International teacher in China moving back to Canada with non-Canadian family

[Yoonglai]

Moving back to Canada
Sep. 25th 2011 at 03:37 am EDT
By Yoonglai

Hello,

This is my first post and hello to everyone with similar issues. I am a Canadian citizen with dual (Australian) citizenship who has lived overseas in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Japan and China (where I am currently residing) as an international teacher since 1993. In 2000, I married my current wife, Nid, who is from Thailand, and we have two children. One, 16 (Thai passport), was hers from a previous partner, while the other 11 (Thai and Australian passport), is from us. I am 61 and am ready to go back to Canada next summer as I finish my contract in International teaching. I had earlier applied for Canadian citizenship for a child adopted overseas..(Part 1 sent out in July...no confirmation yet), but am wondering if it is better to just use the family class application. I have several questions:

1. I will be unemployed when I get to Canada, but I do have approx 100 000 USD in savings...can this help towards satisfying financial ability to care for my family? Of course both my wife and I would attempt to acquire employment immediately.

2. If I am granted permissison to sponsor, will my family and wife be permanent residents upon arrival?

3. Any idea how long this process would take before we could enter Canada together?

4. Can we enter as tourists, if the application is not finalized and continue its processing in Canada? i.e. they could come in as temporary residents/visa?

All helpful information would be greatly appreciated.

John

 

[Ryffa_Q]

1. I will be unemployed when I get to Canada, but I do have approx 100 000 USD in savings...can this help towards satisfying financial ability to care for my family? Of course both my wife and I would attempt to acquire employment immediately.
There is no financial conditions to sponsor spouse unless you are moving to Quebec, although your savings would help in proving you can re-establish yourself in canada


2. If I am granted permissison to sponsor, will my family and wife be permanent residents upon arrival?
They would be permanent residents upon landing after the applications are all approved

3. Any idea how long this process would take before we could enter Canada together?
beijing office is quite fast, around 4 months is the published processing time now

4. Can we enter as tourists, if the application is not finalized and continue its processing in Canada? i.e. they could come in as temporary residents/visa?
As thai's, she and her son would need to apply for tourist visa and may or may not be approved, you can apply inland once approved but it takes longer and she may have to leave once tourist visa expires and may not be able to enter again when an interview in canada is required. Since you are a citizen, you can apply outland in beijing and remain with your family till it is approved, you just need to address how you will re-establish yourself and family in canada

go to this website www.cic.ga.ca, tonnes of info relating to your queries

[/quote]

 

[Ryffa_Q]

another thing, you can apply for your 2nd child's as canadian by descent i.e.born to canadian father, i think...maybe the senior can help on this,

 

[Yoonglai]

another thing, you can apply for your 2nd child's as canadian by descent i.e.born to canadian father, i think...maybe the senior can help on this,

Thanks for your help...another couple of questions...what is a senior? Also, I am filling out the form Generic Application form for Canada (IMM0008MU) and there is a question "Immigration Office requested for processing this application". It is step 4...the guide states "Indicate the name of the Immigration Office which serves:
 your country of nationality, or
 the country in which you are residing, provided that you have been lawfully admitted to that country for at least one year."

My wife and oldest son are Thai, but have lived in China for two years already. In addition, from the Embassy in Beijing, they have stated to me after an email enquiry, "The department of Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) has determined that all sponsorships for members of the Family Class must be submitted to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga." This makes it confusing for me to answer step 4...would it be Thailand since my wife is Thai, China since she has lived here for over two years or Mississauga Canada which seems to be implied from my email from Beijing.

Please advise on this point...these documents all form part of my (as sponsor) application package, and I want no delays.

John

 

[Ryffa_Q]

For all outland application, there is two steps of approval. You have to send the whole package to missuaga where they will assess your eligibility to sponsor, then they will sent the principal applicants and dependents portions i.e part 2 and 3 of the package to the visa office you nominate which i would assume to be beijing for processing. just make sure she would still be in beijing for the duration of the processing time.

a senior is those who has been on the forum long enough to give valueable advise, such as Leon, Rjessome, you can post queries on the first thread in the index created by Leon, it would be easier for him to response there, his first post on that thread also holds valueable info for someone starting out their apps.

Good luck and happy to help, you might even get yours approve before me as beijing office is quite fast! ;D

 

[canadianwoman]

Thanks for your help...another couple of questions...what is a senior? Also, I am filling out the form Generic Application form for Canada (IMM0008MU) and there is a question "Immigration Office requested for processing this application". It is step 4...the guide states "Indicate the name of the Immigration Office which serves:
 your country of nationality, or
 the country in which you are residing, provided that you have been lawfully admitted to that country for at least one year."

