 years as a PR and after that in any rolling 5 year period. Staying in Canada for 6 months a year, she would meet her PR residency requirements even without counting days spent with you outside Canada. However, because she is with you, she doesn't even have to worry about that. If you spend a little more than 6 months a year in Canada, you also qualify for health care in the province where you live.

 

[StevieJ]

Sponsored Migration

Hi Leon, Im Steve from Ireland. I am an Evestroughs installer. Gutters, fascias, soffitts etc.. My ocupation is on the NOC list 7205. I am also great at Carpentry. How do i get a company to sponsor me to Canada?? Thank you for your help

 

[scylla]

Re: Sponsored Migration

Hi Leon, Im Steve from Ireland. I am an Evestroughs installer. Gutters, fascias, soffitts etc.. My ocupation is on the NOC list 7205. I am also great at Carpentry. How do i get a company to sponsor me to Canada?? Thank you for your help

There's no real trick. It comes down to a combination of hard work and luck.

You just have to keep applying until you find an employer who is willing to hire you and work with you to obtain a visa.

 

[amikety]

I'm confused, but interested. Are you saying I apply for Permanent Residency for my wife, then bring her and my son to Canada for a while (How long? 6 Months) then go back to Philippines for 6 months as a vacation, then repeat, and there is no interruption in her permanent residency qualifying requirement?

I thought that once you started the process you were not allowed to leave the country until she had put in her time. If we still had freedom to go back and forth between Philippines and Canada then that is our ultimate goal anyway. I love Canada as the land of opportunity. It was for me and I want it to be for my wife and son. But I am a snowbird at heart so half the year in the Philippines is much preferable to freezing in the dark in Alberta.

I still think you'll have the biggest issue convincing Immigration you intend to settle in Canada. Applying from overseas, they'll want to see proof you plan to settle in Canada.

If you have a relative in Canada that you trust, you might ask to use their address as your "permanent" address and stay there during some of the visits.

If you are a Canadian citizen, you may sponsor a spouse, a common-law partner or conjugal partner, or a dependent child who has no children of his or her own. However, you must demonstrate that you will live in Canada when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.

Basically, you'll need Canada to be your 'permanent' address and 'just visiting' other parts of the world.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3900ETOC.asp#3900E2

PS: Sorry I never answered your question about your son's citizenship.... I honestly don't have a clue about that. Or anything somedays.....

 

[NewDad]

Thanks Leon. Its exactly what I needed to know.

Thanks Amikety, As I mentioned in my opening post I DO live in Canada, if only for 1 month every year and a half. To my knowledge, there is no time limit for a Canadian citizen to be allowed to go off on vacation, so I have a shared house (my own room) and my things there and a drivers license etc. Of course the house belongs to a family member so I pay next to nothing for rent when I am away. I hope that will make it easier to show Immigration that we do intend to live in Canada. My only real concern is not wanting to give up my extended Philippine 'holidays'.

Thanks again. I shall give this a try.

 

[Leon]

Residing in Canada generally means residing in Canada more than you are not which is more than 6 months a year. This is also the requirement to keep your health care in most provinces.

If you are only in Canada for a month every year and a half, it could be said that you are permanently living in the Philippines but taking regular vacations in Canada. In any case, it is not enough so that you can say to immigration that you are residing in Canada right now. Because of that, in order to sponsor, you must prove to immigration that you intend to reside in Canada when your wife gets her PR. Such proof can be having arranged housing and I am not sure they will accept a room in a shared house as adequate housing for a family of 3 and/or having a job offer for yourself or for your wife or having been accepted to a college or at the very least having statements from your family saying they know of your plans to move and having some concrete plans on where you will live and work.

If immigration does not believe that you are planning on moving when your wife gets her PR, it is possible that they refuse your application based on that. If they do, you would have to go to Canada, apply to sponsor again as a Canadian residing in Canada and stay for at least 6 months a year until she gets her PR.

 

[Msafiri]

There is so much on this site that I am getting information overload.

I am Canadian. I lived and worked in Canada most of my life. I retired at 52 and decided to spend most of my time as a perpetual tourist in Philippines. I come back to Canada for a month every year and a half or so to maintain a residence.

I have a CL spouse in Philippines (she is Philippine citizen). We have been together 5 years and our son was born 6 weeks ago. I am now 57 and my wife is 25. We support ourselves on my RRSP savings. We are happy doing this but I would like to bring my wife and son to Canada for a 4 to 6 month working vacation. My savings are too small to fly half way around the world vacationing with my family unless we both work while we are there. (I can easily find work in my profession and I would hope my wife can find a job in a place like Pizza Hut or a similar entry level job.)

There will probably come a day when we want to settle near a school in Canada when my son is school age but that is in the future. For now I want to know what visa and/or work permit I need for my wife.

Where do I go from here? What is the time frame to do this? Should I expect problems getting a Canadian Passport for my son born in Philippines?

Congrats on the birth of your son. Check the Family Sponsorship thread - it has information and experiences of posters in a similar situation to yours. It appears the main challenge you will face are (i) to show that you will be moving back to Canada and (ii) for the visa office to consider your relationship bona fide....the age difference will likely come up at some point in time.