Want to move back home to Canada

[ukwife]

Hi all,
Wondering if anyone here has any idea on how to obtain a visa for my UK born husband to return to Canada with me to live. I have not lived in Canada for over 10 years. In that time I have had 2 US born children and 1 UK born child. I have not yet reg't any of them as Canadians but do intend on doing that.

So I'm confident I can return, my children can return but we are unsure how to go about with my husband's status. He does not have higher education and is not trained in any trade skill that would qualify for a work type visa.

My parents who live in Canada said if needed they would help sponsor him but not sure how that works either as they are mainly retired.

I would like to move in August when school is out and get settled before the new school year starts. Everyone is telling me to just go and get in and then apply for the visa but my husband doesn't want to risk being kicked out.

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

You should be able to find out what you need here: Sponsoring your family: Spouses and dependent children. It's the official website for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and they seem to indicate that you will need to get visas for your husband and children. They require the usual round of medical exams and police checks, but since you are a Canadian citizen returning to Canada, you should be able to sponsor the whole lot.

If you want to move in August, you'd best get a move on. These visa things can take a few months to tackle - if only for the need to secure all the proper documents. Good luck with the process - and keep us posted how it goes.
Cheers,
Bev

[ukwife]

Thank you for the link.

[thebroons]

Hello UKwife...

I am a Canadian married to a Scotsman... we're currently living in Glasgow.

The application process for permanent residence can be a bit frustrating... you will be fine to be the sponsor as his wife - so don't worry about asking your parents to do it. Because you are married the financial obligation is waived...

It took us a while just to get the applications complete... probably over a month of filling out forms, gathering evidence etc... sorry to say that it's not as straightforward as you may have hoped.

The website Bev gave is very helpful... I would also suggest:
Road to Canada dot com
and
British Expats dot com

I have found them very helpful. Just for your information, the current processing time is about 6 months from start to finish, but most cases are being approved within 4 months. We applied in March and are hoping to be in Canada for August.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask - as I said.. been there, done that!
Jen