Spousal sponsorship

[zardoz]

Hello, I am a canadian citizen, and want to sponsor my spouse from another country, I am confused, because it says n the government site, that I should send his application for permanant residence along with my application for sponsorship. However, my husband told me he thinks he is supposed to apply for the permanant residence card from where he lives, AFTER I have had my sponsorship application approved. And that he cannot apply for the permanant residence card until the sponsorship app is approved. I thought I send it all together at the same time from where I live, am I wrong?

From the CIC website. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-apply-how.asp

There are two steps to the application process for your spouse, partner or children to become permanent residents.

1) As a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you must apply to sponsor your family member.
Your sponsorship application is processed by a Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Canada.
You will be notified in writing by the CPC about the decision on your sponsorship application.

2l Your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children must apply for permanent residence.

The applications for both sponsorship and permanent residence should be filled out and sent at the same time.

 

[agarand8]

Hello,

I have been looking all over the Govt website and I cant seem to find the answer. They ask for photocopies of my Canadian Passport or Canadian Birth Certificate and also my husbands Costa Rican Passport. They specify that anything that needs to be translated we should provide a certified copy of the original, but these three documents would not need to be translated, do I need to have the photocopies certified for these documents as well?

Also not posted anywhere on the website...they want photos of everything, is there a standard amount of photos that would be acceptable...ex:25 per question..., or is it better to send pretty much everything that you have? Right now I've got 201 photos that go with the questions on the sponsored spouse questionnaire but they say "provide any additional details of your current relationship...blah blah" So I was thinking about adding more pictures of more recent events that have taken place, moving into a rental house together, my birthday party, etc etc. How much is too much? Have I already gone overboard with 200 pictures?

Thanks.

 

[Daisyd5]

Hi Aragano

You don't need to certify the photocopies of passport.
Also 200 is quite a bit of pics... It's best to put a little less butler variety ( wedding, Dating, with family, in the apartment) basically pics of your whole relationship so that you prove there is a story there, a history. My immigration lawyer also had close friends and family's write letters ( we sent 3 in all)that we included attesting to our relationship and how much we love each others. Wedding cards we received, receipts of travel we did to see each other or together, receipts of gifts exchanged, receipts of long distance bills to call each other, pictures of text messages we sent to each other that show our love...

The more proof the better

 

[Catou]

Hello,

I have been looking all over the Govt website and I cant seem to find the answer. They ask for photocopies of my Canadian Passport or Canadian Birth Certificate and also my husbands Costa Rican Passport. They specify that anything that needs to be translated we should provide a certified copy of the original, but these three documents would not need to be translated, do I need to have the photocopies certified for these documents as well?

Also not posted anywhere on the website...they want photos of everything, is there a standard amount of photos that would be acceptable...ex:25 per question..., or is it better to send pretty much everything that you have? Right now I've got 201 photos that go with the questions on the sponsored spouse questionnaire but they say "provide any additional details of your current relationship...blah blah" So I was thinking about adding more pictures of more recent events that have taken place, moving into a rental house together, my birthday party, etc etc. How much is too much? Have I already gone overboard with 200 pictures?

Thanks.

200 photos is probably too many. What they need are photos of the two of you together at various events over the years. They want to see you both together as a couple with other people. They also want to see the progression of time, which means photos taken across the period you have been together. However, they are only looking for a sample to illustrate your answers. They don't want everything.

I put in a lot more photos than many people do but that is only because we have been together a long time. I included one significant photo for each year we have been together, a couple of photos of us enjoying a sport we share, plus a selection of our wedding and reception photos. Even so, these came to 30 photos all up.

 

[agarand8]

200 photos is probably too many. What they need are photos of the two of you together at various events over the years. They want to see you both together as a couple with other people. They also want to see the progression of time, which means photos taken across the period you have been together. However, they are only looking for a sample to illustrate your answers. They don't want everything.

I put in a lot more photos than many people do but that is only because we have been together a long time. I included one significant photo for each year we have been together, a couple of photos of us enjoying a sport we share, plus a selection of our wedding and reception photos. Even so, these came to 30 photos all up.

Thanks for the info. We only have been together 2 years 7 months, and only have been married 5 months. Also we were physically together for 2.5 months, then long distance for 2 years with only one visit, and now we are together again for 5 months and continuing. So we dont have so many years to account for and therefore maybe we need to be more convincing in proving our relationship? I can prove the visit, I have 16 pages of Skype call history from those 2 years apart, I have western union receipts, then pictures from the beginning of our relationship, the wedding, the reception, the honeymoon, and from the time I visited. Oh and pictures of the dogs because one was a gift from him to me. So I'm thinking all of this should sufficiently prove the relationship without a problem. Do you agree?

Another unrelated question I just thought of... on the sponsored spouse questionaire there is the interpreters declaration. Am I allowed to also be the interpreter? My husband doesnt speak english. I have filled out all of the forms and explained and went through them all with him so he knows whats all there but just wondered if its maybe not allowed or if its frowned upon for the sponsor to be the interpreter.

