WERE TO?

[ZZTIA]

I am planning on marrying my lifelong love. I am a Canadian citizen; she's from Eastern Europe, where I came from 27 years ago. Is it better to have e wedding in Europe or in Canada? What kind of visa will she need? I would like to plan this to minimize the weight period. She doesn't know yet. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[ZZTIA]

nobody knows if it is better to marry in Canada or Europe from the immigration point of view?

[ariell]

ZZTIA: It makes no difference to Canada Immigration if you marry in Canada or Europe. That is personal preference, so as long as you are legally able to marry in either location, just choose the one that suits you best. Keep in mind that if your girlfriend is not currently in Canada and she is not from a visa-exempt country, then she would need to apply for a tourist visa and there is always the possibility that she will be rejected for this. So getting married in Europe may be easier depending on what your circumstances are. Once you are married, you would need to complete the application forms here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp  You will need to complete the sponsorship application, the permanent residence application and the region-specific forms relevant to the country that your wife is from. Good luck!

[SadGirl:(]

ZZTIA, like Ariell said, it makes no difference where you get married.  I'm a Canadian Citizen, but my husband is not.  He's a permanent resident of Sweden, so we chose to get married in Sweden so that we can start the sponsorship application as soon as possible.  If we chose to get married in Canada, my husband would have had to apply for a visitor's visa to come here.  Also, when we got married in Sweden we were able to obtain our marriage certificate right away.

[ZZTIA]

So if she is in Canada with a visitor visa and we get married here, can she stay in Canada until all the formalities are done? I do not want to quit my job and move to Europe until she is allowed in Canada. Statistically, how long does it take to actually reunite husband and wife in these situations?

[ariell]

Statistically, how long does it take to actually reunite husband and wife in these situations?

Completely depends on which visa office you are applying through.  It takes about 1 month for the sponsorship application to approved by the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga. Then the application is sent to visa office in question where processing could take anywhere from 2 to 24 months depending on the office. Timelines are here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/05-fc-spouses.asp

[SadGirl:(]

If she is able to get a temporary resident visa then she can stay in Canada until that visa expires.  Most visitors are allowed to stay in Canada for no more than six months.  However, if she decides that she wants to stay longer than six months she will have to apply for an extention.  To apply for an extention, she must do so at least 30 days before her temporary resident visa expires.

There is more information on the CIC website about Visiting Canada:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp