+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

Leaving Canada during spousal sponsorship

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
Hello,

A question is can I leave Canada (I am permanent resident) during spousal sponsorship application. I want visit my wife for a month while they are reviewing our application. Somewhere on the internet I read that the application would be denied in case the permanent resident leaves Canada. Is it really true?
Thanks
 

Decoy24601

Champion Member
Aug 13, 2015
1,511
52
Vancouver, BC
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
06-04-2016
AOR Received.
28-04-2016
File Transfer...
SA 27-05-2016
Med's Done....
23-03-2016 Upfront
Interview........
Waived
VISA ISSUED...
07-06-2016
LANDED..........
06-07-2016
Yes, if you're a PR you do have to be inside Canada to sponsor your wife as a PR and this includes the time during the application process.
 

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
Decoy24601 said:
Yes, if you're a PR you do have to be inside Canada to sponsor your wife as a PR and this includes the time during the application process.
Do you have a link on the CIC website where it says this information?
 

thakkarc

Full Member
Jun 7, 2016
45
0
Decoy24601 said:
Yes, if you're a PR you do have to be inside Canada to sponsor your wife as a PR and this includes the time during the application process.
cant we go visit them somewhere??

I am planning a trip somewhere, where I will go from Canada nd she will come from India and we will have our second honeymoon I guess....
to just ease this wait.
 

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
Decoy24601 said:
Yes, if you're a PR you do have to be inside Canada to sponsor your wife as a PR and this includes the time during the application process.
Thats what I got from other thread: Hi I just talked to CIC and they said that if your sponsor wants to travel abroad he/she can go ahead for one month or two. as long as you always follow the emails from them like if they need additional documents you need to submit it on time
 

Decoy24601

Champion Member
Aug 13, 2015
1,511
52
Vancouver, BC
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
06-04-2016
AOR Received.
28-04-2016
File Transfer...
SA 27-05-2016
Med's Done....
23-03-2016 Upfront
Interview........
Waived
VISA ISSUED...
07-06-2016
LANDED..........
06-07-2016
You can go for short trips/visits, but you can't leave for long periods of time. One to two months might be pushing your luck in my opinion. Exactly how much time would be alright is a bit of a grey area. In my opinion, I wouldn't go for more than 2-3 weeks.

"Note: Permanent residents residing abroad may not sponsor from outside of Canada. Canadian citizens travelling as tourists are not considered to be residing abroad."

It's right in the application guide: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3900ETOC.asp

I would take what the call center agent says with caution, since this is a grey area.
 

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
Decoy24601 said:
You can go for short trips/visits, but you can't leave for long periods of time. One to two months might be pushing your luck in my opinion. Exactly how much time would be alright is a bit of a grey area. In my opinion, I wouldn't go for more than 2-3 weeks.

"Note: Permanent residents residing abroad may not sponsor from outside of Canada. Canadian citizens travelling as tourists are not considered to be residing abroad."

It's right in the application guide: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3900ETOC.asp
Ok, but the applications is already submitted 2 month ago, and i will visit her for 2-3 moths.
So, in your opinion i should leave canada no longer than a month?
 

Decoy24601

Champion Member
Aug 13, 2015
1,511
52
Vancouver, BC
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
06-04-2016
AOR Received.
28-04-2016
File Transfer...
SA 27-05-2016
Med's Done....
23-03-2016 Upfront
Interview........
Waived
VISA ISSUED...
07-06-2016
LANDED..........
06-07-2016
SadButTrue said:
Ok, but the applications is already submitted 2 month ago, and i will visit her for 2-3 moths.
So, in your opinion i should leave canada no longer than a month?
It doesn't matter when the application is submitted, since the rule is that you have to be in Canada during the time the application processes as well. While you might get away with 2-3 months and the CIC not finding out, I think leaving for 2-3 months is asking for trouble. I think it's best that you stay for only a month or less, since even that amount of time is a grey area. What could be considered an appropriate amount of time for you to "visit" your spouse could vary from one officer to the next. I know it's hard to be apart from your spouse, but I wouldn't risk the PR application just to spend another month or two there.
 

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
Decoy24601 said:
It doesn't matter when the application is submitted, since the rule is that you have to be in Canada during the time the application processes as well. While you might get away with 2-3 months and the CIC not finding out, I think leaving for 2-3 months is asking for trouble. I think it's best that you stay for only a month or less, since even that amount of time is a grey area. What could be considered an appropriate amount of time for you to "visit" your spouse could vary from one officer to the next. I know it's hard to be apart from your spouse, but I wouldn't risk the PR application just to spend another month or two there.
Okay because the actual wedding is in Ukraine on mid of September( we got married when she was visiting me last summer) . I have a tickets already, so would you reccomend to change the ticket for only a month and go back to Canada?
 

thakkarc

Full Member
Jun 7, 2016
45
0
yes, i know some friends who have been visiting their spouse for 2-3 weeks with all backup documents such as leave letter from work, enough proof to show ur ties in canada.. i.e. rent slips, car loans, pay stubs, insurance etc
 

Decoy24601

Champion Member
Aug 13, 2015
1,511
52
Vancouver, BC
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
06-04-2016
AOR Received.
28-04-2016
File Transfer...
SA 27-05-2016
Med's Done....
23-03-2016 Upfront
Interview........
Waived
VISA ISSUED...
07-06-2016
LANDED..........
06-07-2016
SadButTrue said:
Okay because the actual wedding is in Ukraine on mid of September. I have a tickets already, so would you reccomend to change the ticket for only a month and go back to Canada?
Yes, that's what I would recommend.
 

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
Decoy24601 said:
Yes, that's what I would recommend.
I just spoke with 2 different CIC agents. They told me that I can leave Canada for visiting for as long as I want but I have to have valid PR card to return back and if they send me a request for additional documents or whatever I should give them my answer in "amount of days" and if I am not able to do that than they can denied application because I am not residing in Canada but they told me to be free and go for trips as long as I want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rich4bright

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,644
20,936
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
SadButTrue said:
I just spoke with 2 different CIC agents. They told me that I can leave Canada for visiting for as long as I want but I have to have valid PR card to return back and if they send me a request for additional documents or whatever I should give them my answer in "amount of days" and if I am not able to do that than they can denied application because I am not residing in Canada but they told me to be free and go for trips as long as I want.
Unfortunately they are wrong. You should be aware that we see many many examples here of the help desk giving out very bad information. We have also seen a number of spousal sponsorship applications be refused specifically because the sponsor was a PR and left Canada for several months. The rules around this are extremely clear. Since you are a PR, you must be residing in Canada to sponsor. Up to you whether you take the risk or not.
 

SadButTrue

Star Member
Oct 2, 2012
77
3
Category........
Visa Office......
Kiev
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-05-2016
AOR Received.
01-06-2016
File Transfer...
July 11th
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
02-09-2016
scylla said:
Unfortunately they are wrong. You should be aware that we see many many examples here of the help desk giving out very bad information. We have also seen a number of spousal sponsorship applications be refused specifically because the sponsor was a PR and left Canada for several months. The rules around this are extremely clear. Since you are a PR, you must be residing in Canada to sponsor. Up to you whether you take the risk or not.
Ok, but residing is meaning living and working and do all the stuff in Canada. I am visiting my wife after i will get sponsor approval. I just spoke with the other one, saying the same information. I don't know whom to believe. Do you have examples of getting visa refused because the PR sponsor was living oustide of Canada for a few month or few weeks. Maybe a thread or something.
 
M

mikeymyke

Guest
Why dont u just get ur wife to come here instead? You should just go for a few weeks only or risk a refusal