Spouse Sponsorship planning help!

[newbie0811]

Hi folks! A newbie to this forum (and to the sponsorship application) need your help please!

I'll be landing in Canada soon and officially becoming a PR, then I'd like to sponsor my soon-to-be wife over using out-land method.
I have some questions regarding our travel plans and proof of income etc., please find below for details.

First a bit of background of me and my fiance.
We're both Taiwanese citizens (visitor visa exempted country to Canada), with no past marriage and no independent child.
I received my COPR in February and am planning to land in September with my single status (since I applied while I was single), fly back to Taiwan to get married in October, then officially move to Canada in December.

I know leaving Canada soon after landing isn't going to be pretty, but since both me and my fiance's families are in Taiwan, the wedding has to happen in Taiwan and both of us would like to make it happen sooner than later so we can start our new life in Canada.

Here's our planned schedule, need your advices on whether this might work or not:

mid September - me and her both fly to Canada. I'll be landing as a PR, she'll be visiting as a visitor.
late September - me and her both leave Canada for Taiwan
October - get married in Taiwan.
December - me and her both fly back to Canada again, I'll be entering with my PR card, she'll be visiting again as a visitor.

Now after December, I'd like to send out application to sponsor her asap. And here comes the tricky parts:
- I'm self-employed and have a stable income from a US client. I receive earnings from them to my Taiwanese bank account every month, but there are no pay stub. The client will be more than happy to write an letter to prove that I have been doing work for them though.
- In my understanding the revenue agency doesn't start processing tax files until mid February. I prefer not to wait until Feb/March to send in my application.
- My fiance can stay up to 6 month as a visitor, and can probably apply for an extension to stay after the 6 month is over (the sponsorship application will be sent out already at that time), but I heard the most she can extend her stay for is just another 6 months, so one year exact for her if lucky. Is this correct, and if so, what's everyone experience on this? Ever got rejected for an extension?

If our goal is to try to cut down the chance that we'll be forced to separate (her visitor time is up etc.), should we move our December entry to later next year when it's tax time? I'll then be able to get my option-c form etc. shortly after we arrive?

I read that I need to provide income for the past 12 months, in my case it would be foreign income since I work for a US client and money is wiring to Taiwan, not sure if that will cause any troubles either? Also I'll be filing tax as self-employed (with foreign income), not sure if the timetable for filing that type of tax is different?

I read that we can skip the option-c and apply with sufficient information to prove my income also, but the most I can provide is bank history and an letter from my client. I don't have any pay slips. Will that be enough?

Sorry for the lengthy post. Let me know if anything's unclear or confusing, and thank you so much for your help & advices in advance!
I guess our goal is to try and figure out a perfect plan & schedule to get our sponsorship application done without having to be separated from each other during the process. It's so tough for newly weds couples..don't yah think? ='( And no we don't consider doing in-land as it takes too long and is too risky.

Cheers,

S.

 

[Awesomeg]

In order to be able to sponsor your wife to Canada you need to prove that you are capable to support your wife in Canada,
that you have intentions to stay in Canada, and that you have a suitable job or income....
If you are going to be in Canada you may need to receive you income in Canada and pay taxes in Canada like everybody else does,

I am not sure about how Revenue Canada works in cases like yours,
but would be advisable that you receive your income in a Canadian institution,
not anymore in a Taiwan institution.
You will see that to sponsor your wife you will need documents from Revenue Canada,
and those documents can be obtained only if you have been enough time in Canada,
If you have not lived in Canada you are not going to pay taxes in Canada....
You need to be here and report income here, otherwise it will be your income while you were not Canadian yet....

You also should download the necessary forms to sponsor your wife and become familiar with all the documents and requirements
in that way you will be doing things properly ... and will have the necessary information about what proofs of relation Immigration will require.

Your timeline makes sense...

Good luck,

 

[newbie0811]

Thanks for the fast reply Awesomeg!!

I'm planning to have my client wire me my earnings to my TD bank in Canada starting this September.
If we send out the application in January 2015, can I use the bank history in Canada from Sep 2014~Jan 2015, and the rest from Taiwanso together they add up to the 12 months requirement?

You mentioned that I will need documents from Revenue Canada to apply for sponsorship, then how does it wok for people who applied before tax season using their payslips and letter from employer?

Thanks a bunch again!

S.

 

[commonlawsponsor]

I disagree with what Awesomeg said, but I'm also not 100% so someone please correct me if I am wrong.


You do not need any documents from Revenue Canada unless you are living in Canada. You are correct, you can also send a letter and other proof instead of an Option C printout. So along with bank statements, a letter from your employer, I would also include a few months worth of invoices. Don't worry about waiting to file your taxes before sending in your application. Send it as soon as possible, and in your letter explaining why you aren't sending an Option C printout, write that if they want, you will send in an Option C printout as soon as it is available after you file your taxes.

 

[rhcohen2014]

In order to be able to sponsor your wife to Canada you need to prove that you are capable to support your wife in Canada,
that you have intentions to stay in Canada, and that you have a suitable job or income....
If you are going to be in Canada you may need to receive you income in Canada and pay taxes in Canada like everybody else does,

I am not sure about how Revenue Canada works in cases like yours,
but would be advisable that you receive your income in a Canadian institution,
not anymore in a Taiwan institution.
You will see that to sponsor your wife you will need documents from Revenue Canada,
and those documents can be obtained only if you have been enough time in Canada,
If you have not lived in Canada you are not going to pay taxes in Canada....
You need to be here and report income here, otherwise it will be your income while you were not Canadian yet....

