How to Build a Permanent Residency Application: Outland Spousal Sponsorship Edition

And now the moment you've all been waiting for...

THE APPLICATION... 

Outland Spousal Sponsorship for Permanent Residency in Canada

You might want to grab a snack and get cozy because this one is going to be a doozy!

For all of your immigration needs check out Applying to Immigrate to Canada. There are many different options besides a "Family Class" sponsorship, such as Express Entry, Quebec Selected Skilled Worker, Refugee, etc. You can also check out the CanadaVisa.com Immigration Forum. I've found it to be extremely helpful.

For this post, I will be focusing on "Family Class" Spousal Sponsorship, specifically Outland Spousal Sponsorship. Even MORE specifically Outland Spousal Sponsorship of a Spouse Living in the United States. 

There are quite a few documents that you will need to supply with your application. The first of which is a Police Certificate for every country you have lived in for 6 months or more since the age of 18. 

For the United States that means submitting a request to the FBI. Their current processing times are pretty long, about 12-16 weeks (or 3-4 months)! So, I recommend submitting your request fairly early on in your quest to build your application for Permanent Residency. HOWEVER, some people say that it is okay to submit your application for Permanent Residency without the FBI criminal history as long as you have proof that you have actually sent the request in (usually a payment receipt or shipping receipt). CIC is now aware of the long wait times.

The process for submitting your request is pretty easy. First, download the application form from the FBI website (here) and complete it. Second, get your fingerprints done. You can usually get your fingerprints done at any local police station. I think it cost me $5 per card. I would recommend getting 2 - 5 cards done JUST IN CASE. If a fingerprint cannot be read by the machine used at the FBI then they may reject your request and you will have to resubmit a new request (putting you that much further behind). So, sending multiple cards at one time could potentially be a time saver. But only 1 card is required. Third, fill out and print off a credit card form from the FBI website to include in your application for your payment OR get a money order or certified check for $18.00 USD (the cost of the processing fee). Cash, personal checks, and business checks are NOT accepted. Fourth, and final step, mail your request! 

FBI CJIS Division - Summary Request

1000 Custer Hollow Road

Clarksburg, WV  26306

If you have submitted your application and you're getting close to the 12-16 week mark, but haven't seen your credit card has been charged, or haven't received your request in the mail (it will come in a big brown envelope via snail mail) you can call 304-625-5590 and  someone will be able to check on it for you. However, don't call a week or two after you mail it because they won't be able to help you at that time.

Start gathering the other items that you and your sponsor will need to include in your application. You only need to send a photocopy of each item, unless the original is requested. These items include:

• birth certificates for both you and your sponsor
• marriage certificate
• divorce certificate (if you've ever been divorced)
• death certificate (if you've been widowed)

If you're immigrating to any province OTHER THAN Quebec (there's a slightly different process for Quebec), you will also need to include:

• Option C print out (last notice of assessment for most recent taxation year) (sponsor/co-signer only). This can be obtained online at Canada Revenue Agency - My Account. If you don't already have an account, you can register for one there as well. Or you can call 1-800-959-8281 call to request to have one mailed to you.
• Proof of employment letter (sponsor/ co-signer only) This should be an original not a photocopy.
• Proof of income (sponsor/co-signer only) via paycheck stubs or letter from employer.

**** Quebec applicants will be required to complete an undertaking application and application for selection certificate. ****

Basically, the Quebec government has to approve the sponsor and sponsored person in addition to the Canadian government. So, they will ask for this information at a later time, after you submit your application for Permanent Residency to the Canadian government. I will do a blog post on this once we reach that point in our journey.

Once you've gathered those items, or have at least gotten the ball rolling on getting them, you should start gathering items for the "Proof of Relationship" section of the application. 

