It's time to move back to Canada and sponser my wife to come over as well...

  • 14 replies
  • 14691 views
Hello all. I haven't been an active member on this forum at all and I'm not sure if this is even the right board to post since it involves Canada as much as it does China.

Long story short is that I came to China in 2011 and have been working for two years teaching adults English in Nanjing. I met a girl very fast by luck on my third day at work and we were married a year later. I am now going back to Canada to pursue an education degree with the hopes of teaching Mathematics in a public high school in Canada (even though the demand there is abysmal).

I will now have to sponsor my wife to come to Canada. I was wondering if anyone else on this board has had a similar experience. Any pointers, tips, or traps/pitfalls to avoid would be greatly appreciated.

 bmbmbmbmbm

I am happy for you, but I have no idea of what the Canadian rules are. It is, usually, all about the money. Your best source of info would be the Canadian consulate. That is, essentially, what a consulate deals with. It will require a lot of paperwork, I am pretty sure your wife will have to get a full physical, lots of documents translated from Chinese into English, then there is the question of employment, all such things, I strongly recommend your first step is to call the Canadian consulate and get a complete check list  agagagagag agagagagag
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." Oscar Wilde.

"It's all oojah cum spiffy". Bertie Wooster.
"The stars are God's daisy chain" Madeleine Bassett.

Thanks ericthered.

I am currently reading http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/index.asp

It is basically a lot of paperwork involving proof of marriage, good health, and no criminal history. I really should have started this research a long, long time ago. I blame myself but the pressure and long hours from my job (50+ hours a week) made it hard.

But I was too lazy on my days off!  llllllllll

Time to move forward though with an optimistic vision!  bfbfbfbfbf





*

Guangzhou Writer

  • *
  • 703
  • Can use chopsticks
I knew a Cantonese girl who married a Canadian man. It took almost two years after the marriage for her to get her papers to move to Canada. Lots of patience needed during her time, but she got there. Sorry, but don't know details.

*

cruisemonkey

  • *
  • 1265
  • You could be next.
This probably has no bearing on your specific situation because circumstances were different. However, in general, this is what you may expect -

I sponsored my now, ex-wife for permanent residency in Canada. At the time, she was already in Canada on a student visa (we met at university). It was complicated because she was born in Hong Kong and had a British National (overseas) passport - no right of abode in GB. Her family had moved to Taiwan when she was twelve, so she also had a ROC passport.

She needed criminal record checks from HK and ROC... and of course, a government-approved (very thorough - lots of tests/lab work not covered by MSP) medical exam. It took six months to assemble everything and fill out the hundreds of pages comprising my sponsorship and her application documents. I had to make several phone calls to 'Ottawa' seeking guidance/clarification as to what they wanted. Long, complicated written explainations were required. I made sure every 't' was crossed and every 'i' dotted.

With my sponsorhip fee and her application fee, altogether it cost over $3000 (in 2002).

Once submitted, we were told it would take ten months to process. However, she received her PR card in four.
 
The Koreans once gave me five minutes notice - I didn't know what to do with the extra time.

@Guangzhou Writer  - I am expecting our wait to be at best a year so if it becomes a 1 1/2 I sadly won't be surprised. Obviously we will have to see each other via plane trips during that interim period. I am not a believer in Long Distance Relationships but there is no choice here so we will both have to be strong and mature.

@cruisemonkey - I knew that you had sponsored your ex in the past based on a post I found earlier. I was thinking of PMing you but wanted to put a general post out to get advice from everybody first!

Thanks so much for posting your experience. I am impressed that it only took you 4 months to get your PR card once all the supporting documentation had been gathered. Oh my gosh..hundreds of pages...for real? I hope that is not the case for me! Can I just have 26 pages? haha My wife is on the mainland and she only has one passport. While I am sponsoring her in Canada (and also going to school) she will be in Nanjing a half a world away. Perhaps it will simplify things a little given that my wife does not have dual citizenship. I am impressed that you handled all of this on your own in 2002..you didn't hire any lawyers / immigration specialists or representatives to help you out.

I wonder if in the year 2013 it will be a little bit easier with the online videos and careful checklist forms and savable pdf forms? This might be a case where technology actually helps things instead of makes them much more difficult. I found one other blog where someone went through the experience and they said that although the CIC website was a little bit difficult and intimidating it was pretty well organized and informative. So far I find that to be the case. I think the hard part will be gathering all the documentation and reviewing it carefully before submitting it. Will have to be very careful about this process. If you forget one field or do something slightly wrong they could just send the whole form back to us. One thing I can count on is no way will it take just 4 months to get a PR card.  ahahahahah


Love in the 21st century is not easy.

Can I ask a personal question cruisemonkey or should I PM you instead? After all that ridiculous hard work you went through why did the relationship not work out? Break ups are bad no matter what...after that gargantuan effort on your part it just adds salt to the wound!!! Is that question answered on another thread somewhere here?

