Marriage Certificate Process in Ontario

[frightenedpanda]

So, the way I understand it, the process of getting a marriage certificate is as follows:

1. Get a marriage license from City Hall
2. Get married and have the marriage officiant (priest) sign the marriage license and other paperwork
3. The officiant will then send the paperwork to City Hall to get the marriage registered.
4. It will take 6-8 weeks to register marriage
5. After that I can request a marriage certificate online.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

My concern is with steps 3 and 4.

Sending the paperwork to City Hall promptly is a huge step. Leaving that to an officiant who has a lot more things to do in his/her daily life makes me really anxious. What if they don't send on time? What if they mess up the address, etc.?

Is there a way for me to personally go and submit the paperwork myself?

Also, I plan to file for my wife's spousal PR and if her stay in Canada is limited to a maximum of 6 months and it takes 2 months to get the marriage certificate, I am worried that her Open Work Permit might arrive after the 6 months run out.

Is there a way to make the process faster?

 

[21Goose]

I don't know about making the process faster, but you needn't worry about your wife's six month visa limit. You can apply for an extension before it expires and getting an extension after you've filed for PR/OWP is quite easy.

 

[21Goose]

Ah okay. How long before do we have to file for an extension though?

You have to apply before the six months are over to ensure you remain in status. Can be one day before the six months are over, that's fine.

Ideally, you'd want to have your AoR from the Spousal Application, but even without that you can apply.

In fact, the act of applying for the Open Work Permit puts her on implied status, so strictly speaking an extension application isn't mandatory, but it's a cheap $100 to spend in case your application gets returned because you missed signing a box.

 

[frightenedpanda]

You have to apply before the six months are over to ensure you remain in status. Can be one day before the six months are over, that's fine.

Ideally, you'd want to have your AoR from the Spousal Application, but even without that you can apply.

In fact, the act of applying for the Open Work Permit puts her on implied status, so strictly speaking an extension application isn't mandatory, but it's a cheap $100 to spend in case your application gets returned because you missed signing a box.

go it! makes sense. thanks!

 

[21Goose]

go it! makes sense. thanks!

You're welcome. Good luck with the wedding and the application and all.

 

[frightenedpanda]

You're welcome. Good luck with the wedding and the application and all.

Thankyou!

 

[smrtphusr]

After marriage certificate request is submitted, in the instructions page there is a fax number you can write a letter, explaining your situation asking to expedite the certificate.

Our officient recommended to wait couple weeks for their mail to arrive first before submitting request online so they can register marriage application in the system first.

We were able to get ours in the mail within 2 weeks after online request and this happened between christmas and new years. Good luck!

 

[frightenedpanda]

After marriage certificate request is submitted, in the instructions page there is a fax number you can write a letter, explaining your situation asking to expedite the certificate.

Our officient recommended to wait couple weeks for their mail to arrive first before submitting request online so they can register marriage application in the system first.

We were able to get ours in the mail within 2 weeks after online request and this happened between christmas and new years. Good luck!

Oh . I am confused about the process then. I thought we can request the certificate online only after 6-8 weeks. But you're saying that as soon as the mail reaches them, I can submit a request for a certificate online?

 

[Mar1219]

Oh . I am confused about the process then. I thought we can request the certificate online only after 6-8 weeks. But you're saying that as soon as the mail reaches them, I can submit a request for a certificate online?

In order to have expedited service you need to prove urgency (ie visitor visa is running out, etc). We got married January 16 and had our certificate within a month. You can select the online service (I don’t remember the name) and they will mail it to you as soon as the marriage is registered. How long this takes depends on how many they receive, we got married at a low season so it did not take very long.