Visa Application - Canada & UK Simultaneously

[Rainmaker123]

Hi All,

Hope all are well.

I am in the process of completing the spouse sponsorship application for PR in Canada. I myself am British, and my soon to be wife is Canadian. It will be an outland application, and I shall remain in London until approval is granted (fingers crossed). The application shall not be submitted until we are officially married, however once married, my wife shall travel here to London where we shall reside as we await the approval of my PR.

My question is, will my wife be able to apply for PR in the UK at the same time that my application for PR in Canada is being processed? We are not sure what the future has in store for us, however having the option of being able to build a future in either the UK or Canada would be ideal, and so I would like to know whether or not this would be possible or are there restrictions?

I would really appreciate any insight you may be able to share on this matter.

 

[Mapleson]

There is nothing stopping parallel applications, but bare in mind the both have residency requirements to be fulfilled, and there are different requirements for maintaining PR status and for qualifying for citizenship.

For the UK, qualifying for naturalization is quite steep: minimum of 3 years living in the UK, maximum of 270 days outside the UK in the last 3 years, and a maximum of 90 days outside the UK in the last year. For Canada, it is 3 years out of 5 in Canada.

For reference, she'll want to get an ILR (indefinite leave to remain) as PR is for Europeans. Also, it's worth checking if she had any British or European grandparents. If so, she can gain EU citizenship through that and then apply for British, much easier.