Canadian married to a Brazilian looking to emigrate to BC

dan.clifford

New Member
Dear All

Firstly, hello and thanks for taking the time to read. I've had a look through most of the forum but have come up a little short in my searches, mainly due to out dated info and some contradictions to what I'm seeing on the Canadian Consulate website.

I am a Canadian citizen, married with a Brazilian and we live here in the interior of S?o Paulo on a small holding. We've been married for 2.5 years, and due to recent political shifts and some security concerns, we're looking to move to Canada, Vancouver, to be precise.

We've a small business here in Brazil (a coffeeshop/micro bakery) but I'm a Civil engineer and my wife has worked with a large multi national for her entire professional career, so we'd be looking at returning to those fields until we have feet firmly on the ground.

We're not sure if it's best to do all the application from here and leave with everything in order (however we're worried how long this will take) or is it best for me to go, find work and arrange a tourist visa for my wife, then apply to be her sponsor from there.

I know I'm posting this on Immigroups forum, but would people suggest going it alone, or using a Consultancy, and what can one expect to pay for a consultancy like this, I'm assuming there isn't a one price fits all template! We're looking at a May/June move in 2018, are we being naive in thinking this is achievable?

Again, thanks for taking the time to read and I hope someone can shed some light on our concerns.
 

Riley Haas

Administrator
Staff member
Location
Toronto
We're not sure if it's best to do all the application from here and leave with everything in order (however we're worried how long this will take) or is it best for me to go, find work and arrange a tourist visa for my wife, then apply to be her sponsor from there.
Either you or both of you should be in Canada when you submit your sponsorship application. If neither of you are in Canada, you have to prove that you are going to settle in Canada, which is an added step you do not need to undertake if you or both of you are in Canada. Satisfying the officer that you will live in Canada when you live in Sao Paulo is likely a tall order.

If your wife can get a tourist visa, it makes sense for you to come here together and then sponsor her inland. If she cannot get a get tourist visa you can sponsor her outland (i.e. she remains in Brazil).

I know I'm posting this on Immigroups forum, but would people suggest going it alone, or using a Consultancy, and what can one expect to pay for a consultancy like this, I'm assuming there isn't a one price fits all template!
The advantages of using a consultant or lawyer:
  • The consultant will make sure there are no mistakes in your application and it will not be returned
  • The consultant will tell you about non-obvious things to include (and how to include them) so that your application is as strong as possible.
  • The consultant can help you with the drafting of any and all letters you need, which is lot easier than doing it yourself if you're not a writer
  • Peace of mind
  • Your work is mostly spent assembling documentation, not actually assembling the submission (depending upon who you hire
  • With a company such as Immigroup, you are on a good foot, as IRCC has received hundreds if not thousands of sponsorship applications from us over the years and knows we do a good job, so there's just the added bonus of the relief the officer feels seeing its from us.
There are, of course, disadvantages, the biggest one being the cost. A consultant will charge you CAD$1,000-$5,000 for a sponsorship application depending upon their reputation, how long they've been doing it, and other factors. (Immigroup's fees begin at CAD$2,800 for a full sponsorship application.) I doubt you'll find a lawyer willing to do it for less than $5,000 but you might be able to if you look hard enough.
(I am biased, as I work for consultants, but if you'll allow me: I believe a consultant is the way to go because they are both cheaper and have to be experts in immigration, as its all they do. Lawyers practice in multiple fields and, though they may claim they specialize in immigration, their real specialty may be in something very specific, such as appeals. Also, the larger the law firm the more likely someone junior will actually do the work, not the lawyer you speak to.)

We're looking at a May/June move in 2018, are we being naive in thinking this is achievable?
If you're wife can get a visitor visa, you can attempt to move here by then. But the sponsorship application takes at least a year from the date you submit it, so she will not have PR status in Canada for some time.

I hope this helps.
 

dan.clifford

New Member
Thank you so much for the fast reply, it's of great help. I think the inland visa option makes sense to us. I may even go first and sort everything out, i.e accommodation, my social, banks and of course, a job. Then my wife can join me on the visitors visa and we can get the inland application for sponsorship rolling.

Thanks for the help and for the swift reply, it's greatly appreciated.
 
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