Visa renewal vs spousal sponsorship ?

[messiry]

Hi Everyone, a close friend of mine had the question below, thought it's best to get advice from the group:

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for advice regarding my situation and possible options moving forward.

I'm an Egyptian citizen holding a Canadian visitor visa valid until December 2025.

I've visited Canada twice already and complied fully with the terms of my visa.

I recently got married to an Egyptian/Canadian citizen. We're legally married in Egypt.

Our plan is to be able to travel freely between Egypt and Canada, not to permanently immigrate in the short term.

However, Quebec's sponsorship applications are currently closed until June 2026, so we can't apply for spousal sponsorship yet.

I'm concerned that if I apply to renew or extend my visitor visa, it might get rejected due to my now even stronger ties to Canada, which might raise concerns for the immigration officer about my intention to return to Egypt.

My questions:

What are my best options to maintain legal ability to enter Canada after December 2025?

Would it help if I presented strong evidence of ties to Egypt (job, property, etc.) with my visa renewal?

Any risk in applying for visa renewal before expiry (e.g., around mid-2025) versus waiting?

Any alternative legal pathways I may have missed?

Would appreciate any shared experience or expert input! Thank you.

 

[armoured]

Our plan is to be able to travel freely between Egypt and Canada, not to permanently immigrate in the short term.

However, Quebec's sponsorship applications are currently closed until June 2026, so we can't apply for spousal sponsorship yet.

If your plan is not to permanently immigrate, don't apply for permanent residence.

Apply when that is your intention.

I'm concerned that if I apply to renew or extend my visitor visa, it might get rejected due to my now even stronger ties to Canada, which might raise concerns for the immigration officer about my intention to return to Egypt.

My questions:

What are my best options to maintain legal ability to enter Canada after December 2025?

Would it help if I presented strong evidence of ties to Egypt (job, property, etc.) with my visa renewal?

Any risk in applying for visa renewal before expiry (e.g., around mid-2025) versus waiting?

Any alternative legal pathways I may have missed?

Would appreciate any shared experience or expert input! Thank you.

Hard for anyone to say, but if you've already got one, and have visited and left multiple times without issue, and nothing significantly has changed such as employment, your chances of being approved for later long-term TRVs is usually higher.

Yes, strong ties to Egypt will help. I don't know about 'renewal' of a TRV. Ask in the TRV forums.

 

[messiry]

@armoured Thank you, I think the concern is that he received the visa before marriage, now that he is married, the officer would have second thoughts, thinking he will be traveling to stay in Canada permanently, as his wife is a Canadian citizen.

 

[armoured]

@armoured Thank you, I think the concern is that he received the visa before marriage, now that he is married, the officer would have second thoughts, thinking he will be traveling to stay in Canada permanently, as his wife is a Canadian citizen.

I understood that. Not much anyone can say. It is sometimes a concern. If you both live abroad and he's visited and left a few times, then hopefully won't be much of an issue.

Put differently: there are multiple things they consider when deciding whether to issue a trv or not. Having a Canadian spouse is one factor - but not all of them.

 

[canuck78]

@armoured Thank you, I think the concern is that he received the visa before marriage, now that he is married, the officer would have second thoughts, thinking he will be traveling to stay in Canada permanently, as his wife is a Canadian citizen.

In your next TRV application would mention that you have delayed your plans to settle in Quebec because of the spousal sponsorship closure. Would then explain your plans with your spouse including who will work where, how frequently you will be traveling, where you will have homes, etc.

 

[armoured]

In your next TRV application would mention that you have delayed your plans to settle in Quebec because of the spousal sponsorship closure. Would then explain your plans with your spouse including who will work where, how frequently you will be traveling, where you will have homes, etc.

Personally I would NOT mention any plans to settle in Quebec - not until one actually plans to. Linking it to the sponsorship closing makes it sound like "going to come and stay and wait until they open it."

Keep it simple: if not planning to immigrate/settle in next year or more (i.e. nothing concrete), it's a visit. Plans for future can change - don't complicate with things that are not being planned concretely.