My Situation

[SarahL]

My boyfriend and I have been dating for almost four months and he wants to move to Canada to live with me. We've already met up with eachother once and plan to do so more in the future until this is possible. When he came here, he's stayed with me in my parents house. When he moves here, he will also be staying with us, as I would hope to sponsor him. I'm Canadian, he's British. He's 21 and I'm 18. I do not have a job yet but I've been looking for one, however my parents are fully willing to support him as well when he comes here. He has a job so he only has so much time for holidays to visit here. We would like to know how long this process would take, and what requirements we'd have to meet in order to do this. Thanks in advance, and if you need to know any more details to help feel free to ask ^_^ Thanks!

 

[Karlshammar]

Hi,

If you intend to sponsor him you would either have to get married or live together for one year to qualify as common-law. You can also apply as conjugal partners after having been in a relationship for a year, but the chances of them approving that for a Brit are somewhere between slim and none.

Finances are not an issue; when sponsoring a spousal partner, there are no financial requirements, except that you can't be on welfare or in bankruptcy. Other than that, you don't even need a job.

For your situation marriage is probably the best way to go.

 

[SarahL]

Thanks for the quick reply

That's what we were thinking we'd need to do. Would it matter which country we marry in? I'm assuming we'd have to be married first before we sent off all the paperwork, etc, how long would the paperwork take to come through/send? Would he be able to stay as a temporary resident until it comes through? Thanks ^_^

 

[Karlshammar]

It makes no difference where you get married.

How long it takes depends on through which visa office you apply, and changes over time. You can go to www.cic.gc.ca for the most up-to-date processing times.

You can theoretically stay as a temporary resident while your application is being processed, though if you are not already in Canada, there is no guarantee of being admitted.

 

[Baloo]

We would like to know how long this process would take, and what requirements we'd have to meet in order to do this. Thanks in advance, and if you need to know any more details to help feel free to ask ^_^ Thanks!

I am new here but I can offer my limited experience.

Getting married is likely to be the best option, that is what I have chosen - my fiancée is Canadian, I am a Brit.
An important thing to note - Keep records of everything (phone bills, emails, skype chats, MSN messenger, pictures, letters, cards) because at some point you will need to "prove" your relationship is real.

There are two options when applying - Inland and Outland - check this description

Inland sponsorship: An option to sponsor a spouse who is already in Canada on visitor or another visa. It is processed completely in Canada but does have a couple of drawbacks such as longer processing time as well as not being advised to leave Canada while it's in process as well as sometimes having complications adding a couple of years to the processing.

Outland sponsorship: All other sponsorships. Outland sponsorship stays in Canada only for the part to approve the sponsor and then the rest of it is processed in the sponsored persons country of nationality or residence. The only downside with outland is that if you are called for an interview, you will have to go to the processing country for it.

It's a common misconception that you have to sponsor inland if your spouse is already in Canada. You don't.

My choice was Outland, faster and the interview (if required) is in London UK.