US outland applicants' thread :)

[Tullysgirl]

Here's a decent post for you to read when you need a distraction from CIC forms: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/barcodescanners.html. There's a nice link to 2D barcodes ("QR codes") as well.

WHA??? LMBO!! OhCanadiana did you see this!? CG, most sincerest apologies, thanks, but no thanks. I've already got so many links/forms/posts/manuals to read this weekend and now this? I will SERIOUSLY need therapy and strong coffee to get over this weekend.
Heyyyy....is this is a conspiracy or get the newbie back for her ridiculously impatient comment yesterday?!! I'M ON TO ALL YA'LLS!!!

 

[Tullysgirl]

SPONSORSHIP APP, EVAL & QUESTIONNAIRE HELP!

APP-Question 8c wants name of current spouse (ME!!). Should I put my maiden name only or can/should I use my maiden-married name?

FYI: I'm hyphenating my name now, until the PR is approved, then I will change Passport/Nexus/DL to show my married name only.
Also, when I called vital stats, for SK, to get the marriage cert, I was advised that I automatically assume my husband's name. There's no "legal" change, like in the States, where you can sign your new marriedit on the marriage cert and (voila!) it's legally changed (then the SS office and DOL wants the marriage cert to prove you can change it....yadda yadda yadda. GUYS ARE SO LUCKY THEY DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH NAME CHANGES!! (venting completed thankyouverymuch-we now return to normal broadcasting)

EVAL-box 3 wants net personal income for the 12 months preceeding the date of application.
Are we supposed to guess-timate if it falls mid-year? The previous years income tax isn't sufficient?

QUESTIONNAIRE-Question 4 wants mother and father's info.
What if you don't know some of the info and can't get it?? Name is known but u/k address/DOB/phone.

 

[SocialMe]

SPONSORSHIP APP, EVAL & QUESTIONNAIRE HELP!

APP-Question 8c wants name of current spouse (ME!!). Should I put my maiden name only or can/should I use my maiden-married name?

FYI: I'm hyphenating my name now, until the PR is approved, then I will change Passport/Nexus/DL to show my married name only.
Also, when I called vital stats, for SK, to get the marriage cert, I was advised that I automatically assume my husband's name. There's no "legal" change, like in the States, where you can sign your new marriedit on the marriage cert and (voila!) it's legally changed (then the SS office and DOL wants the marriage cert to prove you can change it....yadda yadda yadda. GUYS ARE SO LUCKY THEY DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH NAME CHANGES!! (venting completed thankyouverymuch-we now return to normal broadcasting)

EVAL-box 3 wants net personal income for the 12 months preceeding the date of application.
Are we supposed to guess-timate if it falls mid-year? The previous years income tax isn't sufficient?

QUESTIONNAIRE-Question 4 wants mother and father's info.
What if you don't know some of the info and can't get it?? Name is known but u/k address/DOB/phone.

I had wondered this first question too... as I changed my name to my married name on everything BUT my passport and Nexus. And I had to submit my sponsorship application in my maiden name as you have to submit it however it appears on your passport.

Your second question about income... I guesstimated. Although I'm salary so I guess it was pretty easy.

I do not know the answer to your last question... maybe someone else does?

 

[Sweden]

I had wondered this first question too... as I changed my name to my married name on everything BUT my passport and Nexus. And I had to submit my sponsorship application in my maiden name as you have to submit it however it appears on your passport.

Your second question about income... I guesstimated. Although I'm salary so I guess it was pretty easy.

I do not know the answer to your last question... maybe someone else does?

for the third question - i would advise you to put either **** or 888 every time - whatever allows you to validate the forms - and include a separate explanation on a sheet, explaining why you don't have that information. Make sure that you reference well the explanation sheet ( fomr IMM..., question xxx, application of sponsorship for xxx etc) so that they can refer to it easily.

 

[MisterDBarton]

I was hoping someone could help. My wife is Canadian, we both live in Buffalo. She is going to sponsor me of course. I have my physical scheduled for July 30th and I JUST had my fingerprints taken via fieldprint.com...now what? I'm not sure what to do from here to get my police certificate. I received a PDF with my results for my fingerprinting which came back with "no record". But I don't have any sort of official paperwork or anything. Do I send in my PDF somewhere else? Do I go to my local police station and they'll get the official certificate for me from the FBI?

I'm truly lost at this point.

 

[Tullysgirl]

I was hoping someone could help. My wife is Canadian, we both live in Buffalo. She is going to sponsor me of course. I have my physical scheduled for July 30th and I JUST had my fingerprints taken via fieldprint.com...now what? I'm not sure what to do from here to get my police certificate. I received a PDF with my results for my fingerprinting which came back with "no record". But I don't have any sort of official paperwork or anything. Do I send in my PDF somewhere else? Do I go to my local police station and they'll get the official certificate for me from the FBI?

I'm truly lost at this point.

I've never heard of fieldprint.com so maybe someone else has better info for you there. IDK if this is allowable to the CIC?

