Police Reports + outland application?

[tacobowl123]

We are currently in the process of gathering all our documents and needed some guidance with this one. Since turning 18, my husband has spent time working:

6 years - country of birth (Europe)

2 years - Canada (Quebec)

3 years - island nation (part of country of birth) - work sponsorship

3 years - USA - work sponsorship

1 year - England - for work, but no work permit needed as he holds a european passport

3 years - Ontario - work sponsorship

Currently in the USA on work sponsorship


Also, are there different application forms for an outland application? If I'm to use the same application, how do we indicate that this is an outland application? For the moment I have selected "I am currently living outside Canada, and I am applying under the Family Class" with the application package going to Case Processing Centre, Sydney, PO Box 9500, Sydney, Nova Scotia, B1P 0H5, is this correct?

If we were to hire a lawyer, what do they typically do? How much would it cost and is it of any benefit? I feel like this is a straight forward case as my husband has spent so many years in Canada already.

 

[Hurlabrick]

Also, are there different application forms for an outland application?

No

For the moment I have selected "I am currently living outside Canada, and I am applying under the Family Class" with the application package going to Case Processing Centre, Sydney, PO Box 9500, Sydney, Nova Scotia, B1P 0H5, is this correct?

Correct for outland. Be careful when you DO send your pack in. Most people send it via courier which has to be signed for. There is a different address for couriered applications (as there is no one to sign for applications at a PO Box). It is all in the official CIC on-line help.

If we were to hire a lawyer, what do they typically do? How much would it cost and is it of any benefit?

They will just send you all the forms and tell you to fill them all in, gather and send all the documents the forms ask for, get your police certs and send it all to them. They will check and ask for missing or additional information then send the pack in once they think it is complete and check progress for you. Charge about $CAD4 - 5k, maybe more. You will wonder what they have done for the money. Many people do it all themselves, we did. If you are 'time poor - cash rich' then fine, but you will still end up doing most of the work, you will just have someone to lean on for questions, but then there is this forum too!

I feel like this is a straight forward case as my husband has spent so many years in Canada already.

Time spent in Canada does not make a difference in particular. Your b*llsache will be in getting all those police certificates, not hard, just a lot of form filling and waiting. Again, CIC on-line help will tell you how to get police certs for most countries.​