October 5, 2008

Should I Sponsor My Wife in Canada?

Posted by admin - Bellissimo Law Group PC

Q. I am a Canadian citizen and I want to sponsor my wife who lives and was born in Brazil. How will it take to sponsor her and can I do it from within Canada?

A. You can sponsor your wife from within Canada but you must obtain a visitor visa for her first as citizens of Brazil require a visitor visa to visit Canada. Not always an easy task. Should you obtain the visitor visa you would then file the application through Vegreville  Alberta and processing times range from 8 to 14 months. If you obtain an approval in principle meaning that Citizenship and Immigration Canada believes your marriage is genuine and not for immigration purposes, your wife may apply for a work or study permit while she waits for the application to be finalized – medical, security and police checks but it may take several months to obtain what is called “approval in principle”.

Overseas family class sponsorships for spouses are faster and should the case be refused you have a right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division. This is not an easy decision as there exits pros and cons for both types of applications.