My wife and oldest son are Thai, but have lived in China for two years already. In addition, from the Embassy in Beijing, they have stated to me after an email enquiry, "The department of Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) has determined that all sponsorships for members of the Family Class must be submitted to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga." This makes it confusing for me to answer step 4...would it be Thailand since my wife is Thai, China since she has lived here for over two years or Mississauga Canada which seems to be implied from my email from Beijing.

You send the sponsor's forms and the applicants' forms together to Mississauga. There CIC will decide if you are qualified to sponsor. If yes, they will send the forms to the visa office you have chosen, if they agree it should go there. Your wife and son can apply through the Beijing office if they were admitted to China on a year visa. Just being in China for two years is not enough. For example, if they are in China on a 6-month visa, but have left and reentered several times so as to be able to stay for several years, they cannot apply through Beijing. As well, where in China are you living? - since there are two visa offices for China - Beijing is very fast, but Hong Kong is slow. If they qualify to apply through Beijing, I would suggest using that office, since it is quick. They can also apply through the visa office that handles applications from Thailand, which is Singapore. Singapore takes more than a year, on average.

 

[Yoonglai]

Our visas are Z class visas which we renew each year to get our foreign resident permit. Ok, so I will send th initial package to Mississauga, with Beijing selected, since we live in Tianjin, a two hour drive (in good traffic!) away from Beijing.

Thank you.

 

[Yoonglai]

I have another question regarding my oldest son. Firstly, I am now fully engaged in filling out all three parts of the application kit for family sponsorship. However, two months ago I didn't know that I wanted to get back to Canada as quickly, and I have completed part 1 of application for Canadian citizenship for a child adopted overseas, and receipt of my application has been confirmed and paid for. Will this conflict in any way with the family sponsor ship or is it even better that he gets Canadian citizenship this way?

My other son is Canadian by descent, but has not citizenship certificate, which I am told, takes about a year..should I try this too, while my family sponsorship status is pending?

Clear as mud?

Thanks for any help....

John

 

[canadianwoman]

Your youngest son does not need to be sponsored, since he is Canadian, so apply for his citizenship certificate and passport. Your oldest son will not need to be sponsored either, if your application for his citizenship as an adopted child is accepted.

 

[Yoonglai]

My problem is that the citizenship for a child adopted overseas takes about a year, to my understanding..we intend to be in Canada hopefully by July next year...could this impact on anything?

 

[Yoonglai]

In addition, my other son, who is Canadian by descent, does not have the citizenship certificate yet...If he is sponsored and arrives as a permanent resident (would he because he does not have the document yet?), would the application for the certificate of citizenship still be pending?

 

[steaky]

In addition, my other son, who is Canadian by descent, does not have the citizenship certificate yet...If he is sponsored and arrives as a permanent resident (would he because he does not have the document yet?), would the application for the certificate of citizenship still be pending?

Sponsorship takes time and besides you got to wait until either they are approved to be Canadian citizen or Permanent resident. Anyways, can your older son apply Australian passport or other visa exempted passport? If so, you maybe able to bring both sons to Canada without visa and stay up to 6 months and see whether your sons are approve Canadian citizenship. Afterwards if they not approve as CC, you would have some time to sponsor them for PR.

 

[CharlieD10]

In addition, my other son, who is Canadian by descent, does not have the citizenship certificate yet...If he is sponsored and arrives as a permanent resident (would he because he does not have the document yet?), would the application for the certificate of citizenship still be pending?

You don't need to sponsor him as a PR prior to his receiving citizenship by descent. Ask them to expedite the processing of his citizenship certificate, it has been done before and it was completed before a year had passed.

 

[Yoonglai]

Sponsorship takes time and besides you got to wait until either they are approved to be Canadian citizen or Permanent resident. Anyways, can your older son apply Australian passport or other visa exempted passport? If so, you maybe able to bring both sons to Canada without visa and stay up to 6 months and see whether your sons are approve Canadian citizenship. Afterwards if they not approve as CC, you would have some time to sponsor them for PR.

My older son, who is officially adopted overseas (My Thai wife is the biological mother) has a Thai passport. To get an Australian passport, he would have to go through the same thing as I am now for Canadian citizenship). this is why I earlier applied for Canadian citizenship of a child adopted overseas...if approved before we get to Canada, then he would already be a citizen. Let's assume the sponsorship is succesful and we get to Canada before his citizenship is approved...he is then a PR. However, would this obviate the previous application?

 

[Yoonglai]

You don't need to sponsor him as a PR prior to his receiving citizenship by descent. Ask them to expedite the processing of his citizenship certificate, it has been done before and it was completed before a year had passed.

I guess I just am concerned about being able to get them all to Canada by next summer...that is the goal...so you suggest for the younger boy (who now has a Thai and Australian passport), that I also apply for a citizenship certificate too? How can I try to expedite this? It is difficult to get people at the embassy in Beijing to contact me...although they do eventually get back. I really would like to make an appointment with them...but I don't know if that is possible.