How to sponsor my swedish wife to Canada ? ..plz help us out !

[Mark27]

Hi,

I need a confirmation as I am a Canadian citizen and I am a little confused about the whole sponsorship application. My wife is from Sweden and We've been together for a year and got engaged while I was living in Sweden and she came down Canada and we got married over here. she is currently living in Sweden and plans on coming back here on a international experience working holiday visa for year. We have come to the point were the application process is looking difficult for us to fill out.


Here is my questions:

1. apply from outside Canada for a PR (in Sweden), or inside?

2. she'll be staying here on a international experience working holiday visa issued from Sweden. So, Which of the two should I start with first : Sponsorship or Permanent Residence Applications when she's here ?


3. Which one has faster processing time?


4. In last please tell me step by step what we (My wife and I) have to do from beginning, I dont want to make any mistake with filling out these type of paperworks, or do you think that is better we file our case with a immigration lawyer ?

Once again thank you and I appreciate all the help I can get

Mark

 

[ldjames]

Hi Mark- there will likely be somebody more senior and knowledgeable than myself along in a bit to help out but here are some general points:

1. apply from outside Canada for a PR (in Sweden), or inside?

It can be a little confusing but you can apply as Outland even when your partner is within Canada on an IEC visa as she is still a resident of Sweden. There are pros and cons to Inland vs Outland applications but I would highly recommend reading the very top thread on this forum (it's pinned to the top) where Leon outlines some of these in good detail in the first post.

2. she'll be staying here on a international experience working holiday visa issued from Sweden. So, Which of the two should I start with first : Sponsorship or Permanent Residence Applications when she's here ?

You can certainly start collecting everything for your application now, with all the forms and testimonials it can take 3-4 weeks to get everything together and feel comfortable that your application is complete. The wait can be pretty long so, unless there is anything preventing you from doing so, you should aim to submit the application as soon as you can.

You can apply Outland while your spouse is still in Sweden without it causing any problems to her entering on the IEC.

3. Which one has faster processing time?

At the moment Inland is listed as 14 months and Outland (via London visa office) just under 11 months. As a married couple with a spouse from a visa exempt country you could reasonably expect an Outland application to be complete before her IEC visa runs out if the start date is relatively close to the date you apply.

4. In last please tell me step by step what we (My wife and I) have to do from beginning, I dont want to make any mistake with filling out these type of paperworks, or do you think that is better we file our case with a immigration lawyer ?

There is a very thorough guide to an application layout in a thread here, and also checklists on the CIC site :
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/how-i-organized-our-applcation-and-a-summary-of-all-helpful-tips-i-have-learned-t92449.0.html

If you are planning on applying within the next few months* I would recommend starting by requesting the necessary police checks for your wife as these can take upwards of a few weeks to arrive.

*Police checks need to be within three months of the day your application is received.

An immigration lawyer really depends on how straight-forward your case is. Do you and your partner have any dependents? Assuming you don't, as a married couple from a visa exempt country you should be able to find everything you need yourself to convince CIC of the authenticity of your relationship.

Lastly, am I correct to think that you are back in Canada? If you are not living in Canada when you apply you need to provide evidence of a plan to return and support yourself.

All the best!

 

[SchnookoLoly]

Hello!

Congrats on your marriage.

Going to answer your questions in a different order than you asked... a lot of this research you should be able to do yourself, most of these answers I've found by going to Google but I'm feeling helpful today.

Question 3: Processing time

It depends on if you apply inland vs outland.

Outland:
Stage 1: Currently, sponsor approval takes 55 days (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp)
Stage 2: Applications for Swedish Nationals get processed in London (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/apply-where.asp), and London is one of the quickest offices for processing, with 80% of applications completed within 8 months of their receipt of the application.
That means total processing time is likely to be about 10ish months, give or take.

Inland:
Stage 1: 6 months (same link as above)
Stage 2: 8 months
Total processing time is about 14ish months, give or take.

In this case, for you, outland would be faster.

Question 1: Inland vs Outland

There are pros and cons to applying Inland vs Outland, so really this decision is up to you.

Inland:
Pros: your wife can receive a work permit after sponsor approval, which takes about 6 months (according to the website). If you get called for an interview, your interview will be held in Canada.
Cons: your wife cannot travel outside of Canada during the time the application is being processed. Her application is only valid as long as she maintains status within Canada; if she is refused entry at the border, or is not able to have a visitor visa extended, then there is a risk that the application is no longer valid. Inland takes longer.

Outland:
Pros: It's faster. Your wife can travel while the application is being processed, there's no requirement to stay within Canada.
Cons: If you get called for an interview, the interview will be in London, and you often aren't given much notice, maybe 2-3 weeks. That can be an expensive last-minute trip. However, few people are called for an interview; if you have a "straight-forward" case, it's highly unlikely you'll be called. You also don't get the work permit after Stage 1 approval, but if she's there on an IEC visa then this probably doesn't matter.

(My instinct would be for you to apply outland, but that's only my opinion based on very little knowledge of your relationship and circumstance.)

Question 2

They are the same application. You'll find all the forms you'll need on CIC's website. You fill out the entire package (it's a lot of paperwork!) and send the whole complete package to Mississauga for Sponsor Approval. Mississauga will then forward the application to the visa office you choose to assess your wife (either Canada or London, depending if you decide to do Inland or Outland). At the end of the process, your wife will be issued a document called Confirmation of Permanent Residency; she'll then need to exit Canada (driving to the US border is fine) and re-enter Canada with her COPR papers in hand and at that point will be officially a Canadian PR.

Question 4

No one is going to give you the step-by-step instructions... the forms can be confusing but really it's not that bad. Most people do the application themselves, and only involve a lawyer if they have complicated situations or don't speak English well. Assuming it's just you and your wife (no kids), you can probably do it yourself.

Start by reading the Immigrant's Guide on the CIC website (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/index.asp, click the appropriate link for Inland or Outland, whichever you decide to do), and read the instruction guide.

Once you start filling out the forms, feel free to post specific questions, people are really good about giving guidance and advice, but no one is going to tell you step by step what to do.

Good luck!

 

[sunsun]

Hi,Mark27..You are lucky got good explanation from 2 members. I still remember when I came in this forum, few members in here gave me lied answers.. When I asked about medical check up, they said I must naked and doctor would checked my "little brother"..I filled out all forms by myself without asking in this forum . Now I see few senior members in here are very helpful..You can ask them and they will give you very good advice..Anyway Good Luck.

 

[Sweden]

Hej Hej!

Velkommen!

to clarify : PR and sponsorship are one and the same process: your wife fills out part of the papers ( the one related to the applicant), you fill out the sponsor part. Then you send BOTH parts together. Pick inland or outland ( but most likely, in your case, outland is a much better option), send follow the guideline, and once you have all the papers together, send it to Mississauga. They will evaluate the sponsor part first (usually a really quick process, it's listed as 55 days but a lot of people get it in 25 days), then send your file to London, and that's another 3 months to 9 months (it takes 9 months to complete 80% of the applications but if you have a straightforward case, it will be completed in less than that).

Your wife can be in Canada and you apply outland. It's legal, and even "encouraged" by CIC if it means that you will get done faster. (which in your case, if you have a straightforward marriage, will probably be the case).

AS stated - you probably won't need a lawyer. Print out the guidelines, and the forms, get an idea of what needs to be done, and come back with questions. most of us have done it without a lawyer, and it's not a problem!

Good luck,
Sweden

 

[AnaMaria]

I would add one more pro to outland application. Outland application retains the right to appeal. Inland application does not have this option.