• Pictures of you and your sponsor over the course of your relationship. Pictures can include family events, vacations, candid shots, etc. These are important because they can show the passage of time due to different seasons, weight gain or loss, different hairstyles/lengths etc. Also, showing that you've met family and friends can be helpful. IMPORTANT RULES TO FOLLOW: ALL PHOTOS MUST BE LOOSE! This means no flash drives, photo albums, picture frames, videos, etc. Pictures can be printed on normal printer paper or on photo paper. If you print your pictures on normal printer paper you can include multiple pictures on one page. INCLUDE DETAILS! Include who is in the photo, when the photo was taken, where the photo was taken, and a brief description. If your pictures are printed on photo paper you can write on the back of the picture OR you can type up your picture information, print it on normal paper and then tape the description on the back of the picture. This reduces the risk of the ink smearing on the picture under it. If you print your pictures on regular printer paper you can put the description beside, above, or below the photo (just make sure it is clear which description goes with which picture).

• Boarding Passes/Travel Documents: This can include hotel reservation/receipts, boarding passes/ booking confirmation of flights taken, etc.

• Joint Accounts: If you have any accounts together (credit cards, utility bills, bank accounts, life insurance, etc) send copies/ proof of these.

• Letters/ Cards: These can include letters/cards that you may have mailed to each other OR ones that you have received addressed to both you and your sponsor (i.e. Christmas Cards). I chose to make photocopies of the cards that my husband and I sent to each other, so that we could keep the originals for sentimental reasons. You are not guaranteed that any of your documents will be returned to you after your application has been processed.

• Chat Logs: Screenshots of Facebook chat logs, text messages, Skype chat, or any other chat logs can be submitted. If you have many years of logs, try to take a few sections from each month. Also, send the everyday conversations, not just the lovey dovey stuff. CIC is looking to see that you are in a genuine relationship, meaning you talk about everyday stuff. We also included our very first conversations from the dating website we met on.

• Facebook Posts: I included a sampling of screen shots of Facebook posts between my husband and I which showed special occasions and comments from our friends and family.

• Wedding Items: Include things like bridal shower invitations and pictures, wedding invitations, wedding pictures, pictures from the reception, pictures and other things from the honeymoon (i.e. hotel receipt or confirmation email, tickets from events attended or special outings). Again, pictures should be loose and include details.

• Gifts/ Money: If you have sent each other gifts in the mail include receipts (ones with the to and from address are the best). Also, if you have sent each other money on sites like PayPal include a statement showing the dates and amount sent (you can get this directly from your PayPal account), or via Western Union you can include any receipts you may have showing the recipient, date, and amount.

• Letters from Friends and Family: You  may want to get your friends and family to write letters vouching for your relationship. These letters should include the name of whomever is writing it, their relationship to either the sponsor or the sponsored person, how long they have known the sponsor or sponsored person, when and how the met the sponsor or sponsored person, and how they feel about the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored person. The letters should also include address, phone number, and signature of the person who wrote it. (It's unlikely that CIC will contact them, but it looks better if it's included). For example, say I had a friend write a letter for me. She would say that she has known me for 14 years and that she met me in high school. She would say that she met my husband around Christmas time in 2014. She would write about how I had talked to her a lot about him over the past year and how excited she was to finally meet him. She would write about how seeing us together, she could tell that we were meant to be.. or something along those lines. Get the idea? There is no specific length, but most of our letters were about 1 page long.

Basically you want to prove to the CIC agent processing your application that your relationship with your sponsor is true and genuine and you're not in a marriage of convenience or committing marriage fraud.

Here's a little Jim Carrey stand-up... enjoy!

Ok, now time for the application forms. Again, this is for Family Class: Spousal Sponsorship: Outland application.

1. Immigration and Citizenship 
2. Immigrate to Canada
3. Apply to Immigrate
4. Family Sponsorship
5. Sponsor Your Spouse
6. Apply to Sponsor Your Spouse
7. Application to Sponsor a Member of the Family Class **OUTSIDE** of Canada 

The links above take you step by step through the CIC website to get you to the forms you will need. #7 is where you will find the forms. Follow the guide and instructions to know which forms you need to complete. It's best to complete the forms online, making sure that you click the VALIDATE button once you're finished, and then print. This should create a page full of bar codes that CIC uses to help process your application. If you come across something you have questions about, again, you can check out Canadavisa.com- Immigration Forum for answers. This forum has helped me TREMENDOUSLY throughout this whole process.

