Looks like I may be heading to the great white north

[Married_my_love 0]

Well after 3 days with my husband and long discussions, we have decided to also file for me to immigrate to Canada while we wait out this process. He has been offered the opportunity of a (chef's) lifetime, and thru much thought we feel it may be better for us as a team to keep all options open. We may give it a year and then possibly DCF if it isn't what we had hoped for.

All this U.S. immigration research!! yikes! and now I gotta try and find out how to do it the other direction.

I have many transferrable skills, but my job here in the states is nothing compared to what he's had suddenly appear before him in London. My mom's gonna freak, but I know that our future is what is #1 and being his supportive wife is what is most important to me.

It looks like the timeline for spouse visa is approx. 6+ months which is when my current apartment lease is up, so I couldn't go any earlier anyway. I just don't want to get to the interview stage (him to U.S.) and at THAT point decide we want to have me move there and tack on another 6+ months to the separation. I'd rather get things rolling now as a back up.

So! Anybody know of a site that is like VJ but for immigrating to Canada?

[zyggy 9]

Well after 3 days with my husband and long discussions, we have decided to also file for me to immigrate to Canada while we wait out this process. He has been offered the opportunity of a (chef's) lifetime, and thru much thought we feel it may be better for us as a team to keep all options open. We may give it a year and then possibly DCF if it isn't what we had hoped for.

All this U.S. immigration research!! yikes! and now I gotta try and find out how to do it the other direction.

I have many transferrable skills, but my job here in the states is nothing compared to what he's had suddenly appear before him in London. My mom's gonna freak, but I know that our future is what is #1 and being his supportive wife is what is most important to me.

It looks like the timeline for spouse visa is approx. 6+ months which is when my current apartment lease is up, so I couldn't go any earlier anyway. I just don't want to get to the interview stage (him to U.S.) and at THAT point decide we want to have me move there and tack on another 6+ months to the separation. I'd rather get things rolling now as a back up.

So! Anybody know of a site that is like VJ but for immigrating to Canada?

Unfortunately, there really is nothing... the closest thing is the Canadian Immigration forum on British Expats, but it's mostly focused on employment based immigration. Once in awhile a marriage based question will show up, but it's few and far between.

There are several people on this board who have researched going the other way (myself included), Go to the CIC site (www.cic.gc.ca) and take a look at the information there. It's really a little more straight forward than the US site. However, the waiting time to get the Immigrant visa from Buffalo is relatively long, about 9 months or so. In addition, I'm currently helping a friend of mine bring his bride to Canada, so we're working on the paperwork now.

You could alternatively move to Canada while on visitor status, and file the immigrant visa paperwork in Canada. But that takes even longer and they do not recommend that you leave Canada until it's finished.

So fire away, those of us who have looked into it will help you as much as we can...

Edited March 13, 2006 by zyggy

[Flames9_RN 358]

http://forums.serbinski.com/index.php?sid=...69e26b292b2d1cc

Top half is USA/Canada tax issues, and the second half of the forum is Immigration to Canada. Best of luck

[Married_my_love 0]

Thanks you guys.

holy carp, 9 months is disheartening. I must have already found some misinformation that 6 months would be it. There would be a financial benefit of waiting 9 months, that I'd get my xmas bonus before I bailed out, which is usually pretty substantial... but living my life without my husband is just much worse than I thought it would be. I was a complete wreck yesterday, he could barely peel me off to send me on my way in the rental car to go to the airport. I cried for hours and it just felt like my heart was being torn out.

I wish I could just go on a visitor basis but I owe too much in bills and don't know that he'd be able to completely support both of us at first. I would have to work when I got there...

but I do think we need to file regardless and just see how it plays out.

[zyggy 9]

Thanks you guys.

holy carp, 9 months is disheartening. I must have already found some misinformation that 6 months would be it. There would be a financial benefit of waiting 9 months, that I'd get my xmas bonus before I bailed out, which is usually pretty substantial... but living my life without my husband is just much worse than I thought it would be. I was a complete wreck yesterday, he could barely peel me off to send me on my way in the rental car to go to the airport. I cried for hours and it just felt like my heart was being torn out.

I wish I could just go on a visitor basis but I owe too much in bills and don't know that he'd be able to completely support both of us at first. I would have to work when I got there...

but I do think we need to file regardless and just see how it plays out.

