I am a Canadian woman sponsoring my Korean spouse to Canada. Can I bring him as a visitor first to stay close?

Question

We have looked into the details of immigration but it seems that it may take close to eight months to have the process complete. We were married without a formal ceremony in Korea but we have submitted proof of a relationship of about a year. Is it worth it to wait or can he come to Canada and gain immigrant status from there?

Answer 1

He can't apply when he's inside Canada. Basically put: if he comes here on a visitor visa, he needs to go back and then come back in later with his permanent residency. The only thing he'll be able to do here on a visa is spend time with you and maybe even talk to an immigration lawyer. Make sure they don't tell you to do stupid things like apply to be refugee now!

If he gets here and then applies for refugee status, etc then this may jeopardize his status and possibly yours. (ie you and your whole family may never be able to send another invitation to a family member to visit).

You need to sponsor him. Have him apply for his residency. Talk to the consulate and an immigration lawyer and ask if him coming here on a visa for a month would hurt his residency application. If it would, then wait.

Answer 2

If you are already married, why dont you just apply for his immigration visa to Canada instead of visitor's visa? If you have already applied for his immigration, and things are in process, its unlikely that they will issue him a visitor's visa, because you can not apply for both at the same time.