Helpful hint: If you do not have enough space to answer a question on any of the forms, complete your response on an addition piece of paper. You should include your name and a page number at the top of the page. Include which form and question the additional information is for. 

Example:

IMM 5669E - SCHEDULE A BACKGROUND/ DECLARATION <---- form

question ---> 6. Have you, or, if you are the principal applicant, any of your family members listed in your application for permanent residence in Canada, ever: 

then you would enter the additional information below.

                           

The last couple of things you're going to want to do before putting everything together is to schedule your medical exam and pay your application fees. If you haven't read my blog post about medical exams, you can check it out here Information Overload: Criminal Rehab and Medical Exams. In short, you don't have to get your medical exam "upfront" (before CIC requests it), but it will save you from processing delays later on. It's best to call around to the Approved Panel Physicians to get the best price (chances are, your local primary care physician IS NOT on the approved list of physicians). If you choose to get your medical exam done upfront, you will need to wait to submit your Permanent Residence application until you receive your proof of examination document from the doctor's office. They may give you the paper the day of the exam, or they may send it to you a few days later.

Now on to the fees. From what I understand, fees have to be paid online. You can do so here Pay Your Fees. Select the appropriate country you're paying from and make the appropriate selection under FAMILY CLASS.  Continue on until you get to the section where you select your fees. Since we were applying for Outland Spousal Sponsorship with only one principal applicant, these are the fees we had to pay:

• Sponsorship Application Fee : $75.00
• Principal Applicant:  $475.00
• Right of Permanent Residence Fee: $490.00 *** You can choose to pay this upfront to avoid processing delays OR you can wait for CIC to request it***

So, that's a total of $1040.00 CAD. You will need to print off the receipt and include it in your application where indicated by the document checklist.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Once you have all of your documents, all of your proof of relationship items, and all of your forms completed, you're going to have to put it all together. I found this super helpful thread in the Canadavisa.com forum titled How To Organize Your Application  that I used to build my application. Here you can find pictures and detailed descriptions of what to do.

Here is my completed application:

I split the application into 3 sections: 1) Sponsor Forms and Supporting Documents, 2) Sponsored Spouse Forms and Supporting Documents, and 3) Proof of Relationship. I made sure to write on each envelope that it was an "Outland Spousal Sponsorship" application. I also indicated that the sponsor was my husband and the sponsored spouse was myself.

Envelope 1: Sponsor Forms and Supporting Documents

You should avoid using staples and use paperclips or binder clips instead. I also used tabs to indicate where each form is located in the application, where the additional information for the forms is located, as well as where the supporting documents are. You should place the bar codes on top of the application, followed by the document checklist, and the forms/documents in order according to the document checklist. If there are items on the document checklist that do not apply to you, mark them as N/A (not applicable).

Envelope 2: Sponsored Spouse Forms and Supporting Documents

This is organized the same as envelope #1. Bar codes on top, followed by the document checklist, and then the forms/ documents in order of the document checklist. I, again, used tabs to indicate where forms, additional information, and supporting documents are located.

You will need to include 4 passport sized photos (Canadian passport size) with your application. Keep in mind that depending on your country of origin, you may have to send more photos or fewer photos, so make sure you read the Country Specific Instructions carefully. At least one picture needs to have the date the photo was taken, name and address of the photography studio, as well as your name and date of birth on the back. My photos were taken at a local pharmacy in Quebec (much like a Walgreens or CVS in the U.S.) and they stamped the back of each photo with their information. Because of this, I placed a small piece of paper between each of my photos before placing them in a  normal letter size envelope. The paper was to prevent the ink on the back of one photo from smearing on the front of the photo below it. I wrote my name and date of birth on the envelope as well.

I used a paperclip to ensure that the envelope would remain closed and then used a binder clip to attach it to my application.

Envelope #3: Proof of Relationship

Since there is not a document checklist for the proof of relationship section, I created a sort of table of contents for it. I just listed the documents I had in detail to make it easy for the CIC agent to know what I included and where to find it. I also placed tabs at the beginning of each document to make it easy to find.