The Canadian timeline site is here

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/ti...fc-spouses.html

It currently shows that 30% of cases are being finished 6 months, 50% in 8 months, and 70% in 13 months after receiving it from Mississauga.

In addition it's taking about 45 days for the Sponsorship Application to be approved in Mississauga. So you have to tack that time to the above timelines.

[daisy16 0]

There is a message group on Yahoo that offers a great deal of support for US spouses going to Canada.

sorry, I can't pull up the link for some reason to get it for you

[Reba 2]

here's the link for the Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canadian_immigration/

I don't know if they're still active or not, I discontinued my membership there when it was obvious Canadian immigration wasnt working for us.

I will enter one caveat to you about having applications active to both countries. There was at least one couple that I read about on the Yahoo group who had gone the US route with a K1, and then during the AOS application, started an application for the US spouse to immigrate to Canada. When the Canadian spouse went home for a visit, then tried to return to the US, they somehow deemed her AOS application void because of the Canadian application (not sure how they knew about it tho). So she ended up denied re-entry to the US (she had valid AP) and had to wait out the CIC for a year and a half to process her husband's applications.

Just an FYI...

However, the Canadian applications can be submitted together, meaning the sponsorship application and the immigration application, which will cut down on processing time a bit because you don't have all the mailing back and forth like USCIS does between petition and application. Just make sure you send it to the correct office.

Experiences with CIC are mixed around here, and my own personal experience with them, as well as a friend's of mine are not always good. They kept losing our stuff, and then once it made it to someone's desk finally, forms were outdated, the security certificate had expired and yadda yadda yadda we had to start over or give up. We gave up. Others have not had such problems as us and got thru smoothly. Not terribly unlike USCIS in that regard.

CIC does however give 75% of your money back if you are denied or change your mind. We got a refund of our money and then moved me to the US, rather than my husband to Canada.

[zyggy 9]

Experiences with CIC are mixed around here, and my own personal experience with them, as well as a friend's of mine are not always good. They kept losing our stuff, and then once it made it to someone's desk finally, forms were outdated, the security certificate had expired and yadda yadda yadda we had to start over or give up. We gave up. Others have not had such problems as us and got thru smoothly. Not terribly unlike USCIS in that regard.

CIC does however give 75% of your money back if you are denied or change your mind. We got a refund of our money and then moved me to the US, rather than my husband to Canada.

This is true.. the police certificates and medical are only good for a year, so if your application gets adjudicated in Buffalo after they expire, they make you do those all over again. Something that can add months to your application.

So they recommend that you fill out all the other paperwork and get that all situated first before you send for the police certificates and do the medical. Because as soon as those are done, the clock is ticking. You want everything to be done before those expire.

This is the one bad thing about CIC.. while USCIS accepts these items even if it's been a year since the medical, they still accept it, CIC does not. If they were slow in processing and they expired... too bad so sad, we need another set...

Edited March 14, 2006 by zyggy

[Married_my_love 0]

oh sigh

well this is all good to know. We talked again last night another couple hours on the subject and still feel this is what we need to do, for many reasons. I am trying to look at it in the most positive light, an adventure (sort of). I have lived my whole life in California within a 1-1/2 hr radius. This is scary and exciting for me all at once.

I think we will leave the apps moving thru USCIS until we receive something expected of us and then I would imagine I would need to write and withdraw our US apps at that point. I don't know that we'd want to spend $ on both anyway.

We don't plan on having him visit the US due to some past problems at a POE, we really don't know for certain whether he is on the lookout system for a failed attempt to visit last year. I filed for an FOIA at xmas time to see what was in his files but who knows when that'll come. He does want to come down and help me move up whenever that will be.

I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend. More damn apps!!

PS, does anyone know how much $ he has to make for the support side, is it like the US with a poverty mark or something? I couldn't find anything on the cic site, other than how much a student has to make. I am concerned because he only worked 4 months in '05 but has been working consistently since then in canada. Will they consider my skill/abilities to bring home the bacon too? Can I show somehow my work experience?

Edited March 14, 2006 by Married_my_love

[zyggy 9]

oh sigh

well this is all good to know. We talked again last night another couple hours on the subject and still feel this is what we need to do, for many reasons. I am trying to look at it in the most positive light, an adventure (sort of). I have lived my whole life in California within a 1-1/2 hr radius. This is scary and exciting for me all at once.

I think we will leave the apps moving thru USCIS until we receive something expected of us and then I would imagine I would need to write and withdraw our US apps at that point. I don't know that we'd want to spend $ on both anyway.

