Spousal sponsorship

[Canadagirl]

Hi all,

I have come here often to check on a few things, and thanks to you for posting, and allowing others like myself to read and become better informed. Sadly though I did not consult until too late on one issue. (re: work permit application)

The issue as it stands now for us is that my husband is now out of status, (my fault, as I assumed our main PR application would initiate the sending out to us of the OWP application, it didn't and by the time I figured it out, he was out of status) his Temp visitor visa expired shortly after the application mailed, and I told him not to worry...lol..oh boy big mistake! and then it was just over 90 days by the time I figured out we missed the vital step and the form was not coming magically. Sadly, as nice as they were at cic they did say he was out of status and we best sit tight and wait on processing and he was semi protected since he had filed a PR inland application.

Recently we got the AIP letter and confirmation that I was approved to sponsor, it did say he could apply for OWP. I am a bit confused, as I cannot remember if his being out of status would affect him right to the end, or if he could go ahead and apply as mentioned in the AIP letter. It would be a great relief if indeed this is the only step I needed to wait on in order to do so...or does he have no chance but to sit and wait not working to the final stage?

He is a bit anxious, at this long drawn out process and being unable to work, and out of status now through a mistake or miscommunication has been a challenge to say the least. Given the AIP my question is will this be enough to move forward and apply as suggested?

 

[Leon]

Recently we got the AIP letter and confirmation that I was approved to sponsor, it did say he could apply for OWP. I am a bit confused, as I cannot remember if his being out of status would affect him right to the end, or if he could go ahead and apply as mentioned in the AIP letter. It would be a great relief if indeed this is the only step I needed to wait on in order to do so...or does he have no chance but to sit and wait not working to the final stage?

What you should have done was to apply for a visit visa extension and TRV along with your inland application. That way it would all have been tied together, he would never have been out of status etc. Since you didn't, you could have applied to extend his visit status later on and even after he became out of status, you could have applied to restore his status as a visitor up to 3 months after it expired. However, you did not know so you didn't. That is water under the bridge.

Now that immigration says he is approved to apply for an OWP, he should go ahead and do it.

 

[Canadagirl]

Thank you very much Leon. Next steps: figuring out what form to use, and ensure we don't make any mistakes with that now.
It is a rather complicated process to say the least.
Again, much appreciate this forum...wish I read this stuff a little more in depth, instead of winging it as we did.

 

[computergeek]

Thank you very much Leon. Next steps: figuring out what form to use, and ensure we don't make any mistakes with that now.
It is a rather complicated process to say the least.
Again, much appreciate this forum...wish I read this stuff a little more in depth, instead of winging it as we did.

Start here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/extend-worker.asp

He is inside Canada. Do not use the "application for a work permit outside Canada" forms. These are the right forms although filling them out for an OWP is a little peculiar since this is a generic form and parts do not apply - he doesn't have an employer, for example. You will need to provide a copy of the AIP letter as it establishes his right to an OWP.

Good luck!

 

[chelseaviel]

I suspect there are a couple of possible outcomes here:

(1) They will return the forms to you.
(2) If it is obvious, they may just simply check off the relevant box and proceed.
(3) They will contact you and ask you to correct the error

You can try to contact them, perhaps by fax or e-mail or if they have a telephone number, and ask them how to proceed.

Unfortunately, predicting times is a bit like trying to tell the future. So drink this cup of tea and we will read the tea leaves after.

You don't mention if you are inland or outland. If you are outland, you don't mention the VO processing your application, but of course their processing time will also make a difference. Thus, it's difficult to even hazard a guess.

Sorry.

thanks for the reply computergeek i have my timeline below my name u could see it at the left side. yes im applying outland.my visa office is manila. below is my timeline:

Category........: FAM
Visa Office......: Manila, Philippines
App. Filed.......: June 04, 2012
AOR Received.: July 31,2012
File Transfer...: Aug.13, 2012
Med's Done....: Feb.01, 2012
Passport Req..: waiting...

thank u computergeek

 

[computergeek]

i have my timeline below my name u could see it at the left side. yes im applying outland.my visa office is manila. below is my timeline:

Category........: FAM
Visa Office......: Manila, Philippines
App. Filed.......: June 04, 2012
AOR Received.: July 31,2012
File Transfer...: Aug.13, 2012
Med's Done....: Feb.01, 2012
Passport Req..: waiting...

Well, Manila is pretty fast - 9 months for 80% of applications. So assuming the CAQ issue is resolved quickly, I'd expect you would get a PPR request in December. The problem with that is it doesn't give you much time to obtain the visa and land, so they may have to extend your medicals or ask you to do them again. Either that or you may end up with only 2-3 weeks to land before the visa expires.

Once the CAQ is issued, you'll hear fairly soon after.

 

[TRM2011]

Hi Guys,

I just applied for my wife's sponsorship and the file was received on August 14, 2012. I just checked the status on the CIC website and it says

"We received your application to sponsor ______ on August 14, 2012.

We sent you a letter on October 10, 2012 about the decision on your application. Please consider delays in mail delivery before contacting us."

Is this normal to get a letter, because a friend told me that he never got a letter and got an email instead. What has your experience been?

Thanks!

 

[loving wife]

Hello TRM2011,it's ok,when i file for my husband,i got a letter like yours also
because i didn't give cic no email address so don't worry.Wait for your letter it might
be good news.

 

[TRM2011]

Thank you for the reply!

I actually did get an email earlier from CIC acknowledging the receipt of my application. So I was expecting them to send me an email again. Just getting me worried a bit. Well, I will just have to see what the letter says.