Something you may want to do is write a summary of your relationship with your sponsor; how you met, the development of your relationship, why you want to live together in Canada, what you want out of your future together, etc.

Since I had loose photos that I had printed on photo paper, I decided it would be easiest to sort them by trip (my trips to visit my husband and his trips to visit me) and place them into zip-lock bags so they wouldn't get mixed up.

Since the photos were sorted by trip, I also sorted the other documents (such as hotel confirmations, receipts, movie tickets, plane tickets, etc) by trip. I placed them in an even larger zip-lock bag along with the photos to keep everything organized.

Once you're done, place everything in their appropriate envelopes!

I decided to get a large accordion style folder (the kind without the dividers inside) to place all of the envelopes in so that they would all be together and wouldn't get lost. I also placed a label on the outside stating that this was an application for Outland Spousal Sponsorship and included my name as the sponsored spouse and my husbands name as the sponsor.

To ship our application, we used an old box from an amazon order instead of buying a box at the store. We simply removed the amazon prime tape and the old shipping label, made sure that we taped the box well, and placed our new shipping info on top. I just printed our mailing address and the CIC address on normal printer paper and taped it to the box. Make sure you leave room for the courier to place any labels/ postage they may need on the box.

Depending on your application type and how you plan on sending your application, there are various addresses to use. You can find them here Case Processing Center: Mississauga, Ontario. I highly recommend sending your application via courier (i.e. UPS, FedEx, XpressPost, etc.) and use 

2 Robert Speck Parkway, Suit 300

Mississauga, ON  L4Z 1H8

This way you can track your package and request for signature upon delivery to make sure your application arrives. We used CanadaPost XpressPost. This included 2 day delivery, $100 insurance, and tracking. We paid a few dollars more to include the signature request. In total we paid about $18.00 CAD. We mailed our package around 3:30pm on March 15 and it arrived the next morning!! 

So, now we are playing the waiting game. Good news though! I've noticed that CIC has DRASTICALLY reduced their processing times for Acceptance of Receipt (AOR) and Sponsorship Approval (SA). Before Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada, processing times were about 60 days to receive AOR. Since January of this year, that time has quickly been decreasing and is now at about 23 days to receive AOR. We have also seen people receive their SA about one week after that! CRAZY FAST! So, while were are super excited about that, we are trying to be realistic and not get our hopes up (while checking our emails every day and keeping a close eye on the CanadaVisa.com forum! haha)

If this is you....

... I completely understand! I'm sorry for the long post! 

BUT... if you did read this massive text, I hope that you found it helpful!

Below is an updated list of costs and the current total amount of money spent on the process thus far. 

ITEM                                COST         SENT          DELIVERED     RECEIVED

FBI Background Check -- $18.00 --- 7/17/2015 ---- 7/22/2015 ---- 10/29/2015

VA Police State Check -- $20.00 --- 7/17/2015 ---- 7/20/2015 ------ 8/13/2015

Fingerprints (#1) ---------- $5.00 ---- 7/17/2015

Postage --------------------- $11.50 --- 7/17/2015

Passport Photos (4) -------- $27.36 --- 7/30/2015

Court Documents ---------- $2.00 ---- 7/30/2015

Passport (booklet) --------- $110.00 -- 8/7/2015 ----- 8/9/2015 ------- 9/15/2015

Postage/Money Order ----- $7.00 ----- 8/7/2015

DMV Driving Record ----- $8.00 ----- 8/7/2015

Fingerprints (#2) ----------- $10.00 ---- 8/10/2015 

FBI Background Check --- $18.00 ---- 8/13/2015 --- 8/17/2015 ------- 11/14/2015

Postage ---------------------- $5.75 ----- 8/13/2015

Criminal Rehabilitation --- $200.00 -- 12/18/2015----- 12/18/2015 ----- 02/21/2016

Application Fee                   (CAD) or $160 USD

Passport style Photos(6) --- $34.36 ---- 03/07/2016

                                            (CAD) or $25.87 USD

Medical Exam ------------- $334.00 -- 03/07/2016

                                            (CAD) or $250.00 USD

Permanent Residence -----$1040.00-- 03/14/2016 ------- 03/16/2016

application fee                   (CAD)  or $783.00 USD

Postage --------------------- $18.00 --- 03/15/2016

                                            (CAD) or $13.55 USD

Current Total = $1475.03 USD

Thanks for reading! I hope you find this and future entries helpful!

