What to do?

[thwphipps]

Hello all

I'm a british citizen who has been married for three years to a Canadian. We are currently living in the UK.
She has been offered (and taken) a job starting in Vancouver in a few months. We were wondering the best way to proceed (and the canadian immigration website is, to me, very confusing).

Should we apply for her to sponsor me now? I'm reading that that'll take a year and we'll have to submit our passports (is that right?) - which obviously is a no go as then she wouldn't be able to get into the UK. Or do we wait until I'm in Canada to do so?

If so, how do I get into the country? Do I need a work visa or a visitors permit? Or what?

Complicating this - for work, I'm a self-employed free-lance writer (ie my income comes from UK based production companies and so on) - I dunno if I should be applying for a work visa at all (seeing as I can conduct business in England and have wages paid into a bank account there.) So I guess technically I'd be supported in Canada by my wife? Is that how it works?

I don't know. I'm feeling utterly lost here and any suggestions for what to do would be very useful!

 

[KBH]

Hi there. Don't worry about sending in your passport. That isn't until the very end of the process, and even with that being the case, you won't even need to send yours in since you are visa-exempt (being from the UK).

There are two routes you can take for the sponsorship application, inland (which takes longer, but allows you to apply for a work permit) and outland (which tends to be faster, but does not offer a work permit). Given your employment situation, you are 100% correct that you could continue doing that while visiting Canada and be fine without a work permit, as long as your clients are all OUTSIDE of Canada and the money is going into a bank account OUTSIDE of Canada.

With that being the case, I think outland will make the most sense for you. You can apply right away (for inland, you'd have to wait until your wife moved there for you to be able to submit the application) and you can expect to be approved anywhere from 8-12 months.

You can stay in Canada as a visitor during this time. Your initial stay will be authorized for 6 months and you can apply from within Canada to extend your stay once that time approaches.

 

[thwphipps]

Hi - thank you so much for the response (I have for various reasons only just seen it).

Follow up question - the 'outland' route you have suggested does not come with a work visa - does that mean it doesn't come with one EVER? That feels less than ideal - I work within and around the TV industry, and as Vancouver is a production hub, I wouldn't want to cut down on my options in the future. Or is the work visa a separate thing to apply for?

My wife is going to be in Canada for a month or two ahead of me moving out there (getting the house etc set up), so she could theoretically apply from within the country if that means I'd have the option of working there...

 

[kcward7]

Hi - thank you so much for the response (I have for various reasons only just seen it).

Follow up question - the 'outland' route you have suggested does not come with a work visa - does that mean it doesn't come with one EVER? That feels less than ideal - I work within and around the TV industry, and as Vancouver is a production hub, I wouldn't want to cut down on my options in the future. Or is the work visa a separate thing to apply for?

My wife is going to be in Canada for a month or two ahead of me moving out there (getting the house etc set up), so she could theoretically apply from within the country if that means I'd have the option of working there...

There is no work permit option on an outland application. Open work permit is only part of the inland application.

 

[thwphipps]

Would *I* need to physically be in Canada for the Inland application or can my wife apply on my behalf in the months before I get there?

 

[scylla]

Would *I* need to physically be in Canada for the Inland application or can my wife apply on my behalf in the months before I get there?

You must be physically in Canada. Inland requires both of you to be physically in Canada together.

 

[thwphipps]

Thanks for the responses all!

If we go for the Inland application, what's the deal with, like, entering Canada? ie, at the airport do we say 'I'm coming here to apply for an inland visa', or do I just say I'm on holiday? We won't have a return ticket, which is something they often ask for...

 

[Knittingdemon]

Hi - thank you so much for the response (I have for various reasons only just seen it).

Follow up question - the 'outland' route you have suggested does not come with a work visa - does that mean it doesn't come with one EVER? That feels less than ideal - I work within and around the TV industry, and as Vancouver is a production hub, I wouldn't want to cut down on my options in the future. Or is the work visa a separate thing to apply for?

My wife is going to be in Canada for a month or two ahead of me moving out there (getting the house etc set up), so she could theoretically apply from within the country if that means I'd have the option of working there...

When you become a permanent resident you will, of course, have the right to work! Just not while the app is processing

 

[thwphipps]

When you become a permanent resident you will, of course, have the right to work! Just not while the app is processing

Oh, phew! I was getting a bit worried there

So at what stage is "permanent residency" achieved? When the outland visa is approved, or is there another step beyond that? What kind of time will this take (a year?). Will I be able to enter the country when the application for the visa is ongoing?

 

[Knittingdemon]

Oh, phew! I was getting a bit worried there

So at what stage is "permanent residency" achieved? When the outland visa is approved, or is there another step beyond that? What kind of time will this take (a year?). Will I be able to enter the country when the application for the visa is ongoing?

Yes, at the end of the outland process, if your application is approved. It might take as much as a year, or less. Since you're from a visa-exempt country, you can enter while the app is in process -- have a search in the forum for people's experiences with this!

 

[thwphipps]

Hi guys -

We've decided to go for the Inland Visa as then I can apply for a work permit straight away.

I have an approved eTA - is that all I need to enter the country? Can we then immediately afterwards apply for the Inland Residency?

Or - do I need a more substantial visitor's visa?

Thanks

 

[smallcoffee]

Hi guys -

We've decided to go for the Inland Visa as then I can apply for a work permit straight away.

I have an approved eTA - is that all I need to enter the country? Can we then immediately afterwards apply for the Inland Residency?

Or - do I need a more substantial visitor's visa?

Thanks

eTA will let you board the plane, it has nothing to do with visas (You could technically not have an eTA, fly to USA then drive to Canada).

Once you enter the country you are usually granted 6 months. You can apply inland as soon as you enter the country.

 

[ashpash22]

Hi guys -

We've decided to go for the Inland Visa as then I can apply for a work permit straight away.

I have an approved eTA - is that all I need to enter the country? Can we then immediately afterwards apply for the Inland Residency?

Or - do I need a more substantial visitor's visa?

Thanks

That’s all you need Yes you can apply straightaway once you’re in Canada.

 

[thwphipps]

Wahoo!

Do I need to tell the immigration border guard lads at the Airport that we'll be applying for inland residency? Should we mention it at all?

Just asking because they usually ask for the length of the stay and the purpose and I don't want to lie. But also don't want to be turned away!

 

[smallcoffee]

Wahoo!

Do I need to tell the immigration border guard lads at the Airport that we'll be applying for inland residency? Should we mention it at all?

Just asking because they usually ask for the length of the stay and the purpose and I don't want to lie. But also don't want to be turned away!

From my understanding (I will have to do the same thing in a few months), simply say you are visiting and do not mention dual intent. Some people on this forum say that you should pay the sponsorship fees before flying to show that the process started when you land (in case they ask if you plan to be sponsored).