 

[computergeek]

Hi Guys,

I just applied for my wife's sponsorship and the file was received on August 14, 2012. I just checked the status on the CIC website and it says

"We received your application to sponsor ______ on August 14, 2012.

We sent you a letter on October 10, 2012 about the decision on your application. Please consider delays in mail delivery before contacting us."

Is this normal to get a letter, because a friend told me that he never got a letter and got an email instead. What has your experience been?

Thanks!

Generally, the website for the sponsor shows three columns of information:

Sponsored Person
Sponsorship Application Status
Permanent Residence Application Status

Generally, if you are approved, it will say "Decision Made" under "Sponsorship Application Status" and "Application Received" under "Permanent Residence Application Status"

If your wife has a UCI, she can log in with her UCI and her personal information as well.

 

[TRM2011]

Generally, the website for the sponsor shows three columns of information:

Sponsored Person
Sponsorship Application Status
Permanent Residence Application Status

Generally, if you are approved, it will say "Decision Made" under "Sponsorship Application Status" and "Application Received" under "Permanent Residence Application Status"

If your wife has a UCI, she can log in with her UCI and her personal information as well.

Yes, it does say "Decision Made" under "Sponsorship Application Status" and "Application Received" under "Permanent Residence Application Status". My wife has not got any correspondence from CIC. So she does not have a UCI yet.

 

[computergeek]

Yes, it does say "Decision Made" under "Sponsorship Application Status" and "Application Received" under "Permanent Residence Application Status". My wife has not got any correspondence from CIC. So she does not have a UCI yet.

Then you have sponsorship approval. Your wife does have a UCI, you just don't know what it is yet, but it was assigned when they added her application to the computer.

Congratulations - stage 1 done. Onwards to stage 2!

 

[KJG]

Hi Guys,

I just applied for my wife's sponsorship and the file was received on August 14, 2012. I just checked the status on the CIC website and it says

"We received your application to sponsor ______ on August 14, 2012.

We sent you a letter on October 10, 2012 about the decision on your application. Please consider delays in mail delivery before contacting us."

Is this normal to get a letter, because a friend told me that he never got a letter and got an email instead. What has your experience been?

Thanks!

TRM2011....congrats...that is your sponsorship approval letter.....sometimes they are emailed and sometimes sent out regular mail...there is no consistency in this regard but since you have an AOR already this is your approval!!! Congrats and you should have your letter in hand next week!!!!

 

[sylviadublin]

Hello all,

Im Irish, new to the forum and have not yet applied for my Canadian husband to sponsor me as his spouse but its time I made a start

Firstly, we moved back to Canada after our wedding a few months ago in Ireland (I had been here before on a Working Holiday Visa) and we are a bit confused about the whole income side of things, and how to proceed... my husband has a decent enough job and has his T4 from the last tax year which is fine. However, he was laid off and was on Employment Insurance for 7months while I was home working in Ireland.
He flew over for our wedding, and then I came back here with him, at which point his previous employer took him back as things within the company had vastly improved in the meantime.

My question is: Do we have to just give the 12mths income PRECEDING our application (in which case it will look terrible, he will have 5mths of decent money and then just EI for the remainder of the time until just very recently) or do you think Immigration would accept / just want the last tax years income and a letter from his employer stating that he is in employment ?

Its a real worry for us, as although EI is very different from Social Welfare, we are concerned it may look as though he wont be able to support me (incidentally I have my own funds and have a share in a property being sold also which will help me til I get residency) - the thing is, as we live in a remote-ish part of Canada, there wasnt much in the way of available employment while my husband was laid off.... sorry if this is all rambling but I would REALLY appreciate any help I can get on this topic?
Does Immigration contact Revenue Canada in order to verify applicants statements etc? I ask this because we really would rather just put in last years income and a letter from his boss !

Thanks in advance !

 

[computergeek]

My question is: Do we have to just give the 12mths income PRECEDING our application (in which case it will look terrible, he will have 5mths of decent money and then just EI for the remainder of the time until just very recently) or do you think Immigration would accept / just want the last tax years income and a letter from his employer stating that he is in employment ?

Yes. He should call CRA and get his Option 'C' printout. It won't matter for their analysis, because there is no requirement he have a specific level of income.

Its a real worry for us, as although EI is very different from Social Welfare, we are concerned it may look as though he wont be able to support me (incidentally I have my own funds and have a share in a property being sold also which will help me til I get residency) - the thing is, as we live in a remote-ish part of Canada, there wasnt much in the way of available employment while my husband was laid off.... sorry if this is all rambling but I would REALLY appreciate any help I can get on this topic?
Does Immigration contact Revenue Canada in order to verify applicants statements etc? I ask this because we really would rather just put in last years income and a letter from his boss !

Claiming EI is not an issue. When we sent in our application, my spouse was on EI - and had been for a couple of months. It wasn't an issue. The threshold here is quite low, and I've not heard any direct reports of someone being refused sponsorship. I'm sure it happens, but it's clearly not a big issue.

Immigration will not contact Revenue Canada, because CRA will not disclose that information to them anyway. That is why the sponsor needs to get an original Option 'C' printout.

I've seen spouses without any income or recent employment sponsor their partners quite successfully. All you have to do is convince them that the sponsor will be able to provide for the applicant while the applicant becomes a productive member of society. So a skilled applicant with a history of in-Canada employment isn't likely to look like much of a burden, even for a sponsor who was laid off for some time last year.

In other words: you'll be fine. Just answer the questions and explain why you won't be a burden.