sponsoring mexican husband

[wife]

I am a Canadian citizen living here in Mexico with my husband, who is a Mexican citizen, and our two children who have dual citizenship. Due to personal reasons, we need to move to Canada as soon as possible. I spoke to an immigration officer while I was vacationing in Canada this summer for some general info on how to sponsor my husband and I was forwarded some government sponsored links. However, I still have many specific doubts about how to go about the process legally that so far I have not got any answers to.

Here are my questions:
1. How long is it currently taking to apply from Mexico to sponsor my husband? (applying from outside of Canada) The government websites are saying anywhere from 6-18 months, but immigration lawyers here in Mexico are telling us 4-6.

2. If we want to apply from within Canada (which will enable us to enter much quicker) my husband has to first enter the country legally with a visitor's visa (TRV). The visa is very clear that your intention must be to leave Canada, so how does my husband truthfully enter the country as a vistor if he intends to change his status. If our intention is to change his status upon entry he will no longer meet the requirements of the TRV: a job in Mexico, bank statements etc. as he will have liquidated his assets here. Am I to understand that he must come as a visitor and once entered apply to extend his stay and apply as a landed immigrant with me sponsoring him?

3. I have not been working outside the home since the birth of my second child last year. I do not have a bank account in my name in Mexico, but my mother has established a bank account in Canada that I jointly manage. It is her intention to deposit money to this account for us to use to settle in Canada. Will this be satisfactory for the government to show that I am able to sponsor my husband while I look for a job in Canada? How much money would be considered the minimum amount?

4. As a non-resident Canadian citizen how do I re-establish my residency in order to sponsor my husband? How and when do I do this?

5. Lastly, my 1 year old daughter holds a Canadian passport but her citizenship papers are still in tramit in Mexico City. Is it possible for her to enter Canada on her passport alone to establish residency and can we re-route her documents to arrive to Canada?



thank you for any help you can provide

 

[matthewc]

1. 38 days for the sponsorship, processed in Canada, and then 6-16 months in Mexico, on average. Note that 30% of applications are processed faster than 6 months, so whoever told you 4-6 is not necessarily wrong - that is possible, it's just faster than most.

2. That's going to be very difficult since he needs a TRV. You understand the exact reason why they will be reluctant to issue the TRV well.

3. There is no minimum income required to sponsor a spouse. You just have to not be bankrupt or claiming social assistance.

4. As a citizen, you can sponsor him outside Canada. You need to show plans to re-establish yourself in Canada when his PR is granted, however that can simply be a letter explaining where you will live, what your plans are, and how you will finance the move and get settled back in Canada.

5. If she has a passport, that is proof she is a citizen, and she can enter Canada by right.

 

[rachel6992]

Hello,

The website posts a very long processing time for Mexico, and I think in some cases, it can be that long. Our app was sent to Buffalo first, by mistake, but once Mexico had our file, it took 4 months to be approved. We filed as common law, living in the States, filing through Mexico (my husband doesn't have legal status in the U.S. so we had to go through D.F. instead of Buffalo).

If you guys can wait for a few months, I'd say forget the TRV and just file outland through Mexico. It sounds like you have a pretty straightforward case that shouldn't cause too many complications or delays.

The amount of money you have doesn't matter. As long as you're not bankrupt or on welfare, that's all they care about.

Reestablishing was the biggest hurdle we had, and the one issue we had to keep sending info about. I hadn't lived in Canada since I was a year old. So to show I intended to reestablish, I sent a letter from my aunt, stating that we were going to live with her while we looked for jobs and an apartment. I also sent a letter from each of my parents, saying that they knew of our plans and that we had lots of family support here, and then I sent a letter from my job stating that I was eligible to transfer to a hotel up here once it opened. At the end, we attached a letter from us basically summing up all the research we've done regarding apartment and job hunting, and why I'd like to reestablish myself in Canada.

I think Matthew's right on this one - as long as she has a passport, there shouldn't be an issue.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[wife]

Thank you Matthew and Rachel.

Rachel, your case is hopeful. You got in pretty fast. I hope you can help me with my doubts as the process unfolds. Thanks so much. I hope Canada is everything you were hoping for!