mbajouco said:
Hello everyone!!
This is my first post on this site! So, I recently got married in Mexico and will be filing for family sponsorship as soon as we collect all the documents... My wife is currently there.. I've been doing lots of research on the cic and this site... I just need some clarifications on some things..
Sorry, would have replied sooner but my Mom was with me all weekend.
Good idea to read all of the posts in this forum. Keep in mind things change and some of the problems which will seem like a big crisis many pages in will be resolved by the time you get through it all.. so don't lose hope.
I'll take a shot at answering your questions but there's no substitute for reading all of the guides provided by Citizenship and Immigration.
My assumption is you are in Canada and she is in Mexico. In that case, this is where you could start doing the official research...
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp
You're going to want to check this on a regular basis to ensure you're using the most recent versions of the forms. There was a frustrating period of time in my application where they kept updating the forms one after another while we were ready to sign and submit everything.
Essential reading: Guide to sponsorship [IMM 3900]; Guide to Immigrating [IMM 3999]; Information guide: Latin America [IMM 3908].
IMM 3900 and 3999 are generic and apply to everyone, but 3908 has some more specifics about what your wife needs to prepare as a Mexican sponsored spouse.
Such as besides the actual forms from the cic which documents need to be originals?
The checklists on the page above will tell you which forms to include as originals. I would check here first because
I understand her birth certificate and our marriage certificate need to be translated and authenticated.. But do I need a certified copy of each Mexican document or will a standard copy do?
As per guide 3999 referenced above:
Translation of documents
Any document that is not in English or French must be accompanied by:
the English or French translation; and
an affidavit from the person who completed the translation; and
a certified copy of the original document.
The guide goes on to clarify what it means by "certified copy".
Some people sent a certfied translation with affidavit. Taking this very literally, I sent two things: a.) a translation with affidavit, and b.) a separate certified photocopy of the original document. You'll have to decide for yourself what level of rigor to put into this, balancing the amount of time you spend preparing it up front with the amount of time you may spend resubmitting things in the future.
3.) Also what documents need to be done in person and which can be done by a family member?, as she is going to new York in April...
Not sure about this one. My partner did everything for himself so far.
I also understand that there are a medical and 2 police checks the pgr and ssp that are required... But only are needed once the application has been submitted?
You'll notice with the checklists that you must send the medical with your intial application. As far as I can tell, this can only be done in Mexico City and is only valid for a year - meaning your wife may be asked to do it again if you do it too early and the process takes a long time - or she may have a narrow window to actually emmigrate to Canada.
You can get the SSP police check and submit it with your initial application - but if you do this, I'd recommend the certified translated copy, since Citizenship and Immigration seems very particular about having everything they see in English or French.
As for the PGR police check, you need an official letter from the Embassy to get this. I believe they'll send this letter along with confirmation that they have received your file. Once you get the letter, you'll have a window of XX days to go to the federal PGR office in Mexico City (can't be the state offices throughout the country) - I think this is where you may be able to delegate to a family member.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because the post system in Mexico is notoriously unreliable, a lot of people on the forum have been sending a prepaid FedEx or DHL shipping label to the Embassy so they can send it to you fast and securely. There are two ways to get this prepaid shipping label to them I'm aware of: 1.) Send it via FedEx. and 2.) Scan and send it as an attachment to a case specific enquiry online. When you are approved as a sponsor, Citizenship and Immigration will give you the address/web site information to do these things. I found the easiest way to do this was create an online account with FedEx, create the label and send it as a case specific enquiry attachment.
Does she need to be there for the police checks?
I think she can delegate to family members but am not too sure. The answer is in this forum somewhere...
I believe she can get the medicals done in new York by a certified doctor correct?
Never heard of this happening. But it could be true.
Do the police checks need to be translated?
If you're sending the SSP to Citizenship and Immigration, I'd say yes. The PGR doesn't need to be translated because you will send it directly to the Embassy in Mexico when you get it.
I'm just trying to figure a timeline of documents that are needed... So far I've skimmed thru about the last 300 pages of the Mexico board and have found many useful links and experiences from users...
Keep reading. Treat this like a big project and spend a lot of time reading, researching and asking questions. It's a long wait and I have watched peoples' hearts get crushed when they find out they have to send in more material or correct something. That can add months to the wait and there are already no guarantees of success. (But you will succeed if you are qualified, follow the process correctly and keep your hopes up!)
Thanks in advance!!! I'm sure this won't be the last you hear from me
I would be worried if this is the last I hear from you! You will have many more questions.. and we will be here to help. =)
meeshy said:
I posted on Facebook but not here. My partner received his PPR March 1st, We sent the passport just waiting to get it back!!! We have our flight booked for April 10th into toronto! Thank you everyone that has helped us.
Im sure I will be back with more questions about landing and everything!
Congratulations, Meeshy!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is awesome news. =)
Dazz13 said:
a question to anyone that can answer....
once you receive your visa to be a permanent resident in Canada there is (apparently) a certain amout on days you must land in Canada...does anyone know how many days it is?
As far as I can tell, you have until your medical exam's validity expires. I believe it's valid for a year which is why pretty much everyone will advise you to get it as close to submiting the application as possible.
Step 1 of the process - validating the sponsor - is advertised by Citizenship and Immigration as taking 3 months - it seems to take more like 1 month in actual practice. Validating the sponsored spouse takes 5-13 months... so you can see how this could add up to longer than the validity of the medical.
If your medical gets close to expiring, I've heard 2 things which are not necessarily consistent with each other - 1.) Once Citizenship and Immigration gets your medical exam, they have the authority to extend its validity period. In other words, they just need to get it before it expires and it's up to their discretion to extend it or not. And 2.) They may ask you to do the exam AGAIN which is undesirable as it extends the timeline and is uncomfortable. (You have to hold your pee in for several hours and it can be hard waiting.)