But I think it's best to use what CIC has because they have a link on their page to the FBI fingerprint page, so you can print out their official fingerprint form and instructions. I have yet to figure out how to paste a link, so maybe some of the more advanced users can help you out! I know if you're on the main page, it's in the tan box to the right, towards the bottom.

I took my form into the local RCMP and they happily did my fingerprints for free-TWICE! The first time the officer mistakenly used a blue pen and when I was about to mail it in, I noticed the form clearly states to us BLACK ink. I should have noticed prior to. My bad! So, I took another form, the instructions, along with the blue inked one for proof, back to them and they did it again. NO CHARGE!! PLUS, the MP who helped me has a son who's "smitten" with a newly immigrated Phillipino gal and he's helped their family with calls to immigration and offered to help me if I needed it! Canadian RCMP ROCKS!! 8)

Hope that helps!

 

[computergeek]

I was hoping someone could help. My wife is Canadian, we both live in Buffalo. She is going to sponsor me of course. I have my physical scheduled for July 30th and I JUST had my fingerprints taken via fieldprint.com...now what? I'm not sure what to do from here to get my police certificate. I received a PDF with my results for my fingerprinting which came back with "no record".

Fieldprint is an approved FBI channeler (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/list-of-fbi-approved-channelers) and the PDF letter that you received is (based upon my understanding) sufficient to submit to CIC because CIC does not require an apostille clearance letter (particularly for the US, since I'd expect CSIS can confirm the results almost instantly given the level of data sharing between Canada and the US.)

In all fairness, I have not used a channeler's clearance letter, I have always used an original FBI clearance letter (the one that takes a couple of months to get) but I have read others report using channeler letters without problems. In addition, when I first applied (back in 2009) I submitted US state letters as well and several of those were just printouts from the relevant state websites and CIC had no issues with them.

If you submit that and it isn't acceptable, I'm sure CIC will advise you to get an apostille FBI clearance letter (in theory it is also possible to have that PDF version apostilled by the US State Department, which takes about a week of time, but I've never done that, just read about it on the US State Department website.)

 

[MisterDBarton]

Fieldprint is an approved FBI channeler and the PDF letter that you received is (based upon my understanding) sufficient to submit to CIC because CIC does not require an apostille clearance letter (particularly for the US, since I'd expect CSIS can confirm the results almost instantly given the level of data sharing between Canada and the US.)

In all fairness, I have not used a channeler's clearance letter, I have always used an original FBI clearance letter (the one that takes a couple of months to get) but I have read others report using channeler letters without problems. In addition, when I first applied (back in 2009) I submitted US state letters as well and several of those were just printouts from the relevant state websites and CIC had no issues with them.

If you submit that and it isn't acceptable, I'm sure CIC will advise you to get an apostille FBI clearance letter (in theory it is also possible to have that PDF version apostilled by the US State Department, which takes about a week of time, but I've never done that, just read about it on the US State Department website.)

Thank you! Someone who has common sense and actually researched before posting. I'm going to look into getting the PDF apostilled and see what that involves. I thought surely the long number at the top of the results would be something the Canadian immigration department could input to verify my record is clean.

Thanks again!

 

[OhCanadiana]

Thank you! Someone who has common sense and actually researched before posting. I'm going to look into getting the PDF apostilled and see what that involves. I thought surely the long number at the top of the results would be something the Canadian immigration department could input to verify my record is clean.

Thanks again!

You don't need to apostille the FBI certificate or any other document (since Canada is not a signatory to The Hague convention, the Canadian government doesn't recognize apostilles. If they need to verify the authenticity of a document you would need to go through the whole legalization procedure - but they don't ask for that either for FBI certificates or any other document for a spousal sponsorship application)

However, you're going to be facing uncertainty around whether the channeler certificate will be accepted or not. The channeler option is relatively new and there is no confirmation yet that CIC will accept channeler-generated forms. In contrast, we know for certain that they will accept the FBI-generated certificate (which can take 6 weeks - 3 months to be generated).

So, I would suggest you use your channeler-generated certificate for now and submit it with your application (understanding they may come back and ask for a full FBI certificate). Consider including a description of the channeler role and the fact that they are authorized by the FBI. Since the FBI certificate costs $16 dollars plus postage, get your prints taken at your local police department when you get a chance and submit them to the FBI. Keep the resulting report so that if CIC ends up asking for it, you can avoid long delays.

 

[computergeek]

Thank you! Someone who has common sense and actually researched before posting. I'm going to look into getting the PDF apostilled and see what that involves. I thought surely the long number at the top of the results would be something the Canadian immigration department could input to verify my record is clean.

Thanks again!

To be honest, I suspect that obtaining an apostille of your letter may be just as complicated as simply paying the $18 and ordering an original FBI clearance letter from the FBI. For that you need a fingerprint card. I've done my prints three times for CIC - twice here in Vancouver (which used a physical card and traditional ink) and once in the US (in July 2010 when the visa office asked me for an updated FBI clearance and medicals and they used live scan so I ended up with a physical printed card.)

