Question about what to do - any help would be much appreciated

[TorontoCanada777]

Hi, I have a girl friend in the Philippines that I would like to marry and live within Canada. I make a good salary so her working after her arrival here is not needed. She is university educated with BSc in Statistics and works as a highschool teacher. I work with a Canadian bank in management. We both want to marry this year. My question is, what is the fastest and safest way to bring her here to Canada? Should I marry her in the philippines before bringing her here (appears to be alot of paperwork to marry there) and do a sponsorship (seems like a long process this way)? Or can she get a visa to come here and I marry her here and then sponsor her or apply for her permanent residency (sorry i don't know the process in this case)? I'm a Canadian citizen born and raised here. I'm 42 and she is 35. Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[scylla]

You can try applying for a TRV first and get married here if the TRV happens to be approved. However there is a good chance it will be refused.

If the TRV is refused, you will have to travel to the Philippines to get married there and then sponsor her for PR so that she can come to Canada.

I'm assuming you've met in person several times already.

 

[TorontoCanada777]

You can try applying for a TRV first and get married here if the TRV happens to be approved. However there is a good chance it will be refused.

If the TRV is refused, you will have to travel to the Philippines to get married there and then sponsor her for PR so that she can come to Canada.

I'm assuming you've met in person several times already.

Hi, OK so just one more question if I marry her there and go the sponsoship route as your second suggestion is it possible for her to obtain a travel visa so that she is here with me while the sponsorship is being processed.

Also, I have not met her in person yet. However we have been praying for a longtime and believe God brought us together. We are both Christians. We both believe God will provide open doors for us. My gf asked however that I not leave her in the Philippines after we marry, so just wondering if there is a way of having her here. Thanks.

 

[scylla]

Ah - if you have never met in person, that changes things significantly. You should visit her at least once (preferably twice) before you get married - whether that be married in Canada or in the Philippines. If you marry during your first visit together, you should expect problems when you submit your application to sponsor you since CIC will have concerns that the marriage may not be genuine on your fiancee's part. This could lead to long processing times or even an application refusal and force you to appeal or submit a new application - which could drag on for years. Visit her a few times before you get married and the process will be much much easier. It doesn't matter how you feel you were brought together - all that matters is how CIC views your relationship. And relationships where two people get married on their first visit together are typically red flagged by CIC and potentially fradulent. You want to do everything you can to avoid this situation.

Yes - she can certainly apply for a tourist visa after you get married. However it will most likely be refused (since CIC will know she's not a genuine tourist and has plans to remain in Canada long term) and she will most likely have to wait out the processing of the application in the Philippines. Having said that, you can certainly try applying. There is always some chance it may be approved.

 

[TorontoCanada777]

Ah - if you have never met in person, that changes things significantly. You should visit her at least once (preferably twice) before you get married - whether that be married in Canada or in the Philippines. If you marry during your first visit together, you should expect problems when you submit your application to sponsor you since CIC will have concerns that the marriage may not be genuine on your fiancee's part. This could lead to long processing times or even an application refusal and force you to appeal or submit a new application - which could drag on for years. Visit her a few times before you get married and the process will be much much easier. It doesn't matter how you feel you were brought together - all that matters is how CIC views your relationship. And relationships where two people get married on their first visit together are typically red flagged by CIC and potentially fradulent. You want to do everything you can to avoid this situation.

Yes - she can certainly apply for a tourist visa after you get married. However it will most likely be refused (since CIC will know she's not a genuine tourist and has plans to remain in Canada long term) and she will most likely have to wait out the processing of the application in the Philippines. Having said that, you can certainly try applying. There is always some chance it may be approved.

Thanks for this. Is her visiting me also acceptable for meeting purposes? I'm hoping third visit by December 2016 we could get married. But I guess if its December 2017 then so be it. I'm not looking forward to the 28 hour plane rides...I guess I will need to take this slower.thanks.

 

[scylla]

Thanks for this. Is her visiting me also acceptable for meeting purposes? I'm hoping third visit by December 2016 we could get married. But I guess if its December 2017 then so be it. I'm not looking forward to the 28 hour plane rides...I guess I will need to take this slower.thanks.

Yes - she can certainly visit you. The trick will be getting the TRV approved. To increase the chances of a TRV being approved, she will need to show that she has strong ties to her home country (e.g. employment, property, other assets) and has no plans on remaining in Canada long term.

The long flight may not be as bad as you think. I done many of them in the past for vacation purposes. My husband and I are actually looking at traveling to the Philippines for the first time next year and it's not physically 28 hours in a plane - it's around 14 hours, then a break (few hours stop-over), and then another 3-4 hours. We've done this many times traveling to other countries and it's not that bad. You get to see lots of movies.

 

[Dhudson]

Just would like to add : please prepare plan of her visit here in Canada too, before apply for visa (more detail... about her visit is will increase her chance to come here)!