Got engaged after CoPR/CSQ but before landing

[poporopos]

Hi, Not looking for legal advice, just advice based on people's experience or what they know so I can make some informed decisions.

I have a CSQ which was received in 2018 through Mon Projet Québec and a CoPR which was received last month ordering me to land by February. I was supposed to receive my CoPR in May 2020 but the pandemic suspended everything and, during those 15 months, I met someone in another country, fell in love and got engaged. It is a legit relationship and I am writing this post from her country.

I don't care when the wedding takes place (although I would like to get married as fast as legally possible in case another round of travel restrictions hit), but we do not want to be separated for months or years and the thought of this has me feeling ill. I was warned that if I get married and land now, it's obviously an immigration violation, but if I land as a single person, fly back to her country and get married, we are separated indefinitely while a sponsorship application is being processed. I would have limited ability to see her as I cannot legally live with her or be outside Canada more than 2 out of 5 years or I lose my PR status.

Most advice on English forums are people who got their CoPR through Express Entry which doesn't apply to me. I need to know what will happen if I get married now, inform IRCC and they redo CoPRs for both of us. I assume Québec will need to issue her a CSQ. Is this a massive risk? She doesn't speak French and getting "attestations de travail" could be difficult in her country because of the way the job market works. I don't know what happens if I get married and whether CSQ is guaranteed or if they could fail both of us.

The thought of spousal sponsorship and forcing her to wait outside Canada for a year or more is almost enough to make me not want to land, but since we are already in different countries without legal ability to live in each other's country, there isn't much choice but to go along with this.

Canada doesn't do fiancé visa like the US. I read she will almost never be issued a tourist visa to visit me as there is no way to convince an officer she would leave Canada if she's visiting her spouse. And I'm legally not allowed to live with her or I lose PR. It sounds pretty cruel to me and I'm shocked Canada doesn't offer any other option.

 

[frange]

Depending on the stream you got your CSQ: points system or PEQ.

For PEQ, check the requirements, I would encourage you to add her now even it will take longer.

For Point System:
I would land first and go back to marry him/her OR you marry him/her and start all over again from CSQ to federal. Due to your change of matrimonial status ( Single-to- Couple), there will be a full re-assessment of your file which can take months to process specifically (CSQ) which is the worst part. It's almost look like starting from scratch since the federal will send you back to Quebec before they take over if you still meet Quebec requirements for CSQ. This full re-assessment can lead to a rejection if you don't meet CSQ requirements as couple since you are not single anymore.

NB: Due to uncertainty of the process, If I were you , I would finish this process first then marry her right after landing even take the next plane back to his/her country. I know separation always hurt couples but it's worth to finish this process before you marry her/him.

 

[poporopos]

Understood. Yup, I did the points system and I barely made it. I was homeschooled until university and couldn’t provide transcripts so they rejected all my education except my university degree. Then I couldn’t get work certificates due to companies going bankrupt. I speak French very well and scored a C1. Honestly that pushes me like three points or so past the requirement and I narrowly got in.

I thought maybe CSQ was extended to spouses but if they evaluate her, she will fail. Much better to just suck it up and do sponsorship.

 

[frange]

I thought maybe CSQ was extended to spouses but if they evaluate her, she will fail. Much better to just suck it up and do sponsorship.

No, it doesn't work like that, they have different way to assess couples and single person since , in a couple, everyone brings points in each category. They both have advantages and disadvantages. For you specifically it could be clearly a disadvantage due to your past experience with them.

One of my friends got a rejection in 2016 since he did what you were thinking to do. His maximum point accumulated after the reassessment was under total required for a couple.

NB:
Be careful....If you marry her/him and not declare the marriage;
1- Inability to sponsor your wife/spouse in the future
2- Misrepresentation: Your PR status can be canceled at anytime in the future even if you become Canadian citizen afterwards. You got your citizenship based on your PR status which is the primary requirement. And your PR status has gotten on a fraudulent declaration based which is misrepresentation( single versus couple).
If your PR status is canceled based on fraudulent declaration, subsequently, all the benefits you got from it are also void at the same time( citizenship, PR for family and relatives) even for your family sponsorship if there was.

FYI.

 

[bleachedaxe]

Hi, Not looking for legal advice, just advice based on people's experience or what they know so I can make some informed decisions.

I have a CSQ which was received in 2018 through Mon Projet Québec and a CoPR which was received last month ordering me to land by February. I was supposed to receive my CoPR in May 2020 but the pandemic suspended everything and, during those 15 months, I met someone in another country, fell in love and got engaged. It is a legit relationship and I am writing this post from her country.

I don't care when the wedding takes place (although I would like to get married as fast as legally possible in case another round of travel restrictions hit), but we do not want to be separated for months or years and the thought of this has me feeling ill. I was warned that if I get married and land now, it's obviously an immigration violation, but if I land as a single person, fly back to her country and get married, we are separated indefinitely while a sponsorship application is being processed. I would have limited ability to see her as I cannot legally live with her or be outside Canada more than 2 out of 5 years or I lose my PR status.

Most advice on English forums are people who got their CoPR through Express Entry which doesn't apply to me. I need to know what will happen if I get married now, inform IRCC and they redo CoPRs for both of us. I assume Québec will need to issue her a CSQ. Is this a massive risk? She doesn't speak French and getting "attestations de travail" could be difficult in her country because of the way the job market works. I don't know what happens if I get married and whether CSQ is guaranteed or if they could fail both of us.

The thought of spousal sponsorship and forcing her to wait outside Canada for a year or more is almost enough to make me not want to land, but since we are already in different countries without legal ability to live in each other's country, there isn't much choice but to go along with this.

Canada doesn't do fiancé visa like the US. I read she will almost never be issued a tourist visa to visit me as there is no way to convince an officer she would leave Canada if she's visiting her spouse. And I'm legally not allowed to live with her or I lose PR. It sounds pretty cruel to me and I'm shocked Canada doesn't offer any other option.

You can marry, and add her as non accompanying too. That’s what I did, and didn’t have to go through the recalculation process. Once you have your PR, you can sponsor her after.

 

[poporopos]

You can marry, and add her as non accompanying too.

I think you may have misunderstood me. I already received my CoPR so there is no way to add her. As frange said, I cannot get married now because I would have to report it and send the CoPR back to IRCC and Québec and get a recalculation of points which would mean we both fail. Obviously, if I don't report it, it is immigration fraud. The only option open to me is to land with the CoPR as a single person. Once the CoPR is validated and I am PR officially, I can marry whenever I want and no need to notify IRCC since I will have "landed"