Anyway guys thanks for all the response!   bjbjbjbjbj

*

cruisemonkey

  • *
  • 1265
  • You could be next.
An Immigration lawyer or consultant should not be necessary. I'll add, however, I don't think anyone whos first language is not English (or French), and/or doesn't have at least a high school education could 'do it' without help.

Much of the information they want seems to be to establish it is not a 'sham' marriage - entered into solely for the purpose of getting the spouse permanent residency... and thus being able to apply for citizenship (after three years).

They wanted to know our whole 'dating history' (with pictures). Why her mother didn't attend the wedding etc. etc.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2013, 10:42:26 AM by cruisemonkey »
The Koreans once gave me five minutes notice - I didn't know what to do with the extra time.

*

Escaped Lunatic

  • *****
  • 10847
  • Finding new ways to conquer the world
    • EscapedLunatic.com
Another reason for doing the full wedding package - photo albums, custom clothing, huge dinner, etc. agagagagag
I'm pro-cloning and we vote!               Why isn't this card colored green?
EscapedLunatic.com

*

Guangzhou Writer

  • *
  • 703
  • Can use chopsticks
Oh goodness, not the Chinese photo albums :) I love the swashbuckling themes.

*

Escaped Lunatic

  • *****
  • 10847
  • Finding new ways to conquer the world
    • EscapedLunatic.com
The very act of suffering through a couple of days of photo sessions in a Chinese wedding photo studio should be more than enough proof that the relationship is real. ahahahahah
I'm pro-cloning and we vote!               Why isn't this card colored green?
EscapedLunatic.com

Going through the same thing now, and sometimes I have to wonder if its worth it.
OK, that's probably just the separation anxiety talking, just had one of those long meandering not getting anywhere skype conversations with someone I miss. But yet...
 The job search is getting tedious. One job I'm applying for is a temporary contract (how long is not specified in the ad, so that will one of many questions I ask if I get as far as an interview). If you convert CDN$ x 5.8 to rmb, it pays almost exactly what my last job in China paid. It's on the outskirts of Toronto, where the public transportation, cost of housing/rent and COL is much higher than Dalian, and DL is not cheap for China. That's for a 40 hour/week positon. Even with office hours and extra classes, I was doing well under 30 at my old position.
 The rules of the game seem to change as it gets played. We've been discussing the big move for several years (as long as we've known each other, almost) and every time we get serious and start the process the rules have changed from the last time.
 Maybe its just the people I've met, but Canada seems to have changed, and changed for the worse in the last 10 years. People seem to have lost the sense of optimism, the sense that with a little effort and luck and perseverence things can be made better. Now I can read a newspaper as well as the next person, I understand that the N American economy has been in a prolonged funk, but there seems to be more to it than that. There seems to have been a profound shift in the national mood. Well I haven't been back that long, so ICBW; hope I am. Negative energy sucks. I'm trying to avoid it, but you know what they say about draining swamps and alligators.
 We just have to hang tough. We're doing this for the people we love. they're worth it.

*

cruisemonkey

  • *
  • 1265
  • You could be next.
Canada sucks!

I don't want to go back because:

- Taxes are outrageous (especially 'sin' taxes on tobacco and alcohol).

- You can't smoke anywhere (even 'at home' if you rent an apartment).

- Everyone expects a tip.

- The employment situation for able-bodied, 'white' males is abysmal because it's not only legal, it's required to discriminate in favour of: women, people with disabilities, aboriginal people and visible minorities due to the Employment Equity Act.

 
The Koreans once gave me five minutes notice - I didn't know what to do with the extra time.

*

Guangzhou Writer

  • *
  • 703
  • Can use chopsticks
Get a tan, a sex change, join a cult, and be queer? Then receive a govt job with indexed pension.

Well, it was your/my tax money that put China into the position it's in now, so being here sorta makes sense...until the war starts. Not that I've lost my optimism or anything.

Guys the "what's wrong with Canada talk" is a pretty off-topic. Let's keep this on the subject of sponsering family members for residence abroad please.  bfbfbfbfbf

Oh I'm glad I checked in! Well I've arrived in Canada and taken care of preparing for my education program, found a place to live, gotten a cellphone, applied for medicare and renewed my drivers license along a 1000 other mudane things so now I am going to get serious about the paperwork.

Hey "latefordinner" glad to see you are going through the same thing. We should compare notes. What phase are you at now? We really should work together as a team if only to make the unbearable a little more bearable. And trust me, I'm no raging optimist. :/ Yeah, separation anxiety is really hard. I miss my wife so much and Long Distance Relationships are not healthy but it's just a test that has to be gone through. Skype and QQ are a lifeline.

Yeah, I'm going through culture shock in Canada myself. Everything seems so empty and too calm. While walking through a quiet neighbourhood I could swear I was on some surreal movie set. It just didn't seem real. That's reverse culture shock setting in. I really do miss China. And Canada is not perfect. But I don't want to hijack my own thread. Maybe we can form a "reverse culture shock is a beeattch thread..."

Stay strong everyone and "latefordinner" let's keep in touch! :)