Sick of situation here in the US looking for new start in CA - few questions

[al91206]

Great messageboard I'm so glad I found it. I searched for a few of these questions on the board, but didn't find my exact situation - so I'm posting here:

1. My partner of 12 years is undocumented here in the US - he is originally from Mexico - due to US laws I cannot legally sponsor him
2. I am an IT professional w/ about 8 years of experience doing Business Intelligence reporting - which seems to be qualify me as a "professional"
3. He has a degree, but has no work history in Mexico - as he is here in US
4. I score 71 on my assessment test (alone)

So I guess my questions are:

1. Should I apply alone - or w/ him on my application
2. If I use an attorney - roughly what should I expect to pay (I know it's not certain - I just want an estimate)
3. Any time estimates are appreciated - especially how long it would take for me to get my partner up to Canada w/ me (I'm sure this is impacted on whether he is included on my initial application)

I can say this - I'm truly excited about the prospect of living in Canada. The intensity of living w/o documents is terrible and I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Thanks in advance for the information.

Al in SoCal

 

[cchabert]

Here are some answers:

1.- If you apply alone you'll get the PR not him.

2.- Between $2,000 to $3,000 You can ask for a estimate with the owner of this forum (canadavisa.com)

3.- If your profession is in the 38 list you can expect a time around 6 to 12 months, the only tricky part here is that your partner at least need to have one year legal in the US, if not I don;t know what to do, check with other in this forum..

Good luck!

 

[Leon]

1. If you and your partner are living together for more than 12 months, you are considered to be common law partners under Canadian law and as such, you have to include him on your application if you want to be able to sponsor him in the future. You can still apply for immigration in the US with an illegal partner. The primary applicant has to have been legal in the US for a year at some point but I think the partner doesn't. I am not 100% on that though but other people have applied in the past who were illegal or had an illegal partner and it worked out for them.

2. Why use a lawyer when you can do it yourself? If you have the cash, ok but hmm, a lot of people work this out even if their English is not very good so I really don't think you need a lawyer.

3. CIC is aiming at 6-12 months for all FSW applications but the new rules have not been in effect long enough for anybody to know the current processing time.