In UK but looking to return to Canada with husband

[katieandcarl]

Hi,

Hope someone here can help. I'm getting a bit confused, I've been reading so much information.

I'm a Canadian Citizen by birth. I've ben living in the UK for 11 years. 2 on a working holiday maker visa and 9 as a permanent resident after marrying my husband who is a british citizen.

I now want to sponsor my husband to immigrate to Canada with me.
From what I have read I can do this from the UK.
A few questions I have at the minute are...

1/ I understand that with the spousal sponsorship there is no requirement for proof of funds? But how will this work if I'm applying when not living in Canada? Will I as sponsor be required to show that I can provide for him when we return to canada?
2/ Will I need to return to canada at any point without him to complete the process?
3/ Will the fact that I am a permanent resident in the UK as result of marriage have any sway with the Canadian immigration as to the genuineness (is that a word) of our marriage.
4/ Finally, the fact that we have been married for 9 years, will we still need to provide information and proof about when we were dating?

Thanks ssssooo much for any answers.




Katie

 

[Leon]

1. When applying from outside Canada, you only have to provide some plans that you will be moving to Canada when he gets his PR. Those could be having a job offer, acceptance to university, having arranged housing or at the very least letters from some relatives stating that they know of your plans to move to Canada and will help you find jobs and housing or let you stay with them until you find a place of your own. You do not have to show funds or income.

2. No, you will not have to return to Canada without him at any point.

3. Probably. It's a long time to be married if it had been a fake marriage. I don't think you will have any problems with that.

4. You can send a couple of pics from the time you were dating, tell them how you met. I think the amount of time speaks for itself.

 

[MikeUK]

Hi katieandcarl!

Our cases are somewhat similar it seems. I'm a Canadian living in the UK for the last 6 years (2 on holidaymaker and 4 on HSMP) and I want to sponsor my British wife via the embassy here in London so we can move to Canada.

1) There are absolutely no fund requirements in spousal sponsorship. You don't need to show your ability to provide for him, but as Leon said you will need to show proof that you intend to live in Canada. This one always struck me as odd because why on earth would anyone put themselves through this process, spend months collecting various documents and pay over $1k in fees if they never intended to actually go to Canada!

2) You'll send your initial application to Canada (Mississauga) but beyond that everything will be done in London. All of your police checks, medicals and (if necessary) interviews will be done in London so no need to go to Canada until you're both ready to relocate.

3) I can't see how being married for 9 years could negatively impact your application in terms of how genuine your relationship is. If you were married for the sole purpose of obtaining permanent residence in the UK, you could have done that already and gotten divorced. The fact that you're still together I think lends credence to the fact that your marriage is genuine.

4) You wouldn't NEED to...but as Leon says if you have any pics or communications from the early days of your relationship definitely include them. As with all of my visa applications in the UK we've decided to err on the side of caution and send in bloody everything we could get our hands on. It's a lot of work, but it has paid off for me in the past here in the UK and fingers crossed that it will pay off for us in our Canadian application.

Best of luck!
Mike

 

[Leon]

As for point 1) there are some people who apply for the PR for the spouse to keep in their back pocket in case they have a sudden urge to move to Canada I suppose. There are also people who do this who are in the US trying to immigrate there and want to have insurance in case their immigration in the US falls through and then they can go to Canada instead of returning to their homeland. However, the latter group will lose their PR if they fail to live in Canada for 2/5 years while spouses of Canadians will keep their PR as long as they are accompanying their Canadian spouse overseas. I guess Canada doesn't like giving PR to people to keep forever and ever if they don't plan to live in Canada.

 

[katieandcarl]

Many thanks for all the answers, you have certainly reassured me a lot.

I've looked at all the forms and I think that I understand a lot of the information that is required.

What are the benefits of using a representive to submit your application? Would someone like me who (hopefully) has a straightforward case get any benefit from using a representive?

Thanks

Katie

 

[MikeUK]

What are the benefits of using a representive to submit your application? Would someone like me who (hopefully) has a straightforward case get any benefit from using a representive?

I guess the major benefit is time savings and having a seasoned professional who knows exactly what to say for the best chance of getting approved with minimal hassle. I see the use of a representative as a safety net - someone to help you with the tricky bits. With a straightforward application I would definitely say do it yourself and save the cash...and if you encounter any problems along the way you can always come back here. I've received some excellent advice from the more seasoned members here.

 

[katieandcarl]

Thanks Mike that kinda what I was thinking.

PS Are you planning on applying for your UK citizenship before going back to Canada?

 

[angelbrat]

Many thanks for all the answers, you have certainly reassured me a lot.

I've looked at all the forms and I think that I understand a lot of the information that is required.

What are the benefits of using a representive to submit your application? Would someone like me who (hopefully) has a straightforward case get any benefit from using a representive?

Thanks

Katie

Personally, I wouldn't bother, you seem to have a straight forward case. Research everything you can before application, double check your application and you should be fine.

 

[MikeUK]

Thanks Mike that kinda what I was thinking.

PS Are you planning on applying for your UK citizenship before going back to Canada?

Hi Katie,

No I'm not going to bother for now. If we ever decide to come back, I'll just apply for spousal sponsorship coming back the other way. ;D

Mike