We don't plan on having him visit the US due to some past problems at a POE, we really don't know for certain whether he is on the lookout system for a failed attempt to visit last year. I filed for an FOIA at xmas time to see what was in his files but who knows when that'll come. He does want to come down and help me move up whenever that will be.

I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend. More damn apps!!

PS, does anyone know how much $ he has to make for the support side, is it like the US with a poverty mark or something? I couldn't find anything on the cic site, other than how much a student has to make. I am concerned because he only worked 4 months in '05 but has been working consistently since then in canada. Will they consider my skill/abilities to bring home the bacon too? Can I show somehow my work experience?

Canada has no income requirement for an individual to sponsor their spouse. Look at the checklist for the sponsorship app and it has a list of everything that your spouse will need to submit with the sponsorship app....http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM1344EA.pdf

The forms are here

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/fc.html

Happy reading

Edited March 14, 2006 by zyggy

[Married_my_love 0]

thanks again zyg

[Reba 2]

your work experience may not help at all, IIRC, the spousal visa in Canada is kind of like the K3 for the US, after you arrive you still have to apply for a work permit.

It may have changed since we were going thru all this, but it may be another few months after you move before you can work. It seems the income requirement has changed, when I was doing the forms there was a requirement for spousal sponsors to have a certain income I'm quite sure.

[zyggy 9]

your work experience may not help at all, IIRC, the spousal visa in Canada is kind of like the K3 for the US, after you arrive you still have to apply for a work permit.

It may have changed since we were going thru all this, but it may be another few months after you move before you can work. It seems the income requirement has changed, when I was doing the forms there was a requirement for spousal sponsors to have a certain income I'm quite sure.

Reba... The spousal visa is like the IR-1... once you enter, you are a permanent resident and can work at that time... The Canadian Perm Resident Card is sent to your home in the mail about 2 months after landing. Again.. there is no minimum income requirement for a spousal or child under 18 sponsorship. But you do have to have a job, you cannot be on any government assistance or have gone into bankruptcy.

For in Canada Processing, you can work once you get approval in principle. Which is when the main office in Vegreville has approved your application and all you have to do is wait for your appointment at the local CIC office to complete your landing and get the GC.

From CIC Sponsorship guide..

You may be eligible to sponsor if:

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.

...

This condition does not apply if you are sponsoring only

· your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner who has no dependent children

And from the Immigration Guide...

What happens when you arrive in Canada

When you arrive, you must present your permanent resident visa to a Canadian customs or immigration

officer at your first port of entry. The officer will check your visa and travel documents and ask you

questions similar to those on the Application for Permanent Residence to verify that you are of good

character and in good health. If there are no difficulties, the officer will authorize your admission to Canada

as a permanent resident and ask you to sign in his or her presence the Confirmation of Permanent Residence

form you will have received from the visa office. The officer will then send this form to a processing centre

and you will receive your Permanent Resident Card in the weeks following. Make sure that when you arrive

in Canada, you know the address, including the postal code, where you are going to live.

A permanent resident is a person lawfully in Canada as an immigrant who is not yet eligible for, or has

not yet been granted, Canadian citizenship.

and

Finding a job

Upon arrival in Canada as a permanent resident you may seek assistance in finding a job from a Human

Resources Centre of Canada. Most employers will ask potential candidates to provide a social insurance

number (SIN). You will receive forms to apply for your SIN at the time you are processed for admission to

Canada as a permanent resident.

Edited March 15, 2006 by zyggy

[Married_my_love 0]

PHEW! Ya had me scared for a minute!!

I'm tellin' ya, I remember my husband commenting on how "expensive" all the US Immig. was, but shoot, I'm looking at $1500 for the app/pr card/etc, about $240 for the medical (plus time off from work) and $75+ for the fbi & state checks! yowsa!! There goes the plans for Wedding #2 renewal party at the end of '06.

Aye carumba

[zyggy 9]

PHEW! Ya had me scared for a minute!!

I'm tellin' ya, I remember my husband commenting on how "expensive" all the US Immig. was, but shoot, I'm looking at $1500 for the app/pr card/etc, about $240 for the medical (plus time off from work) and $75+ for the fbi & state checks! yowsa!! There goes the plans for Wedding #2 renewal party at the end of '06.

Aye carumba

Yeah.. Canadian Immigration is MUCH more expensive than US Immigration...