Living with canadian spouse outside canada. How to go about applying.

[AHBM]

Hello,

I am married to canadian citizen. For the past 8 years we have been living in South Africa. Now we wish to apply for my immig. and go to canada. Some particulars are.

-I am Pakistani
-We got married IN Canada. i.e I have a Quebec Marriage Certeficate
-Our sponsorship will be under Quebec laws.

Questions :

-My spouse wont have any work and doesnt really plan to work either. Would that be a problem?
-I will be working myself to support and can arrange a job once I get there. Do I need to take Work Permit route?
-Are there any particular applications for this scenario or the normal ones will work?
-How much money do I need to show beforehand?
-How long could this process take?

Some help in the above would be great.. Thanks

edit : Also, one more request.. In the above case, is it better for me to get a visitor visa and then apply from within canada? Or would it be faster this way.

 

[canadianwoman]

-My spouse wont have any work and doesnt really plan to work either. Would that be a problem?

No, as long as you take this into account when preparing your application. You can show all savings and investments the two of you have, plus your plans for how you will live once you get to Canada: where you will live, what work you plan to do, how you will support yourselves until you get a job, etc. There is no income requirement to sponsor a spouse, but the visa officer must be satisfied that the two of you can support yourselves once you are in Canada.

-I will be working myself to support and can arrange a job once I get there. Do I need to take Work Permit route?

No, once you get a PR visa and land in Canada, you can start work.

-Are there any particular applications for this scenario or the normal ones will work?

A normal spousal sponsorship will work. If you wanted to, you could apply as a Federal Skilled Worker or in one of the investor classes instead. You don't need to apply for both.

-How much money do I need to show beforehand?

There is no set amount. However, you should show proof of all the savings and investments you have, so the visa officer will be satisfied that the two of you will not have to go on welfare when you get to Canada.

-How long could this process take?

These are the timelines from the CIC website:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp

Also, one more request.. In the above case, is it better for me to get a visitor visa and then apply from within canada? Or would it be faster this way.

Usually it is faster to apply outland. However, the average time to process 80% of applicants from either Pakistan or South Africa is longer than the average inland processing time (see above). Inland takes 19 or 20 months, and you are eligible to work after 11 or 12 months usually. Outland takes 55 days for the processing of the sponsor, and then 23 months for South Africa or 26 months for Pakistan. You can stay in Canada as a visitor while applying outland, or stay in South Africa. With an outland app you cannot work in Canada until you get your PR visa and land. Of course your application might be done much more quickly if you have a straightforward case, lots of proof your relationship is genuine, and no interview is required (which would usually be because the visa officer believes your marriage is genuine.)