Questions About The PR Process From The U.S.

[Ben0079]

Hello all,

I am a citizen of the US who married a Canadian citizen in Ontario 9 years ago. We have been living in Florida for the past 8 years and we are considering moving to Canada. Although we married in CA I never completed the PR process in 2001 before we moved to the US. I have reviewed the criteria on cic.gc.ca and understand that my wife can sponsor me for Permanent Residency.

I figure this background info will be pertinent to the following questions:

1. My wife is a dual-citizen (CA & US). Will she be required to surrender US citizenship if she sponsors me for PR in Canada?

2. According to cic.gc.ca, my wife is eligible to sponsor me from outside CA, however the site indicates that upon approval of sponsorship she is supposed to move back to CA. Understand that we do not wish to live apart from each other and wish to time the move to CA once my PR is complete. We also wish to time this based on having jobs lined up in CA and our home sold in Florida. This way we can move to CA with jobs and the means to immediately purchase a home. We want to immigrate the right way without incurring emotional or financial hardship as a result.

Is it possible to be granted my PR and my wife's sponsorship approval while we both still reside in the States?

Will we be given the appropriate time by CIC to accomplish these goals?

3. What office will be handling our paperwork? On CIC it seems to indicate Mississauga, but when I called them I was advised the consulate in Miami would handle it. I then spoke to the consulate in Miami and was advised it would be the office in Washington DC.

4. Lastly, what can we anticipate as the average timeframe from start to finish with the PR process?

Sorry for the novel and thanks in advance for your assistance.

-Ben

 

[scylla]

1. She can still be dual and will not have to surrender US citizenship.
2. Your wife must demonstrate proof that she intends to re-establish residency in Canada once you are granted PR status. Ways of demonstrating this can include: job offer, rental agreement, home ownership, statement of intent/purpose regarding how she plans to make Canada her home again once you are granted PR. I don't know what CIC will regard as a reasonable amount of time to make the move after you are granted PR.
3. The processing office will be Buffalo (the only option for Americans applying for PR). However you will first send the application to Mississauga. There, your wife's information will be reviewed to confirm that she qualifies as a sponsor. Once she is approved, the file will be forwarded to Buffalo for further processing.
4. Mississauga processing is approximately one month. Buffalo processing is approximately 4-10 months. So about 5-11 months in total (some go faster, some take longer). See here for up to date time lines for Buffalo processing:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/05-fc-spouses.asp#west

 

[Ben0079]

Thank you scylla for the quick and helpful response to my questions.

It appears from the info on your signature that you landed in CA approx. 5 months after starting the process using the same methods.

One final question:
Would you advise that I file for a CA work visa upon approval of my wife's sponsorship versus waiting for the processing of my PR?

It seems as if that may be a quicker way to begin the job search in CA to get the ball rolling regarding the moving process.

 

[scylla]

It's my husband who was the American being sponsored (his "home" is in Florida as well). The entire process took us just over 4 months end to end (submitted app May 28th, landed October 5th). Our situation was slightly different than yours since both myself and my husband were living in Canada for the duration of the application processing and didn't have to prove the "will return to Canada" bit. (Note: my husband was technically living in Canada as a visitor.)

As for the work visa - have you researched the work visa options available? Info is here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.asp It's not that straight forward for the most part.

IMO - applying for the work visa isn't worth the trouble/effort. You'll find the PR sponsorship application process alone is exhausting and time consuming enough. As soon as you land in Canada as a PR, you will be able to apply for a SIN immediately and start working immediately. I would just wait for this to happen. Nothing is stopping you from starting to talk to potential future employers now with the understanding that you will be allowed to work in Canada legally at some point in the future.

Good luck...

 

[Ben0079]

Thanks again scylla. Appreciate the advise. It's reassuring talking to someone who has successfully completed the process. Congrats to you both.

-Ben

 

[scylla]

Ben -

Once you are starting to put your application together - spend some time reading through the threads in the Family Sponsorship section of this website. It's located here: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/family-class-sponsorship-b5.0/

The information posted here helped myself and my husband to put together a strong application and I'm sure this contributed at least somewhat to our fast processing times.

Again, good luck.