How to marry visiting girlfriend in Canada?

[Romeo]

For more information: http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/EN/IMMIGRATE-SETTLE/sponsors-sponsored/apply/index.html


The one disadvantage with getting married in Ontario if all your family and friends are in Québec: it might make the marriage look less "authentic" to the person who will be reviewing your future wife's file. Unless they changed the paperwork, they do ask who attended the wedding and it would look odd if you married in Ontario with no (or few) family or friends.


But, best to get some legal advice to avoid any problems.

Thanks, yes that does make sense.  But I hadn't planned on having a big wedding anyways, only sister and mother present.  I don't like big deals.  I hope this doesn't mean I'll be forced to have a big party, I really don't want that, neither does she.  I guess I'll have to take my chances.

[Lily]

So what to do then?  The notary (and also the court house) insist on this document in order to get married.

Romeo, what does the courthouse in Ontario has to do with it? Sorry, not familiar with the marriage procedure in Canada at all.
 
Is it because she is not a Canadian permanent resident, or due to some other reason?

[Misha]

Thanks, yes that does make sense.  But I hadn't planned on having a big wedding anyways, only sister and mother present.  I don't like big deals.  I hope this doesn't mean I'll be forced to have a big party, I really don't want that, neither does she.  I guess I'll have to take my chances.

It doesn't have to be a big event (our wedding wasn't huge either), but you definitely want your mother there as well as your sister and at least a few close friends. It is the weddings at the justice of the peace with no friends or family there and two near-strangers as witnesses that would I wager raise more than a few questions from CIC officials processing the paperwork   

[Romeo]

Romeo, what does the courthouse in Ontario has to do with it? Sorry, not familiar with the marriage procedure in Canada at all.
 
Is it because she is not a Canadian permanent resident, or due to some other reason?

Hi Lily:

This was just because we wanted to get married in Ontario, since it's much faster there than in Quebec.  I just hope they can provide the marriage certificate fast enough.  The other problem we are currently having is getting a so-called police certificate.  Not sure how long this will take either.  The procedure is really damn complicated. 

[Lily]

Thanks Romeo, I see that it is Ontario, I just wanted to specify whether your procedure requires those documents because she is a visiting foregner, and not a permanent resident of Canada.

[Misha]

The other problem we are currently having is getting a so-called police certificate.

You need this for a marriage license?!?

[rockford75]

Just for my own clarification:

I read on here several times that there is no Fiancee visa program for Canada.  Those who had done it said (as I recall) you get married outside of Canada, then apply for the spouse to be admitted to Canada.

In this current case, the woman is in Canada on tourist visa; so if it can work for the OP as CanadaMan says . . . then this would be an 'end run' around the Canada system.

This  would be similar to case where spouse-to-be for US citizen got a tourist visa, came to USA, and married.  This  would be an  'end run' around the K-1 process which USA rules tries to prevent.

So my question . . . does this really work in Canada?

What is the catch . . . that it is hard to get tourist visa to Canada, so not much of this happens anyway?

All I know is I had to get married outside Canada,in order to bring my wife here. I thought of the tourist Visa route and get married in Canada. But the Canadian immigration boys are on to that stunt,and there fore its very hard to get a Tourist visa to Canada for a single Russian lady. But to stay on topic since your lady is already here and you want to marry. Id talk to a lawyer. Truthfully I dont think youll have enough time being her visa runs out in just over a month. Id go for a Visa extension that way youll have more time to sort things out.

[Misha]

All I know is I had to get married outside Canada,in order to bring my wife here. I thought of the tourist Visa route and get married in Canada. But the Canadian immigration boys are on to that stunt,and there fore its very hard to get a Tourist visa to Canada for a single Russian lady. But to stay on topic since your lady is already here and you want to marry. Id talk to a lawyer. Truthfully I dont think youll have enough time being her visa runs out in just over a month. Id go for a Visa extension that way youll have more time to sort things out.

I married my wife when she was here on a "Temporary Resident Visa" (aka tourist visa). We married in Canada and we applied for her permanent residency from Canada. It is referred to as an "inland" application: [size=78%]http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/spouse.asp[/size]. There are some nuances: if you apply as an inland applicant, there is no right to appeal IIRC, but you can apply while in Canada and have the application sent to the consulate in the applicants home country. This is usually faster, but there is a chance that the applicant will have to go back for an interview. This is where a lawyer will be useful to better understand the risks and benefits of the various options.

[rockford75]

I agree with you Misha a lawyer is best. I hired one right from the beginning for sponsoring my wife to Canada.

[Romeo]

You need this for a marriage license?!?

No, it's required for the sponsorship, I was just filling some of it out before the marriage took place.

[Romeo]

Can I ask how much you guys paid for a lawyer?  I talked to one here and they said they can do the sponsor for something like $3-4K.  That sounds excessive doesn't it?

[Romeo]

All I know is I had to get married outside Canada,in order to bring my wife here. I thought of the tourist Visa route and get married in Canada. But the Canadian immigration boys are on to that stunt,and there fore its very hard to get a Tourist visa to Canada for a single Russian lady. But to stay on topic since your lady is already here and you want to marry. Id talk to a lawyer. Truthfully I dont think youll have enough time being her visa runs out in just over a month. Id go for a Visa extension that way youll have more time to sort things out.

We definitely want to do a visa extension, but without a marriage certificate what would be a justifiable reason to be granted a visa extension for her?   The original purpose of her trip was tourism.  After 6 months obviously we can't say she still wants to do even more tourism.  Can she just say she wants to stay with her boyfriend longer?

