Immigration Forum / Canada / August 2006

Hi

See www.cic.gc.ca everything is there for the sponsor and the applicant
including the forms and docs required.

PMM

To get married you need two pieces of government issued identification.
For sponsorship look to the last couple of pages on your sponsors IMM
1344A undertaking form.

Roy

kimball Wrote:

We found out the hard way that you should get married _in_the_States
before trying to immigrate to Canada.  Getting married in Ontario i
difficult if one of you is not Canadian.  So, get your sponsorshi
paperwork for spousal immigration completed (in Canada spous
www.cic.gc.ca) and pay the fees and get married in NY.  Then approac
the border with copies of your marriage license and your paperwork.
You are entitled to bring your personal effects and household good
with you, just be sure you have an inventory because you will have t
show it to Customs when you come in.  You will qualify in the "Settler
category.  There's a form you fill out - trying to remember where
found it.

Anyway, the good news is that there doesn't seem to be an income $
qualification that your sponsor has to meet when he/she is your spous
- unless you have dependent children with children of their own tha
your sponsor is taking responsibility for.  But living in Canada yo
will not be allowed to work or go to school (unless you get a work o
study permit, another process entirely) until your inital paperwork i
approved and you receive your Application in Process (AIP) letter, s
be prepared for the financial implications of that.  It's supposed t
be only 4-6 months to receive your AIP but it could take longer, an
then up to a year for the PR status to be finalized.  Also, whil
you're waiting, as a US citizen you will be allowed to stay in Canad
for only 6 months - _be_sure_ you extend your visitor status _before
the 6 months expires if you haven't received your AIP by then.  The
WILL refuse you re-entry to Canada, and could ban you from th
country.

It's a complicated process, and more so because Canadian Immigration i
currently "in flux".  Good idea for your fiance to contact her Member o
Parliament for support and information - ours has been very willing t
help and has been an invaluable resource.  I'm sure I've forgotte
something but if you have any other questions I will try to answe
them.  I'm sorta learning as I go, too.  Good Luck and Congratulation
on your upcoming marriage! :)  

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Kimball,
Just a few months ago I sponsored my US citizen wife for Canadian PR.
I am a Canadian citizen who is currently living in the US with my wife.
The process is fairly simple and it took just 16 weeks from start to
end.  All the information one needs is available on
http://www.cic.gc.ca for the entire process.  Here is my wife's
processing timeline.

Sponsor = Canadian citizen resident in the US
Applicant = US citizen (spouse of sponsor) living with sponsor
Length of marriage = 3 years and 3 months at the time of application

Feb 24 2006 = Mississauga receives complete application
Mar 31 2006 = Mississauga starts processing application
Apr 05 2006 = Mississauga approves sponsorship and mails decision
Apr 20 2006 = Buffalo acknowledges receipt of application
Apr 24 2006 = Buffalo completes initial assessment and waives interview
May 30 2006 = Buffalo requests applicant's passport
Jun 05 2006 = Buffalo receives applicant's passport
Jun 16 2006 = Buffalo sends applicant's passport back with visa/COPR

Good luck!!!
Regards,
S K Ghori          skg@vex.net          http://www.vex.net/~skg/

**NOTE**
I have lived in nine different countries. Dual Pakistani and Canadian
citizen, applicant for US citizenship(PD Jul-21-06, FP Aug-10-06).

**DISCLAIMER**
I am neither a lawyer nor an immigration consultant.  My comments
should NEVER be considered as legal or professional advice as they
are not meant to be such.