You also should download the necessary forms to sponsor your wife and become familiar with all the documents and requirements
in that way you will be doing things properly ... and will have the necessary information about what proofs of relation Immigration will require.

Your timeline makes sense...

Good luck,

this is completely not true. First of all, there is no income requirement for spousal sponsorship, so there are PLENTY of sponsors who have been found eligible for sponsoring with low or no income. The financial concern CIC has is whether the sponsor has drawn on Canadian social welfare within 12 months of applying. This is why the option C form is necessary.

Also, if the original poster worked part of the year in another country, it wouldn't be a problem at all. WHERE your money comes from is NO CARE to CIC, as long as it's by legal means. It's pretty unrealistic to require a PR who landed in FEBRUARY to show 12 months of income IN Canada.

So let's get back to the original poster's questions because it appears the answer above is misguided, and raises issues that are actually of NO concern.

"If our goal is to try to cut down the chance that we'll be forced to separate (her visitor time is up etc.), should we move our December entry to later next year when it's tax time? I'll then be able to get my option-c form etc. shortly after we arrive? I read that I need to provide income for the past 12 months, in my case it would be foreign income since I work for a US client and money is wiring to Taiwan, not sure if that will cause any troubles either?

Also I'll be filing tax as self-employed (with foreign income), not sure if the timetable for filing that type of tax is different? I read that we can skip the option-c and apply with sufficient information to prove my income also, but the most I can provide is bank history and an letter from my client. I don't have any pay slips. Will that be enough?"

if you are not able to get an Option C form, the other alternative is to show 12 months of paystubs and a letter of explanation. If you don't have paystubs, what you suggest can possibly work. It might help to include client contracts/invoices. No one can tell you 100% sure, and you *may* experience some delay if CIC needs to do extra background checks to confirm you never used welfare. While it may be easier, you do not need to put off your application just to wait for tax time. What CIC is reviewing is whether or not you have applied for social welfare in canada within 12 months. THAT is the main concern, NOT how much you make or how long you've been working.


The only other advice i would give the original poster is to keep in mind it is very difficult for married people to obtain travel visas to canada. It is assumed their spouse in canada is a stronger tie than anything back at home. So it's important to prove significant ties such as owning land or maintaing employment.

Also, since you are a PR, you must be in canada during the entire application processing. While you can go on short vacations, you can't leave for months at a time once your application is submitted.

 

[newbie0811]

Thank you for the replies commonlawsponsor and rhcohen2014!!

One more question for rhcohen2014 please:

"The only other advice i would give the original poster is to keep in mind it is very difficult for married people to obtain travel visas to canada. It is assumed their spouse in canada is a stronger tie than anything back at home. So it's important to prove significant ties such as owning land or maintaing employment."

Since Taiwan is a visa-exempted country for Canada, we don't really need to apply for a visitor's visa. Should I still worry as much on this matter?

 

[MilesAway]

Your spouse will still need to satisfy the border guard that they'll leave at the end of the stay.

How long have you lived together (if you are living together)?

 

[LAKEWOOD]

Question?
Hey guys!!! I just updated my status from CRA to Common Law this year, I just wanna asked what document do i need to get from them, stating that I am in a common law relationship? So that i can submit it to Immigration as evidence.

Thanks

 

[Ponga]

Question?
Hey guys!!! I just updated my status from CRA to Common Law this year, I just wanna asked what document do i need to get from them, stating that I am in a common law relationship? So that i can submit it to Immigration as evidence.

Thanks

It's probably best to post your question once, since it makes it difficult to know which thread to post a reply.

I suggest that you log into your CRA account and just print the page that shows that you are now shown as Common-Law. It's not as good as receiving something from CRA (which you wouldn't have until next year's return, anyway), but it's better than nothing.

Just make sure that it doesn't show an `in effect as of this date', or similar, if it doesn't match the date that you are using in your PR application as the date that you became Common-Law.

 

[LAKEWOOD]

It's probably best to post your question once, since it makes it difficult to know which thread to post a reply.

I suggest that you log into your CRA account and just print the page that shows that you are now shown as Common-Law. It's not as good as receiving something from CRA (which you wouldn't have until next year's return, anyway), but it's better than nothing.

Just make sure that it doesn't show an `in effect as of this date', or similar, if it doesn't match the date that you are using in your PR application as the date that you became Common-Law.

Thanks a lot Ponga

 

[newbie0811]

Thanks for your reply MilesAway!
And no we're not living together currently. Will it make difference if we were?

 

[Rob_TO]

Thanks for your reply MilesAway!
And no we're not living together currently. Will it make difference if we were?

Yes it would have made a difference, if CIC thought you were maybe common-law and not "single" when you landed. But since you don't live together, there should be no problems there.

In general your plan sounds fine. You definitely do NOT need any CRA documents to apply. You can show proof of previous income earned outside Canada, a letter from employer if you are employed in Canada at the time you sponsor her, or a general plan on how you will support yourselves in Canada.

Also ensure that each time your spouse travels to Canada, she is prepared to deal with CBSA (so things like a return ticket, suitable funds, etc). Vast majority of times visa-exempt travelers enter with no problem, but better to be well prepared. Once you send off her PR app, when she applies for visitor status extension you can ask for 1 year extension.

 

[newbie0811]

Thank you all for the helpful answers!
So glad this forum exists! =D