Bringing my GF to Canada: is marriage the only option?

[Lele33]

Hi @Lele33

I'm currently going through a similar situation. My husband and I are about to send in an Inland application with the OWP which means I'm here in Canada unable to work until we send the application and await a (hopefully!) successful OWP application.

The best advice I can give you is to make the best of the situation (if you do choose to go down the marriage/inland route) I've worked or studied consistently since I was 17 (I'm now 33) so I'm just enjoying the 'time off' as it were. If she's a creative type maybe she could draw/write/craft or whatever? You can explore on a thrifty budget! Maybe she could set up an Instagram and try to take a photo every day? She could pick up a new hobby, visit a local library....there's quite a few options that don't require much cash

Good luck!
James

Oh for sure, she's a sociable person, she'll find something to do. Four months is a reasonable waiting time.
Plus she really wanna get a driver's license apparently... beware!

 

[russ6970]

Well, if they want to become common law, they will need to live together for 12 months after she entered with her TRV. She can extend her visitor status to establish common law. BUT she cannot work as a visitor.

The OWP option is only available after they have became common law and submitted a complete common law sponsorship application with the OWP. So assuming everything goes perfect, she could get OWP in roughly 12 + 4 months.

I understand that she can't work, but it is still an option and that is why I presented it.

 

[ppeg]

Hi all,
I'm in a LDR with a girl from Hong Kong, but I'm now sure she's the one, so of course I wanna live with her, which means bringing her to Canada.
The situation is the following:

- I am currently a PR, expecting to become citizen within the next year (I already applied).
- She's 34, too old to apply for IEC (working holiday).
- She doesn't have any useful degree to apply for a work visa from home.
- We cannot live together for a year and become common law because I'm not willing to drop my job and move to her country (to do what? and how?). For the same reason she cannot come here as a visitor with no income.
- If I understand correctly, Conjugal Sponsorship is not an option, because "technically" nothing prevent us from moving together, other than our will to not lose our jobs without a valid backup alternative.

Three questions:
1) Did I understand correctly about the Conjugal?
2) Is marriage the only option here or there's something else I can look into?
3) Once we marry, how long before she can move here and be able to work?

Thank you for your help!

We are experiencing everything exactly the same as your story, ( Canada/ HK), too old for IEC, cannot apply work visa.. , so want to have some sharing from you, I just read your post today , and wonder after so long time , did you make any decision to make you live together ? did you take TRV as a choice ? since we also think about TRV and extend the visit Visitor then make us to live together for 12 months and able to apply common law .
Thanks

 

[steaky]

We are experiencing everything exactly the same as your story, ( Canada/ HK), too old for IEC, cannot apply work visa.. , so want to have some sharing from you, I just read your post today , and wonder after so long time , did you make any decision to make you live together ? did you take TRV as a choice ? since we also think about TRV and extend the visit Visitor then make us to live together for 12 months and able to apply common law .
Thanks

At 34, how do you not making any money in Hong Kong?

 

[ppeg]

At 34, how do you not making any money in Hong Kong?

It is not much about money , it is about how to make us live together
I can’t see the point of your question