Timing between marriage and sending in application to sponsor spouse

[dair2dv8103100]

I am curious to know from the people here if there is any sort of time frame you should wait after getting married to sending in the application for sponsorship. I have had people say to me that I should wait for a couple months otherwise it looks suspicious to immigration. But my thinking is...if they are truly interested in family reunification why would this make a difference?? Wouldn't it look strange if I waited another year and then applied?? I suppose there are cases where it is fraud and the person just wants to be here as quickly as possible...

I mean...the point of us marrying (besides the fact that we are madly in love!!) is because we want to live our lives together...not spend more months or years apart!!

We will marry in Jan 2011 and if everything goes smoothly I plan on applying in Feb 2011. Is this too quick?

Anyway...just curious on thoughts...advice...

Thanks

 

[RobsLuv]

It will NOT look suspicious just because you submit as soon after marrying as possible. You can have the whole application ready to go before you're married and the second you have proof of your legal marriage in hand, you can stuff it in the envelope and send it out. That's because the marriage is only what makes the applicant eligible to apply. What proves it's "genuine" is the evidences and documentation you provide with the application of the development of your relationship and its continuing nature. The burden of proof is to show that the relationship is not just about getting the applicant into Canada. So - again, even fraudulent marriages are legal unions, and make an applicant eligible to apply . . . the legal union is not the proof of "genuine nature". The relationship evidences are what make the difference.

 

[canadianwoman]

It is fine to apply right after getting married. You have lots of time before your marriage, so use this time to gather evidence that your relationship is real - photos, in particular.
The visa officers are more suspicious if the couple waits for a long time before applying, unless they are living together in the applicant's country or something like that. But if the applicant and the sponsor are separated, they expect you to apply right away.
I've read lots of appeal cases, and I have never seen one where they were suspicious because they applied right after marrying. I've seen lots where they were suspicious because they waited. Now if you get married right after you meet, then apply, there will be suspicions, but the visa officers think it is perfectly normal for a couple to meet, date for a while, get married, then apply right away.

 

[lonelycanadianwifey]

I didnt apply until a year after marring my husband ...It does take time to put that application together ...And not to mention the money that can be invloved witht he fees medicals police checks, PP, and wat not ...I mean if you have been married for years and then just put the papers in they may be suspicious..But in the end the burdon of proof of the genuiness of the relationship that you submitt therefor ultimatly has the final call ..

I had NOOOOO interview ....No issues with out relationship ...Its the whole picture they look at years apart when and where you met ...how many times you have seen your spouse since you were togther...Ever case is treated differently because all our situation developed differently

 

[bobshynoswife]

i agree with you! if you wait awhile it looks suspicious. if it's a genuine marriage, why in the world wouldn't you want to put in the application right away?

as you can see from my timeline, we submitted ours less than a month after getting married, and that's only because we honeymooned for 10 days and i underestimated the time it would take to put it together. in hindsight, i would have had it submitted faster. we were approved in record time, and he got his visa today!

 

[HoneyBird]

i put in my application in about three weeks after the wedding.
i dont think it matters...

 

[lonelycanadianwifey]

Like i said finacial issue s could be the problem for some ...I mean me and my husband lived together for years in canada before we married he was never more than a tempory worker but when he left he left me with a child who i was respoisble for and all alone / and not to mention milions of trips to jamaica that were waaaay more important that IMM money to us at the time because of our daughter whom needed to see her daddy ...So it took us a little while one fee at a time one med at a time ...And eventually one year later papers were put in ;D

 

[Kess]

i agree with you! if you wait awhile it looks suspicious. if it's a genuine marriage, why in the world wouldn't you want to put in the application right away?

as you can see from my timeline, we submitted ours less than a month after getting married, and that's only because we honeymooned for 10 days and i underestimated the time it would take to put it together. in hindsight, i would have had it submitted faster. we were approved in record time, and he got his visa today!

Off topic to the thread but GRATS!!!


My husband and I wait about 3 months to submit our application because I didn't realize how painful the FBI record would be to get. Had I known we would've had everything ready to go and submitted the FBI request 2 months before the wedding. The only thing you really need to wait for is proof of the wedding. That took about 5 weeks here in BC to get the marriage license mailed to me.

I agree that it is not suspicious to submit right away and that the overall relationship is what is important.

 

[jancath410]

Got married May 21st. Sent the application on June 23rd. I could've sent it sooner but FBI took forever.

 

[shawngt2]

Even if I tried to rush I couldn't get application in any earlier than 3 months after our marriage. We decided to change her name on passport and internal documents before application, included police clearance in new name. I think it looks a little worse if she chooses to keep her name and it might show you are rushing.

We got married on Jun. 11 and our application is nearing completion and expect first week of Sept. to send to immigration. Almost 3 months later.

 

[dair2dv8103100]

Congrats bobshynoswife!! ;D

Thanks for your thoughts and input everyone.

We decided to change her name on passport and internal documents before application, included police clearance in new name. I think it looks a little worse if she chooses to keep her name and it might show you are rushing.

I am not concerned so much about changing my name until he is here. We are planning a more formal ceremony after he arrives and I figured for the sake of keeping things simple (and saving money) I would change my name then.

I think I agree with most of you...unless there are special circumstances...I want to apply as soon as possible. I will definitely take this time now to start preparing the application so we can be as ready as possible after the wedding.

Wishing you all the best

 

[sbwv09]

I really don't think changing your name makes a difference.

We applied about 1.5 months after we were married. We were waiting on the marriage certificate and his boss' letter (the latter took most of the time, although he knew we needed it before the wedding!).

 

[canadianwoman]

i agree with you! if you wait awhile it looks suspicious. if it's a genuine marriage, why in the world wouldn't you want to put in the application right away?

as you can see from my timeline, we submitted ours less than a month after getting married, and that's only because we honeymooned for 10 days and i underestimated the time it would take to put it together. in hindsight, i would have had it submitted faster. we were approved in record time, and he got his visa today!

Congratulations! What was the interview like?

 

[bobshynoswife]

Congratulations! What was the interview like?

Thanks! Don't you know you've been on my mind all day. Things have really lightened up and sped up in Accra, I wish you were applying now and not 2 years ago!

Interview was pretty relaxed. they asked about my previous marriage, why i got divorced, a bit about what we like to do together, what we talk about on the phone and skype and then he asked about my children. well, my husband went on a bit of a tear about how great the kids are and the VO held up his hands and said 'enough, enough! you're approved'. Oh, and earlier in the conversation he asked my husband what his future plans are, and he actually said 'my immediate future plan is to have a lot of sex - i haven't seen my wife in 4 months!'

the upsetting part of the day is that before being called in for the interview they took all his documentation. they gave it back at the end (including all the evidence from our application) and his birth certificate is missing. he checked through every paper and it's not there. when he went back in the afternoon to pick up the visa he inquired about it, and they said they had given back everything. seems it may be lost in the accra black hole, along with your marriage certificate. very sad, as you know those documents are basically irreplaceable. thankfully he thought enough to ask them to notarize the copy he had, so that's good.

 

[shawngt2]

This is a good thread to bring this up. Marriage of convenience... Our situation was that I was in Russia for work approx. 1 year. During dating and two months before I had to leave we had a serious discussion and it ended up right then and there that we knew our best chance to be together forever and most sure way was to marry in Russia before I left (a month and a half before). If I explain this to immigration in the application, is this a negative?