 

[frege]

Ohh and they just refused to give my formal pr status back because for 12 years I did not put any effort into trying to get back to Canada, never went even for a visit (just in April to my husband) so they didn't see my intensions to get back at all.... So how would they refuse my sponsorship application a few months later saying that I am only using a Canadian to get into the country? ??? So I am SORRY for being hysterical and sounding like an idiot :-[

That's exactly the point I tried to make!

I understand why it's all been so confusing. I think you'll be fine with your sponsorship application. You probably don't need to do anything in particular to make it look better. Based on the evidence you already have, I'd say, just do whatever you want to do and the application will be okay.

It's really unpleasant to have to open your life up to a stranger this way just so Canada can keep out a handful of dishonest people. It's something you go through and then forget about once it's over, but it feels really unfair that you have to go through it while you're doing it. My wife and I didn't have any real problems, and still we hated it, and felt the whole process was unfair. We value our privacy, but apparently if you're of different nationalities you have no right to that. Being on the forum has of course made me realize it's been far worse for others.

I question whether the process needs to be the way it is. But we don't regret being able to be in the country we chose. It was going to be either go through it in Canada or go through it in Britain anyway, and we had reasons to prefer Canada.

 

[Leon]

My wife and I didn't have any real problems, and still we hated it, and felt the whole process was unfair. We value our privacy, but apparently if you're of different nationalities you have no right to that. Being on the forum has of course made me realize it's been far worse for others.

I question whether the process needs to be the way it is. But we don't regret being able to be in the country we chose. It was going to be either go through it in Canada or go through it in Britain anyway, and we had reasons to prefer Canada.

It's all about identifying fake marriages and not approving people for PR who are doing that. Of course that still doesn't prevent all fake marriage and also gets people denied who really love each other. Immigration officers can be very intrusive and even rude sometimes. I ever heard of one who suggested to a husband during an interview that his wife's baby may not be his.

 

[frege]

It's all about identifying fake marriages and not approving people for PR who are doing that. Of course that still doesn't prevent all fake marriage and also gets people denied who really love each other. Immigration officers can be very intrusive and even rude sometimes. I ever heard of one who suggested to a husband during an interview that his wife's baby may not be his.

I seem to recall that questioning a wife about who fathered her unborn child, and then breaking any bad news to the husband to see if he still wants to go through with it, is mentioned specifically in the U.S. procedures. Both the U.S. and Canadian rules say they can ask explicit sexual questions. There's a certain sadistic side to this whole business that seems an anomaly in 2013. It's as if the rule book had been written to satisfy the needs of twisted individuals who chose one of the few jobs where you still hold such tremendous sway over another person's life.

The only thing that makes it bearable is that the vast majority of us are lucky and never face anything like this. I wish I could say being a legitimate couple protects you, but reading appeal cases demonstrates otherwise.

Hungary, sorry for the rant. I'm not saying this to dissuade you. You've got only a minuscule chance of any of this ever happening to you, no more than we did.

 

[Hungary]

I seem to recall that questioning a wife about who fathered her unborn child, and then breaking any bad news to the husband to see if he still wants to go through with it, is mentioned specifically in the U.S. procedures. Both the U.S. and Canadian rules say they can ask explicit sexual questions. There's a certain sadistic side to this whole business that seems an anomaly in 2013. It's as if the rule book had been written to satisfy the needs of twisted individuals who chose one of the few jobs where you still hold such tremendous sway over another person's life.

The only thing that makes it bearable is that the vast majority of us are lucky and never face anything like this. I wish I could say being a legitimate couple protects you, but reading appeal cases demonstrates otherwise.

Hungary, sorry for the rant. I'm not saying this to dissuade you. You've got only a minuscule chance of any of this ever happening to you, no more than we did.

Wow, questioning the baby's father this is unbelievable. My husband would have started to shout with red face in anger and jealousy :-[
Somehow I see their point of trying to keep people with wrong intensions out of the country.

Frege, I understand you didn't write all this to scare me, neither Leon. Its better to know what could happen in the worst case...
Anyways if we have to face the worst case, my husband will sell everything right away and move here or to England. England obviously because I want him to feel comfortable with the language. So we wont EVER let CIC break us apart. And you know what, if they force us to end up in a situation like this, after we are settled I am going to send a photo living HAPPILY together and earning taxes to England or Hungary.

Oh and Frege, now I understand your point, you were trying to put into my thick head i was freaked out and never understood :-[ but I realized it on my own after a while

 

[Leon]

Anyways if we have to face the worst case, my husband will sell everything right away and move here or to England. England obviously because I want him to feel comfortable with the language. So we wont EVER let CIC break us apart. And you know what, if they force us to end up in a situation like this, after we are settled I am going to send a photo living HAPPILY together and earning taxes to England or Hungary.

Yes, that is the spirit. I think we told you from the start that if you were to win your old PR status back that you might have a problem with the status of the children but it should not affect your sponsorship application because you had actually filed it before you knew about your old PR status.

So as you have identified, what would be the worst possible outcome? That you might have to live in Hungary or the UK or some other European country for a couple of years? And this would be so bad? So you see, you have really nothing to worry about. It will take time, it will cost money, it will be stressful but in the end, you will be together, somewhere.

