US outland applicants' thread :)

[MMEB]

Hello,

I am sorry if these questions are already answered in the thread. I have looked through many pages and I can never really find the information I am looking for.

I am an american citizen who is engaged and will be married in January. I am looking to apply for permanent residence. I will be applying from America. I have just a few questions:

1. Does my wife apply to see if she is able to be a sponsor before or at the same time I send my application for permanent residence in?

2.I have lived in the Netherlands for awhile so I have to get a background check from the Netherlands. Is it best to send in my police check from America and the Netherlands at the same time I send in my permanent residence application or wait for them to ask for the police checks?

3. Am I able to live in Canada while my application is in process? I know that I cannot work. But I do not know if I can move there while that process is going on or if I have to wait until I get my residence permit before I can move there.

Thank you very much

 

[rugrat907]

Hello,

I am sorry if these questions are already answered in the thread. I have looked through many pages and I can never really find the information I am looking for.

I am an american citizen who is engaged and will be married in January. I am looking to apply for permanent residence. I will be applying from America. I have just a few questions:

1. Does my wife apply to see if she is able to be a sponsor before or at the same time I send my application for permanent residence in?

2.I have lived in the Netherlands for awhile so I have to get a background check from the Netherlands. Is it best to send in my police check from America and the Netherlands at the same time I send in my permanent residence application or wait for them to ask for the police checks?

3. Am I able to live in Canada while my application is in process? I know that I cannot work. But I do not know if I can move there while that process is going on or if I have to wait until I get my residence permit before I can move there.

Thank you very much

Here are the answers:

1. The sponsorship and application are sent at the same time, both going to Mississauga. Once she is approved, then CIC will send your application for permanent residence to Ottawa. If you were to send just her sponsorship application, it would likely be sent back as incomplete.

2. It's generally better to send everything at the time you apply. Since you still have time before you are married and apply, I would get the FB clearance going fairly soon. I think those are taking 12-14 weeks, although it might be a little shorter now. FBI clearances are good for six months, so as long as you send in the application within six months of the date of issue of the FBI clearance, you are good. I do not know how long the clearance takes from the Netherlands, so can't help so much on timing for that one.

3. You are able to "visit" Canada while everything is in process. As an American, you should get 6 months to stay in the country, then if needed, you can file for an extension to stay longer. But this part is critical - you cannot say you are moving to Canada - if you do that, you are potentially asking for trouble. You will still need to show ties back to the U.S., such as a place to live, etc, and have a return ticket. You also shouldn't bring anything beyond what you would need for a visit. Show up at a border with a U-Haul full of furniture and other personal belongings and you're likely to be turned away. Also have copies of paperwork showing you have applied for PR - it shows you are working to do everything the right way.

Hope that helps...

 

[MMEB]

Here are the answers:

1. The sponsorship and application are sent at the same time, both going to Mississauga. Once she is approved, then CIC will send your application for permanent residence to Ottawa. If you were to send just her sponsorship application, it would likely be sent back as incomplete.

2. It's generally better to send everything at the time you apply. Since you still have time before you are married and apply, I would get the FB clearance going fairly soon. I think those are taking 12-14 weeks, although it might be a little shorter now. FBI clearances are good for six months, so as long as you send in the application within six months of the date of issue of the FBI clearance, you are good. I do not know how long the clearance takes from the Netherlands, so can't help so much on timing for that one.

3. You are able to "visit" Canada while everything is in process. As an American, you should get 6 months to stay in the country, then if needed, you can file for an extension to stay longer. But this part is critical - you cannot say you are moving to Canada - if you do that, you are potentially asking for trouble. You will still need to show ties back to the U.S., such as a place to live, etc, and have a return ticket. You also shouldn't bring anything beyond what you would need for a visit. Show up at a border with a U-Haul full of furniture and other personal belongings and you're likely to be turned away. Also have copies of paperwork showing you have applied for PR - it shows you are working to do everything the right way.

Hope that helps...

Thank you that is very helpful!

One last question for now.

When it talks about an upfront medical exam. Does that just mean that I had the exam prior to turning in my application and I submitted the paperwork with the application? Or does it mean something else?

Thank you

 

[Abuelita]

Thank you that is very helpful!

One last question for now.

When it talks about an upfront medical exam. Does that just mean that I had the exam prior to turning in my application and I submitted the paperwork with the application? Or does it mean something else?

Thank you

Yes, you do the medical exam prior to sending your application, and include the paperwork from the doctor's office with your application.

 

[MMEB]

Yes, you do the medical exam prior to sending your application, and include the paperwork from the doctor's office with your application.

Thank you very much Abuelita! I really appreciate the help!

