I received ITA last month as a single applicant. I am planning for a wedding in Nov and realized that only when the details of spouse are included in the application before ITA the processing will happen together, else I will have to move to Canada and sponsor my spouse which takes really long time. Is my understanding correct?
Also, I am a little reluctant to step out of US to accept PR, as around the time frame of Jan I will be newly married and have to go for stamping (not ideal). Is it possible to decline my current ITA, update my application in Nov (with spouse) and reapply in Dec?
Any assistance will be highly appreciated, I have my physicals appointment in 2 days and would like to cancel that if I’m going to decline ITA now.
What’s your score? Sponsoring spouse from Canada takes about 9-12 months. If you want your PRs together, the cleanest way to do it either before you submit EE profile. That being said, if your CRS score is high enough so that adding spouse doesn’t reduce it below the cutoff (when you got the ITA but before submitting final application), then CIC will let you add spouse to the application. If you get married after submitting final application, CIC will let you add spouse to application without recalculation. So I would recommend you go ahead with application.
I have also heard from an immigration attorney long time ago who said CIC will let you add spouse to application even after your CoPR and PR visa is done and you haven’t landed, however more research on this topic is needed. Nov is still 3 months away. If you do accept the ITA and submit application in next 30 days, you still have to get married first and then notify CIC about this addition once you get the marriage certificate. It’s also likely that by the time all the marriage paperwork comes in, you may get the PPR. If CIC adds spouse to the application and then both of you get PPR, then you both get PR immediately, else you have to wait till after Nov to receive ITA and do the same thing again if you decline it now. Also, adding spouse may delay the approval/PR visa a bit since they have to now conduct background check on spouse + medical.
It goes without saying that you need to do the police clearances and medical exam for spouse in that case.
Regarding stepping outside the US; you are going to face the same worry about whether visa will be accepted or not, or if CBP will give you trouble at PoE or not, irrespective of when you decide to do the landing. Your PR visa will be valid one year from medical exam, so most likely Aug 2019 so you will have time to land.
Thanks so much for taking time and explaining the possibilities in detail @avj. My CRS score is 478.
I was under the impression that PR visa could be valid for only 6 weeks (a friend of mine got it) , so I was concerned about stepping out immediately. If I submit final application next month and doesn’t receive PPR by the time I get marriage certificate, I will have to update my application with spouse details- which means does both of us receive PPR together?
If I decline the existing ITA, will I be receiving ITA for every draw until I update in Nov and would like to proceed?
PR visa is valid for one year after the date of the medical exam, irrespective of when you actually get the PR visa, or your passport expiry date, whichever comes first.
If you update CIC with the required documents, your spouse still has to complete the police clearance and medical exam before you get PPR.
Yes you will receive ITA for all draws (assuming you keep declining them), for a year if you score is above cutoff.
Your score is pretty good. So better add your wife. Reading few comments on this website looks like it takes around 1 year to get your spouse if you go alone in Canada.
Anshul, I don’t get you when you say PR visa is valid for 1 year. Isn’t it valid for until you become Canadian Citizen or if revoked due to any reason by Border security? Thanks.
I chose to proceed with the ITA and update the application in Nov after I get the marriage certificate. Hopefully they process our’s together and we get PR at the same time.
I have the same score (478) and I just applied for PR (Aug). But not planning to get married until March/ April of next year. Is it mandatory to have a PR for my spouse to stay in Canada? or Can she come on a visitor visa (not sure of other alternatives) and stay with me while I apply a PR for her?
How long is a visitor visa valid for?
How long does it take to get a visiting visa?
Does she need to have EE profile for PR or can I sponsor her without the EE requirements?
I am on the same boat with the same exact score and same scenario.
I believe first your PR needs to get processed until that the March/April timeframe. Once you land and actiavte the PR then I believe she can come with you on visitor visa and you can apply for her PR. That will be called inland sponsorship application. The good things about that is that your spouse can even be eligible for open work permit. You can only live in Canada for 6 months on a visitor visa. Visitor visa processing depends case to case and the country where you are applying from. I believe once you become a Canadian PR you can sponsor her directly.
I was actually hoping that updating the application during processing can include my spouse at the same time without having to sponsor at a later stage.