[rockford75]

Can I ask how much you guys paid for a lawyer?  I talked to one here and they said they can do the sponsor for something like $3-4K.  That sounds excessive doesn't it?

  Thats about the going rate for a lawyer and thats just the begining. There will be more expenses too. Every document you submit from Russia police certificate her education whatever will all have to be translated to English which costs money and your lady can not translate her own papers. Talk to this lawyer
http://www.matthewjeffery.com hes the guy I used and everything worked out for me.  Hes in Toronto Canada you mentioned you wanted to marry in Ontario well talk to Matthew Jefferey. I cant say enough about him iam very happy with his work hes done for me and my wife. For  your situation a lawyer is best. Yes you can get a Visa extension lots of people do. Id do that first before anything cause you need extra time. Mention that to the lawyer and he will advise you.

[Romeo]

  Thats about the going rate for a lawyer and thats just the begining. There will be more expenses too. Every document you submit from Russia police certificate her education whatever will all have to be translated to English which costs money and your lady can not translate her own papers. Talk to this lawyer
http://www.matthewjeffery.com hes the guy I used and everything worked out for me.  Hes in Toronto Canada you mentioned you wanted to marry in Ontario well talk to Matthew Jefferey. I cant say enough about him iam very happy with his work hes done for me and my wife. For  your situation a lawyer is best. Yes you can get a Visa extension lots of people do. Id do that first before anything cause you need extra time. Mention that to the lawyer and he will advise you.

Ok thank you.  About the visa extension, we will do one, but what can I put as the reason for the extension that won't get rejected? 

[Romeo]

Also, did either of you guys think about getting a pre-nup? 

[rockford75]

Ok thank you.  About the visa extension, we will do one, but what can I put as the reason for the extension that won't get rejected?

   A lawyer will help you with the Visa extension and what to say,theres proper legalese they use. As for a prenup? Why would you want 1? In my mind you love the lady or you dont. You trust her or you dont. If you answer no to 1 or both these questions why marry?  Least thats what I think.

[Misha]

Ok thank you.  About the visa extension, we will do one, but what can I put as the reason for the extension that won't get rejected?

If you get married, she has a right to stay while he application is being processed, but it is still good to apply for the visa extensions (more of a formality than anything else). Their main concern is that she won't be working. However, best to get a lawyer to avoid any problems.

[Lily]

   A lawyer will help you with the Visa extension and what to say,theres proper legalese they use. As for a prenup? Why would you want 1? In my mind you love the lady or you dont. You trust her or you dont. If you answer no to 1 or both these questions why marry?  Least thats what I think.

You are right, a number of men just never tie the knot in case they can afford to get away with it. That means, if she is local, and they are able to enjoy each other's company as much as they want without even being a lawful husband and wife, they simply don't marry. From my experience, men prefer to stay unmarried if they can. That's why we have the common law relationship here. Many women, on the other hand, prefer to be called a Mrs. and want to get married. This is a problem in all parts of the world.
 
Now this prenup thing, in case the marriage is inevitable. Sure there is trust as soon as you love each other. At the same time, nothing is everlasting in this world, therefore in a few years the situation can change, and one of the spouses may want to get out of marriage. Here is when the domestic contract is of a good use. Also, if you really trust your fiancee, why not to sign a prenup?

[Daveman]

 ...
Now this prenup thing, in case the marriage is inevitable. Sure there is trust as soon as you love each other. At the same time, nothing is everlasting in this world, therefore in a few years the situation can change, and one of the spouses may want to get out of marriage. Here is when the domestic contract is of a good use. Also, if you really trust your fiancee, why not to sign a prenup?

The concepts of logic, reason, and good financial sense rarely translate well into fantasyland.

[Boethius]

I believe Quebec's laws on division of property supersede prenuptial agreements, but it would be best to ask a lawyer practicing in Quebec.

[Romeo]

The pre-nup is not really about trust at all, at least for us.  It's about the laws here, they really hurt the person who brings everything financially into the marriage.  In fact, my girlfriend is in complete support of a prenup and is coming up with all sorts of ideas to make things fair. 

[CanadaMan]

The concepts of logic, reason, and good financial sense rarely translate well into fantasyland.

This is one of those "You're damned if you do, damned if you don't" situations.

Get a pre-nup and you'll be accused of not loving/trusting your wife.

Don't get a pre-nup and you'll be accused of being naive/foolish and will regret it in the future if your marriage heads south.

There is no right answer here.

[Faux Pas]

Canadaman

It's a relatively simple decision to me. If you have so much that needs protection of a prenup, then demand one. If you are the average joe six pack like most of us, don't bring a woman in your life that isn't worth at least half of what you've got. IMHO

I don't have one. Never discussed it with my wife before or after the marriage. If we divorced today, she would get half of everything, even though I had 100% of the assets entering into the marriage. She would be much better off than she was going in. I on the other hand wouldn't be destitute but, financially would be much worst off but, equal to her. I can live with that. It's the risks we take

[Fashionista]

Thanks for the info, I think we will get married in Ontario, it's a lot easier and faster there.  As for the sponsorship, did you sponsor your wife through the Quebec system?  Apparently it's different from the rest of Canada.  I am a resident of Quebec, does that mean I have to use the Quebec system?

According to my husband and my fading memory you would have to start with Quebec to get a Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec). After that it's all transferred to federal authorities, only they can issue a visa.


And it's all do-it-yourself in Canada, no lawyers necessary. Unless you really love to give them money and/or don't know how to read manuals.