Information Overload: Criminal Rehab and Medical Exams!

So, it's been about 3 months since my last blog entry and A LOT has happened since then. That being said, there will be 2 sections to this post: 1) conclusion of the Criminal Rehab saga and 2) adventures of immigration medical exams. I will do another blog entry solely on how to build a permanent residency application. So without further adieu, let's get on with the show... (warning, lots of dry material ahead).

Criminal Rehabilitation: The Conclusion

So, in my last entry I told you about our journey to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel port of entry to submit my application for Criminal Rehabilitation. You may recall that we had to request a refund for our online "pre-payment" of the application fee since they required us to make the payment in person. Well, we had no idea how long it would take to get a refund, but to our surprise, it only took about 2 weeks to receive (during the holidays, too!). 

You may also recall that the CBSA officer advised us that we could expect to receive a response in 6 - 8 weeks of submitting my application for Criminal Rehabilitation; he was spot on! We submitted my application on December 18, 2015 and I received a response (via e-mail) on February 21, 2016. I was APPROVED!! 

The Chief of Operations for the Detroit-Windsor tunnel sent me a very nice email letting me know that she had approved my application, that she had attached an unsigned copy of my approval letter, and that she had mailed me a signed copy via snail-mail (which I received on February 26). I pretty much immediately started planning my next visit to Canada to visit my husband, our family, and friends as soon as I received my approval letter in the mail. By this time our application for Permanent Residency was pretty much complete. All we had left to do was pay our application fees online and get my medical exam.

Adventures of Immigration Medical Exams 

 Chapter One: Making the Appointment

 I decided to do an "upfront" medical exam, which means that I had my exam done before mailing in my application. Some people choose to wait for CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) to request it. An upfront medical is typically more beneficial for people who are applying for Outland Sponsorship (meaning the sponsored person lives outside of Canada) because it prevents a delay in processing the application. People who apply for Inland sponsorship (meaning those living in Canada) usually wait for CIC to request the medical exam because Inland Sponsorship applications take longer for CIC to process (sometimes 2 or more years) and medical exams expire after 365 days. Nobody wants to pay for a second medical exam unless they have to.

Everyone who wants to immigrate to Canada has to have medical exam and only panel physicians approved by "Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada" can do them. You can go to this link to get a list of Approved Panel Physicians . Be aware that some States in the US do not have a single physician approved by Canada to perform the immigration medical exams, so you might have to travel. Also, the physicians DO NOT accept insurance for the exam; expect to pay full price out of pocket. That being said, I decided to call around to see which physician closest to me had the best price. I called physicians in Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The cheapest price I found was around $400.00 USD. That includes blood tests for HIV and Syphilis, X-Ray for Tuberculosis, a urine test, and a physical exam by the doctor (mainly just listening to heart and lungs, checking abdomen for any abnormalities, and the doctor discussing your medical history). 

Since I was already planning to go to Canada in March for my 1 year wedding anniversary, I decided to ask my husband to call some of the panel physicians in Montreal to see how much they charge for the exam ( there are like 12 doctors there!). We found Medisys which charged $254 CAD (about $190 USD) including taxes. What a deal! So, we decided to schedule an appointment there for March 7, 2016. I was instructed to bring 1 passport size photo (Canadian passport size) to my appointment, along with my passport. I decided to get these done in Canada as well. We got the passport style photos taken/printed at a local pharmacy for $9.99 CAD (about $7.50 USD) for a set of 2. I decided to go ahead and get 3 sets because I needed 4 passport style photos to go with my application for Permanent Residency. So, when all was said and done we paid $34.36 CAD (about $26.00 USD) for 6 photos.

