Options for going back to Canada

[KJ79 0]

Does anyone know of any forums / advice / words of wisdom ... regarding going back to Canada and taking along a US Spouse? Thats right, I'm stealing a good one from Texas and taking him back up to the great white north

I successfully came into the states on a K-1 and we are very happy here, but would always like to keep our options open. I have been confused by some of the stuff I've read about going back into Canada - specifically how I show that I can support him (when I havent had any Canadian income in 2 years and obviously I'm not in Canada).

I know this isnt probably the right forum but if anyone has any tips, much appreciated. I've reviewed the cdn gov sites but they're pretty thin on info.

Thanks - KJ

[trailmix 77]

Does anyone know of any forums / advice / words of wisdom ... regarding going back to Canada and taking along a US Spouse? Thats right, I'm stealing a good one from Texas and taking him back up to the great white north

[Emancipation 2]

Does anyone know of any forums / advice / words of wisdom ... regarding going back to Canada and taking along a US Spouse? Thats right, I'm stealing a good one from Texas and taking him back up to the great white north

What DID You eat for breakfast Trailmix?

[raymaga 25]

Does anyone know of any forums / advice / words of wisdom ... regarding going back to Canada and taking along a US Spouse? Thats right, I'm stealing a good one from Texas and taking him back up to the great white north

I successfully came into the states on a K-1 and we are very happy here, but would always like to keep our options open. I have been confused by some of the stuff I've read about going back into Canada - specifically how I show that I can support him (when I havent had any Canadian income in 2 years and obviously I'm not in Canada).

I know this isnt probably the right forum but if anyone has any tips, much appreciated. I've reviewed the cdn gov sites but they're pretty thin on info.

Thanks - KJ

I would be interested in hearing any responses as well because my husband and I would eventually like to move back to Canada one day.

I would also have the problem of showing I can support him without a job in Canada and not being present in Canada. Hopefully, somebody with some insight will respond here.

[trailmix 77]

What DID You eat for breakfast Trailmix?

I had cornflakes with soy milk (I understand what you are saying, I was thinking the same thing about me today haha)

Anyway, this is a good discussion as this question comes up from time to time. My Husband is a permanent resident and I am the sponsor, but it was over 7 years ago and I don't remember the details. That isn't very helpful I know.

Seems to me that the process is a bit different from the U.S. one as you don't have to prove you have a gazillion dollars in assets to sponsor, just that you are a fine upstanding citizen with good intent.

I did find this:

• you have an income that is at least equal to the minimum necessary income, the amount of

which is published yearly by the Canadian government.

You will have to provide us with documents that show your financial resources for the past

12 months and prove you are financially able to sponsor members of the family class. You

may solicit the help of a co-signer (must be your spouse or common-law partner). If you

reside in Quebec, see also Sponsors living in Quebec.

This condition does not apply if you are sponsoring only· your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner who has no dependent children, or

· your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner whose dependent children have no

children of their own, or

· your dependent child who has no children of his or her own.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/3900E.pdf

[thermophile 0]

yup you fill out the forms all at once AND if you're a Canadian Citizen sponsoring your spouse there's no minimum income requirement. you still fill out the sponsorship income forms, but it doesn't matter how much you make. There are some requirements about proving your intent to move back to Canada and a timeframe that corresponds with those requirements but I can't remember what it is.

I liked britishexpats.com for info. Some other people here have suggested a yahoo group, so maybe they'll post that address again.

[Delicia 1]

Here are a couple of message boards for Canadian Immigration: Immigration.ca and Road 2 Canada. You might find them useful.

As others have stated, there is no income require to sponsor a spouse. They ask for it, but it can't be used as a basis for denial. Filing an outside application (through Buffalo, NY) is faster than inland (Vegreville, ON) generally. You might want to check on residency requirements though. I don't know how it works if the sponsor is living outside Canada at the time of application.

[trailmix 77]

My understanding of the residency requirements are that they are pretty much the same as Canada to U.S. if you aren't living in the U.S.. ie you need to show proof of your intention to live in Canada (perhaps renting a place to live, having a bank account etc etc).

4. You must reside in Canada and continue to do so when the person you want to sponsor and his or

her family members become permanent residents.

Exception: Canadian citizens living exclusively outside of Canada may submit a sponsorship for their spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner and their children who have no children of their own. They must, however, come to Canada to reside with the sponsored person. If this is your situation, complete Section F (page 4) - Residency Declaration.

Edited December 7, 2007 by trailmix

[thermophile 0]

Another good thing about the CIC process is they can waive the interview if there's nothing in your file suggesting immigration fraud. As lovely a city as I'm sure Buffalo is, I was really happy that I didn't have to go there for a pointless interview to get my landing visa.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Here are a couple of message boards for Canadian Immigration: Immigration.ca and Road 2 Canada. You might find them useful.

As others have stated, there is no income require to sponsor a spouse. They ask for it, but it can't be used as a basis for denial. Filing an outside application (through Buffalo, NY) is faster than inland (Vegreville, ON) generally. You might want to check on residency requirements though. I don't know how it works if the sponsor is living outside Canada at the time of application.

Just a small correction - it is Vegreville, Alberta, not Ontario:-). Sometimes it is faster to file from within Canada and other times it is faster to file from outside of Canada. If you wish to move back to Canada for a specific time (ie. you start a job) and you want your SO to come with you, he/she can also apply for the Canadian equivalent of a visitor's visa and be with you in Canada as you go the In Canada processing route so there is no need to be apart. Canada is a lot more sympathetic about keeping families together.

The ideal thing would be to wait until you get US citizenship and then you can choose to move back and forth between Canada and the US as you wish.

Edited December 8, 2007 by Kathryn41

[thermophile 0]

this is a few days old now-both me and my computer have been sick.

If you have applied to immigrate, you can get your first 6 mo. temp resident visa at the border at no cost. If you need to apply for an extension you fill out the form and pay $75-it takes about 4 weeks to process.

[borealgirl 0]

Hi Thermophile,

I was just reading your post, and wanted to ask a question for my clarification. This 6-month visa you talk about...does it allow a spouse to work in Canada? If so that would be great.

I just got my US I-551C and we are talking about a three-year plan. Once I get my citizenship, we are thinking of moving north. I'd like to think about it ahead of time, as the US GC was a minor nightmare of an experience (actually, my prcess was better than most, I think).

Anyway, I am wondering if anyone knows how much lead time I would need. We are both in the education field, and typically we apply for jobs in February, while working at our previous jobs. Can we apply for residency well in advance of moving there? Anyone's own experience would be great.

Thanks!

Borealgirl

[thermophile 0]

the temp resident visa doesn't allow him to work. but he may be eligible to work under NAFTA? google it to find the list of approved NAFTA jobs and see if his fits. I'm a biologist so probably could have done that, but my adviser just kept paying me to crunch data so I worked from home. You'll have to check when the time gets closer, but when I applied 6 months was a reasonable length of time for the processing to take.