CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

BOOK A TELEPHONE MEETING  Dear Miss Powell, I am married to a Canadian citizen. We got married three years ago and since then, she has not returned to Canada. She is a stay-at-home mom and does not work. Since the pandemic, we have decided that it’s best for our family to move to Canada, but we are not sure how this would work. I am the main breadwinner and rely on the support of my wife, who takes care of the children and our home. We cannot afford to be apart, and so we want to know if she can sponsor us even though she is not living in Canada? What if I co-sign to be responsible, would that help? I own a lot of properties in Jamaica and a business. Also, the children are mine. Can they be added to the application? How long does the application take? I look forward to your response. MT The application for sponsorship of a family member is a two-step process. The first step is for your sponsor to prove that she is qualified, and the second is for the sponsored individuals to prove...

BOOK A TELEPHONE MEETING    Dear Miss Powell, My husband is sponsoring me to go to Canada and a travel agent helped us to put together our application. She said she submitted the application over three months now, but we haven’t heard from the Canadian government. We asked the travel agent what next. She said that we just need to be patient, and as soon as she has a response she will get in touch. I know we need to be patient, but I’m still anxious as a lot of time has passed. Do we have to do an interview? I just need to know the steps to expect, to make sure we are on the right track. Thanks for your help. – RB I must say I am amazed that you used a ‘travel agent’ to submit a sponsorship application to the Canadian government. Was this travel agent also a Canadian lawyer or an immigration consultant? Did you pay her to submit the application on your behalf? Did you get copies of the documents that were submitted and a tracking number, if the application was submitted via cou...

  CLICK THIS LINK TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW Dear Ms Powell, I   got married to a Canadian citizen just before COVID and my husband wants me to be with him right now, especially since he lost his job due to the lockdown. He’s so depressed right now, and I really need to be with him. Can I get a fiancée visa? Are they accepting applications? Will they allow me in so I can help him? Should I apply for a fiancée visa or sponsorship? I just need to be with him. Do I need to use an immigration lawyer? Thanks in advance. – D.E. Dear D.E., Although the application has been taking longer than usual, due to the pandemic, the Canadian government is still processing applications for permanent and temporary residence. You have options available to you since your spouse is a Canadian citizen. However, the route you take will be based on further analysis of your background and the documents that you are able to produce to support your case. CLICK THIS LINK TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW NO ...

  Dear Miss Powell, I read your articles all the time. Thank you for them. I have a personal question. I am interested in sponsoring my girlfriend and our son. I am a permanent resident of Canada and I have been travelling back and forth for the past three years to see them. With this COVID situation, I think it is best to get them here. My girlfriend already has her COVID shot and should be getting the next one soon. How do I start the process to get them here? How much money do I need to show that I have? What is the first step that I should take? PR Dear PR, Family is important and since the pandemic, many individuals are looking to sponsor their loved ones to join them here in Canada. The first step is to ensure that all the parties involved are eligible. Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will evaluate you, the sponsor, and the persons being sponsored to see if you qualify. WHO CAN SPONSOR? Anyone seeking to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner must first be o...

  Dear Ms Powell, I   have been in a relationship since last year Easter. We met online and he visited last summer and spent the whole time with me. We also talk every day via Zoom. I applied for a visitor’s visa and didn’t get it, so I couldn’t visit him for the Christmas. Due to the virus pandemic, he hasn’t been able to visit this summer. He said that he can sponsor me, but we are not sure, as he is having difficulties with getting his divorce, although he has left his wife about five years ago. I am a Christian and so we haven’t had sex. Does it mean that because we haven’t had sex that we would not qualify as common-law partners? Can he really sponsor me? Would it be easier if he just marries me? Can we marry via Zoom? Looking forward to your response. – J.C. Dear J.C., Last week, I responded to the first part of your question. I noted that it appears that you are in a conjugal relationship, although a case could be made for a common-law relationship, considering COVID-19...

  Dear Ms Powell, I have been in a relationship since last year Easter. We met online, and he visited last summer and spent the whole time with me last year, and we talk every day via Zoom. I applied for a visitor’s visa and didn’t get it, so I couldn’t visit him for Christmas. Due to the virus, he hasn’t been able to visit this summer. He said that he can sponsor me, but we are not sure as he is having difficulties with getting his divorce although he left his wife about five years ago. I am a Christian, and so we haven’t had sex. Does it mean that because we haven’t had sex that we would not qualify as common-law partners? Can he really sponsor me? Would it be easier if he just married me? Can we marry via Zoom? Looking forward to your response. – J.C. Dear J.C., Canadian citizens and permanent residents can apply for their spouses to live permanently with them in Canada if they are able to satisfy the requirements. The key issues are qualification based on the definition of a sp...