If I were going to do it again, I'd probably just use the channeler letter. As I said, others have reported using channeler letters without any problems. Canada is also not a signatory to the Hague Convention (which defines the very process of apostille) and instead has its own separate (albeit comparable) process.

One thing I would suggest you might wish to avoid in the future is duplicate posting - that often DOES make you look like a spammer. I see people do it here (and across sites as well.) I'll chalk it up to excitement, fear, and a desire to make things go faster. Keeping calm and taking regular breaks from this will help your sanity - it doesn't guarantee you will remain sane, but it will certainly help at least.

 

[MisterDBarton]

You don't need to apostille the FBI certificate or any other document (since Canada is not a signatory to The Hague convention, the Canadian government doesn't recognize apostilles. If they need to verify the authenticity of a document you would need to go through the whole legalization procedure - but they don't ask for that either for FBI certificates or any other document for a spousal sponsorship application)

However, you're going to be facing uncertainty around whether the channeler certificate will be accepted or not. The channeler option is relatively new and there is no confirmation yet that CIC will accept channeler-generated forms. In contrast, we know for certain that they will accept the FBI-generated certificate (which can take 6 weeks - 3 months to be generated).

So, I would suggest you use your channeler-generated certificate for now and submit it with your application (understanding they may come back and ask for a full FBI certificate). Consider including a description of the channeler role and the fact that they are authorized by the FBI. Since the FBI certificate costs $16 dollars plus postage, get your prints taken at your local police department when you get a chance and submit them to the FBI. Keep the resulting report so that if CIC ends up asking for it, you can avoid long delays.

See, that's the confusing this about this current process. Fieldprint took my fingerprints, digitally, and they were (I assume) sent into the FBI and I had my results within 10-15 minutes. So...my fingerprints are somewhere with the FBI I assume. I paid $48 for this and they specifically say this includes the FBI fee. So I'm wondering if I can try to request an official form from them (which I understand will take time) that has the necessary letterhead or whatever is needed.

 

[Tullysgirl]

Sorry about that. I thought surely I would find *some* information online about CIC + fieldprint and when I didn't I started to panic.

Oh, from personal experience, be careful about that. Posting the same thing to more than one thread makes it confusing, especially for you, IMHO, but makes for redundancies, which can be troublesome initself.

HUMBLE WARNING: I was beheaded for being impatient, just a mere few days ago, thank goodness for a great surgical team (ieatience from the experienced folks here) as I got my head back on straight and realized that they A) DO care-that's why this forum was started. B) Everyone has "lives" and will get to your questions ASAP. C) Patience is a virtue and something I was lacking in my frustration and panic.

BREATHE.

 

[computergeek]

Patience is a virtue and something I was lacking in my frustration and panic.

It really is difficult at times. Even after more than three years of this I have a difficult time remaining patient.

That's why it's a good idea to try and break away from it for a while when you feel yourself being overwhelmed - oddly enough, NOT thinking about it for a while will actually make the process go faster and less painfully than constantly focusing on it.

 

[podkayne8]

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been around much but just wanted to update I landed today! I am in Winnipeg so I landed at Emerson and here is what happened, if anyone plans to do the same.

I wanted to import my vehicle at the same time. I phoned CIC to clarify what I had to do. I had to send a copy of my title a minimum of 72 hours before, to the American side of the border (Pembina in my case) to export it. We drove down, explained what we wanted to do to the officer and he had us park and go inside of course. The wait was a bit long but the US side was busy. I gave them my original title, they stamped it and my passport and then directed us to drive to the Canada border entrance. No line there. They sent us inside again and without any fanfare I was landed. The officer said "you are now officially a permanent resident." Definitely no welcome packages or anything at the Emerson border lol. I completed the form for importing my car. I had brought my B4 form listing my goods and my B4A listing my goods to follow. I have 45 days to complete federal inspection (They give you an information sheet about that) and have to get a Recall clearance letter to send to the federal inspection folks and there is a 200$ fee. It was all actually quite simple and uneventful.

I am so glad its done. I plan to go get my SIN card tomorrow.

I hope all of you waiting are still hanging in there!

 

[OhCanadiana]

See, that's the confusing this about this current process. Fieldprint took my fingerprints, digitally, and they were (I assume) sent into the FBI and I had my results within 10-15 minutes. So...my fingerprints are somewhere with the FBI I assume. I paid $48 for this and they specifically say this includes the FBI fee. So I'm wondering if I can try to request an official form from them (which I understand will take time) that has the necessary letterhead or whatever is needed.

Channelers send your prints to the FBI and then get a response right back. However, they don't necessarily keep them on record on the FBI and can't generate a 'regular' request. Consider asking your channeler if they can print your fingerprints on a fingerprint card so you can mail it in to the FBI.

The FBI describes the channeler process here on their website if you want additional details.