Visitor Visa for Spouse of Canadian Citizen

[vancouverite]

Hi All,
I would like to sponsor my spouse but the embassy in Nairobi Kenya according to the CIC takes 29 months to process a spousal application, that is more than two years! My question is a generic one for all countries whose spousal application takes more than a year.

Is there a way to invite your spouse to visit you in Canada? Will I have to apply for a visitot visa for her? If so how long does one usually get a visitor visa for?

Am I able to apply for her immigration as a spouse while she currently holds a visitor visa?

Please advise on this matter, as it is really tough to be seperated for 2.5 years!

Regards

[Patricksgirls]

From what I understand it is really hard to get a visitor visa once you are married and apply because there will be fear of overstay. 2.5 years does seem like forever and you have to wonder how they (CIC) expect us to keep our relationship current with that much separation.

[CharlieD10]

Kingston, Jamaica's current timeline is 18 months.  I applied for a TRV to visit my spouse, and was denied.  It is VERY hard for a spouse from a non-visa exempt country to be granted a TRV, they need strong proof of ties to their home country to overcome the fact that their spouse is in Canada. 

If she currently holds a TRV, then yes, she can use it to visit you during the processing period, but there is no guarantee she will be allowed to enter the country.  Ensure she has a return ticket and plenty of evidence that she is expected to return home, like a letter from her employer stating how long she has been given time off for, and when she is expected to return to work.  If she is enrolled in school, get a letter stating when she is expected to resume classes, have and be prepared to show proof of payment for said classes.  Anything and everything that shows she is expected to return home after her visit will be good for her to take with her.  If she is given permission to enter the country, it is unlikely to be for more than a month, quite likely it will be for less than that.

You can apply for spousal immigration if she already holds a TRV, one thing does not affect the other.

[missmini]

my partner had his visitor visa rejected 3 times - all from the fear that he will not leave Canada; he does not reside in a poor 3rd world country, he has a nice job and i would say that each time we showed stronger proof that he will leave Canada but no one believes u; so u could try once but it's probably waste of time and money

yeah i know some visa offices r sooo sooo slow but don't despair; i read some cases even in very slow offices processed in reasonable time; also during that time u could go and visit ur wife

it's not related to ur question but do u think it's possible maybe for ur wife to go in another place for maybe 1-2 year work/study visa and try to sponsor her from there; or go together in another place for a temporary period (since u r a Canadian citizen u can be outside Canada when u sponsor her; u need to show a little more proof that u r going back to Canada but it's doable); at the end u might end up with ur application done faster and also with the result u wished for (some visa offices have a higher rejection rate than others); check the canadianwoman's story and u will understand

good luck!!

[Baloo]

From what I understand it is really hard to get a visitor visa once you are married and apply because there will be fear of overstay. 2.5 years does seem like forever and you have to wonder how they (CIC) expect us to keep our relationship current with that much separation.

Like you say, overstay is a big issue, so many are rejected.

CIC take the time they take.
Some perverse folk would suggest that it is better for a couple to separate before coming to Canada, I'd suggest that the separation is just part of the challenge of immigration.
Separation is not good, but getting back together is brilliant

[purplenite1]

Hi,

I applied for my husband to come visit twice and got rejected both times. First time they said he didn't have sufficient reason to return to Kenya and then second time they said we didn't have a PR application submitted. We finally gave up that route and applied for PR. We were delaying because of police checks from the US, etc.

Purplenite

[MsMobas]

It took us 6 months, out land from Nairobi. My husband landed last month. There are many others from Nairobi being approved in less than 1 year (some in 4.5 months). I will have to be honest when I say - forget about being approved for a visitor's visa from Nairobi. It has been a waste of hope and money for most applicants.
Just follow the rules, send all they requested, apply out land and you will be surprised at the short time lines. Apply ASAP... waste no time.

[chelley]

The timelines currently provided are timelines that 80% of the cases are processed within... Meaning that the large majority of the cases are processed in that time or less, some in much less... They used to break it out (20% in x months, 50% in y months and 80% in z months but I guess that became too problematic and they just went with the upper threshold...)

If your case is strong, your evidence concise and well organized, you should anticipate a timeline at least half of what is stated... Case in point, while Charlie mentioned that Kingston timelines are 18m, most people from our little group (a fair sample of a few dozen) get thru in 7-8m, some less (we went through in less than 5)...

As mentioned tRVs are difficult to obtain for spouses, but there are always exceptions, so if you believe your circumstances are out of the ordinary, it might be worth a shot...

Good luck