Blessings

 

[hmks]

Note that he doesn't necessarily need a confirmed job offer. Just some hard proof that he is looking seriously for jobs (communication with a head hunter, proof of job interviews, etc). And other proofs like signing a lease for an apartment and enrolling your kids in school for the next school semester (or looking at schools) are also really strong proofs. You just need to convince CIC that when you get PR, you and your husband are planning to move to Canada shortly after. In your application, avoid words like "depends on", "perhaps", "not sure". They want to hear "we plan on", "we will", etc.

Thank you very much! We'll apply as soon as we have some proof of interviews or looking at schools. I'll also start collecting the background checks for the countries I've lived in. One of them requires a letter from the organization requesting the check so I'll have to wait to do that one but the other four I can start.

We had a similar experience. My Canadian husband is self-employed but was closing down his business before leaving the States to return to Canada. We provided evidence that he had taken steps to establish a new business in Canada, and also emails from his parents saying how they were looking forward to his return. I had no job prospects at the time of application. We also owned a home that we needed to sell. So we worded our app that we "would" list the house for sale "immediately" upon my receiving PR, that we thought the house would sell in 60-90 days, and that we would move promptly after that. And it worked!

Thank you! We'll use similar phrasing. Really appreciate the advice!

 

[IvanP]

Americans don't vastly improve their quality of life by moving to Canada.

Results vary, of course, but we're much, much happier north of the border!

 

[ayrazar]

Results vary, of course, but we're much, much happier north of the border!

I think that's more like, in the eyes of CIC. Like, there's less of a chance of people moving to Canada from the US in search of better quality of life rather than actually being in love, etc.

 

[Pollen]

So we had to send in our package before we got the background check because of the FBI back up and now I don't know where to send it in or to who or anything and I can't get through to an agent ever on the CIC 1 800 line does anyone know how this process works?

 

[DanOCan]

So we had to send in our package before we got the background check because of the FBI back up and now I don't know where to send it in or to who or anything and I can't get through to an agent ever on the CIC 1 800 line does anyone know how this process works?

This is Question number 5 on the CPC-Ottawa website.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/canada/ottawa.asp

"I need to send documents that are a part of the application process. Where do I send them?"

Scan and e-mail documents (other than police certificates) to: CPC-CTD-Ottawa@cic.gc.ca

Send original Police Certificates to:

Case Processing Centre – Ottawa
219 Laurier Avenue West, 7th floor, section B
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Canada

Assuming you already have Sponsor Approval (SA), be sure to include all the information from that letter with your police certificate so they can match it up to the proper file. The UCI and Application Numbers are critical.

 

[CMLR]

So glad all is done for us now I landed on the 6th of September and went and got my SIN on the 8th and started my new job as support for foster kids who have some real challenges, that same day. Busy and tired but happy. I pray all goes well for those still waiting. I know it is NOT FUN but I can assure you it is worth it in the end and even though it can take what seems like a very long time while we go through the process once we are on the other side of the process and have some time in, it will have seemed like far less time. Congrats to those how have recently landed and to those who will soon get their status at Permanent Residents, hang in there. GOD Bless everyone.

 

[Aquakitty]

So glad all is done for us now I landed on the 6th of September and went and got my SIN on the 8th and started my new job as support for foster kids who have some real challenges, that same day. Busy and tired but happy. I pray all goes well for those still waiting. I know it is NOT FUN but I can assure you it is worth it in the end and even though it can take what seems like a very long time while we go through the process once we are on the other side of the process and have some time in, it will have seemed like far less time. Congrats to those how have recently landed and to those who will soon get their status at Permanent Residents, hang in there. GOD Bless everyone.

Congrats! So glad it worked out for you. ;D

 

[Aquakitty]

I think that's more like, in the eyes of CIC. Like, there's less of a chance of people moving to Canada from the US in search of better quality of life rather than actually being in love, etc.

Yes, exactly. It's not likely we would have mass migrations of Americans coming to Canada. My in-laws still believed Canadians lived in igloos all year round. And what will they do without their guns?

I vastly prefer Canada though, we actually have space here. In California I feel a bit claustrophobic, though it can be a lot of fun. I could see living there a few months of the year like the snowbirds. I just like having the ability to go into the middle of nowhere into the mountains.

 

[InLoveWithAnAmerican]

Ottawa gone up from 16 to 17 months regular wait now. We've been waiting 4 months now after my approval to sponsor to see her decision made. Does anyone know if Ottawa is moving slow this summer ? are we out of luck this year?

 

[Aquakitty]

Ottawa gone up from 16 to 17 months regular wait now. We've been waiting 4 months now after my approval to sponsor to see her decision made. Does anyone know if Ottawa is moving slow this summer ? are we out of luck this year?

Hard to say, do you have IP yet?