Adventures of Immigration Medical Exams 

 Chapter Two: The Appointment

When we arrived in Montreal, we found a parking garage near Medisys that charged $16 CAD (about $12.00 USD) for all day parking. Since we couldn't find parking on the street, we decided to park in the lot so that we were not late for my appointment. After a short walk, we arrived at the medical office and were greeted by a very friendly receptionist.

 (for folks who never have never watched The Office, this is not her)

 I gave her my passport (which she made a copy of and returned) and passport photo as requested. She gave me the forms that I needed to fill out, as well as a cup for the urine sample. I completed the urine sample first and then completed the medical forms, which mainly asked about my medical history. 

Next, I had my physical exam with the doctor. He was very friendly and explained to me what CIC was looking for in the medical exam; basically things that may be a burden to their medical system (i.e. cancer, heart disease, diabetes; things that require life long medical treatment). He then listened to my lungs and heart, looked inside my mouth/throat, and palpated my abdomen feeling for anything out of the ordinary and anything that may have caused me pain. After the short exam, he told me everything looked good and sent me back to the waiting room. 

Next, a nurse took me to a back room where she took my height and weight, had me read an eye chart, gathered a few blood samples, and took my blood pressure. Unfortunately for me, my blood pressure was high. She explained to me that she would take it a second time and if it remained high then I would require further testing (an EKG, another blood test, and my urine would need to be checked for protein) which would cost an additional $80.00 CAD (about $60.00 USD). 

So, after a few minutes she took my blood pressure again and it remained high. Because of this, I had to have the EKG and other tests done. After the nurse completed the EKG she sent me back to the waiting room.

After sitting in the waiting room for a few minutes, an X-ray technician brought me back to another room to have my chest x-ray completed. The chest x-ray is preformed to check for tuberculosis. She was very nice and preformed the x-ray quickly. After checking to make sure the x-ray developed properly, I returned to the receptionist desk with a slip of paper letting her know that I had completed the X-ray. I took a seat with my husband and waited for her to gather all of the documents from the tests I had taken that day. She called me back up and then took my picture to add to my file. I paid for the exam, which totaled $334.00 CAD (about $250.00 USD). She gave me a receipt and told me that I would receive an email in a few days containing a "proof of exam completion" document to include in my application for permanent residency. 

All in all, it was a very good experience. From start to finish we were in the doctor's office for about about 2 hours. I received the email with the proof of exam completion document on March 14 and we mailed our application the next day. More on that in my next post.

 

Below is an updated list of costs and the current total amount of money spent on the process thus far. 

ITEM                                COST         SENT          DELIVERED     RECEIVED

FBI Background Check -- $18.00 --- 7/17/2015 ---- 7/22/2015 ---- 10/29/2015

VA Police State Check -- $20.00 --- 7/17/2015 ---- 7/20/2015 ------ 8/13/2015

Fingerprints (#1) ---------- $5.00 ---- 7/17/2015

Postage --------------------- $11.50 --- 7/17/2015

Passport Photos (4) -------- $27.36 --- 7/30/2015

Court Documents ---------- $2.00 ---- 7/30/2015

Passport (booklet) --------- $110.00 -- 8/7/2015 ----- 8/9/2015 ------- 9/15/2015

Postage/Money Order ----- $7.00 ----- 8/7/2015

DMV Driving Record ----- $8.00 ----- 8/7/2015

Fingerprints (#2) ----------- $10.00 ---- 8/10/2015 

FBI Background Check --- $18.00 ---- 8/13/2015 --- 8/17/2015 ------- 11/14/2015

Postage ---------------------- $5.75 ----- 8/13/2015

Criminal Rehabilitation --- $200.00 -- 12/18/2015----- 12/18/2015 ----- 02/21/2016

Application Fee                   (CAD) or $160 USD

Passport style Photos ----- $34.36 ---- 03/07/2016

                                            (CAD) or $25.87 USD

Medical Exam ------------- $334.00 -- 03/07/2016

                                            (CAD) or $250.00 USD

Current Total = $678.48 USD

Thanks for reading! I hope you find this and future entries helpful!