 

[Hungary]

Yes, that is the spirit. I think we told you from the start that if you were to win your old PR status back that you might have a problem with the status of the children but it should not affect your sponsorship application because you had actually filed it before you knew about your old PR status.

So as you have identified, what would be the worst possible outcome? That you might have to live in Hungary or the UK or some other European country for a couple of years? And this would be so bad? So you see, you have really nothing to worry about. It will take time, it will cost money, it will be stressful but in the end, you will be together, somewhere.

Exactly yeeessssss i can see and understand finally, that this all immigration stuff is just one option to get together and IF they would find out some stupid obstacle like the lack of visit or whatever well..... I live in the very center or Europe, part of the EU so actually we do have a lot of other alternatives my husband is a skill worker, very talented in his occupation so he could even work right here in Austria to a company the same way as half Hungary is working there as well...
Ohh i don't even know why did I see everything so black and white, why was I concentrating on this immigration soooo bad, why was I sooo stressful etc. I am so relieved!!! And basically I can thank to YOU guys here, opening my eyes :-*

 

[frege]

So we wont EVER let CIC break us apart.

Good! That's the most important thing. Don't overestimate the likelihood that they will try to do this!

Anyways if we have to face the worst case, my husband will sell everything right away and move here or to England. England obviously because I want him to feel comfortable with the language.

I visited Hungary once for a day. I've been to many countries in Europe, and it was the one where I thought the language barrier was the greatest. I didn't meet anybody who had a language in common with me, except one ticket inspector on a train who spoke French. I've since been told that if I'd visited Budapest, things would have been different.

 

[Hungary]

I visited Hungary once for a day. I've been to many countries in Europe, and it was the one where I thought the language barrier was the greatest. I didn't meet anybody who had a language in common with me, except one ticket inspector on a train who spoke French. I've since been told that if I'd visited Budapest, things would have been different.

Oh you poor thing, it could have been annoying for you when was this? And which city did you visited if I may ask?
The fact is that Hungary's history in the XX. Century , especially since the second Word War determined the required languages thought at school. As the formals Soviet Union occupied Hungary the first foreign language became to be Russian and only the very highly educated people learnt a third language which was mainly German. So as a matter of fact people at their middle ages today (like 40 years old) still studied Russian at school and never had the chance to study another one. Some of them, teachers, doctors, or business people took courses as a grown adult to study German or English though, paying the fees on their own...
Only after 1990 , when we became independent from Soviet Union , got the first chance to study languages like French, English, Italian and even Spanish at school. So even I was one of the first student attending elementary school who had the free choice of choosing my second language. And I just turned 30 a week ago. Oh and at high school I could choose a third language as well, which was French
But basically Hungarians choose English and German languages right at the age of 6.

Probably you already known all of this, I just felt like writing it if you plan to visit Hungary again, don't miss Budapest though reminds me of Prague. Beautiful.

 

[frege]

Oh you poor thing, it could have been annoying for you when was this? And which city did you visited if I may ask?
The fact is that Hungary's history in the XX. Century , especially since the second Word War determined the required languages thought at school. As the formals Soviet Union occupied Hungary the first foreign language became to be Russian and only the very highly educated people learnt a third language which was mainly German. So as a matter of fact people at their middle ages today (like 40 years old) still studied Russian at school and never had the chance to study another one. Some of them, teachers, doctors, or business people took courses as a grown adult to study German or English though, paying the fees on their own...
Only after 1990 , when we became independent from Soviet Union , got the first chance to study languages like French, English, Italian and even Spanish at school. So even I was one of the first student attending elementary school who had the free choice of choosing my second language. And I just turned 30 a week ago. Oh and at high school I could choose a third language as well, which was French
But basically Hungarians choose English and German languages right at the age of 6.

Probably you already known all of this, I just felt like writing it if you plan to visit Hungary again, don't miss Budapest though reminds me of Prague. Beautiful.

I was just travelling through from Romania through Hungary and Slovakia to Krakow, so I don't remember the names of the places, unfortunately. But the places would be along the train lines. It was ten years ago, and I spent half a day there.

Well, the people I met in Hungary didn't speak English, French or Russian, except for the one I mentioned who spoke French, and I don't speak German, unfortunately. In Bulgaria, they spoke Russian, and in Romania French and sometimes English. In Poland, young people often spoke English and most people understood Russian but answered in Polish. I spent a whole week in Poland, so I tried learning some Polish for that part of the trip. In Poland, they could tell my Russian was accented, so they probably assumed I was from some hard-to-pin-down Eastern European country and I had learned it in school, just as they had. The Czech Republic was similar to Poland, but with more English and less Russian.

I did think people were quite friendly and willing to help in Hungary. More so than in other countries, probably, even with the language barrier.

Edit: Looking at a railway map, I think the place I walked around and had dinner was most likely Miskolc.

 

[urgr8]

Question: What documents main applicant should take it to IOM - Migration Health Assessment Center - Karachi, besides passport ?