Family sponsor or visitor visa?

[singviet]

Hi all,

I'm a Canadian citizen, and my wife is from Vietnam. We both live and work in Singapore. I want to bring her to Canada to meet my family for Christmas, and am wondering what's the best approach for her to obtain a visitor visa (we'll be staying ~ 1 month and then coming back to Singapore).

Completing the eTA travel form online, it gave us two options:

• Family Class: Spouses, Partners and Dependents (Outside Canada) --- Me apply as her sponsor first
• Visitors/Tourists - under 6 months: You may be eligible to come to Canada as a visitor/ tourist. --- Her apply for the visitor visa directly
  

Which approach would be better? Can I even apply as her sponsor since we don't currently live in Canada?

Appreciate any advice!

 

[scylla]

Yes - you can apply to sponsor her for PR even though you are living outside of Canada. However there is no chance this application will be approved by December. Additionally, you cannot apply as her sponsor first - you must submit both the sponsor and applicant sections of the application package together. Also, to be approved, you will have to demonstrate that you plan to relocate to Canada to live here once her PR visa has been approved.

If you apply for a visitor visa, there is certainly a chance it may be approved in time for Christmas. However do not book flights until the visa has been approved. There is a high rate of refusals for spouses of Canadian citizens / permanent residents.

 

[mikeymyke]

Hello,

My wife is also from Vietnam. When she applied for a visitor visa (see my signature), she was married to me at the time, and also had a sponsorship application pending. She got approved for a multiple entry visa for the life of her passport. While it is difficult for spouses to get approved for a visitor visa, it's definitely not impossible. It's just that you will have to prove she will return home and not overstay.

Since you only plan for just staying a month, just apply as a visitor. Send as many documents as you can to prove she has stronger ties back home.

The only thing I can see that might be a problem is if she's not a permanent resident or citizen of Singapore. I've seen many refusals due to "immigration status", meaning the applicant is only a temporary worker, or non-PR / non-citizen of the country they're currently living in, which implies that they feel a person without permanent status is less likely to return home.