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| Subject: Sponsoring my Wife |
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Hello,
Reading through the posts, looks like a lot of you have gone through the process of sponsoring your family. I have a couple of basic questions if you dont mind answering:
- Is engaging a lawyer really important?
- When providing supporting documents (pictures etc), how do you attach them to the package? i.e. do you put a letter explaining each attachment?
Thanks
karma.
[17-07-2005,18:33]
[**.153.111.151]
Karma |
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(in reply to: Sponsoring my Wife)
engaging a lawyer is not important. Can´t you fill the forms it´s very simple and easy.
just attached two photogrpahs per page and below every photo just give a brief not about the ceremony or what photograph it is. ( Honeymoon, Niagra Falls, Exchanging rings etc etc.)
Good Luck..
[17-07-2005,18:52]
[**.30.4.135]
N.K |
(in reply to: Sponsoring my Wife)
no, you do not need a lawyer. there is nothing he can do that you cannot do for yourself. Save yourself the $3,000
This is what I am being told... tell a very clear story to the immigration officer. If you have the ability to put a bunch of photos on a single sheet of paper... do so. Label everything. Assume the immigration officer does not believe you and you must build your case, just like you would in a law court using letters, emails, phone bills, rental agreements etc. Being shy or private about your relationship will have to wait for another time. Also assume that the officer is not the brightest crayon in the box. It is not true... but it helps you over prepare your application.
Lastly, go on to the CIC website and read the CIC OP2 document.(http://www.cic.gc.ca/manuals-guides/english/index.html) It is the processing manual used by CIC officers. It gives you a very good idea what they are looking for. You can download it, (54 pages in Adobe Acrobat). also carefully read the 3900 Guide and the 3999 guide (what your wife has to do)
good luck.
[17-07-2005,19:01]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon |
(in reply to: Sponsoring my Wife)
I agree with everything above.
I used digital photos and printed them onto paper (two to a page) for the most part. Each picture included a typed explanation below it.
For my real photographs, I put them into an envelope and labeled them on the back as PIC1, PIC2, etc. Then on a separate sheet of paper I put an introductory paragraph explaining the labeling process, followed by a list of descriptions that corresponded to the enclosed photos. Each description included ?Corresponds with PIC1?, etc.
I also subcategorized the pictures under such headers as: The two of us in the Philippines; The two of us in Vancouver; Visiting friends; With my family; With her family; Christmas 2004; Christmas 2005, etc.
As Sharon said, be as clear as possible. Have someone else read parts of what you write and then explain them back to you. Did this person understand what you were trying to say in the same way you intended them to?
Being clear, however, does not mean being overly longwinded. Many people report sending in 6 inch thick application packages. I?m not saying that this is bad. I?m just saying that it?s not necessarily better. My wife?s application was under 100 pages including photos, emails, region specific forms, etc., and it was approved.
Remember that the person who reads your application is a human being. He or she has built in psychological biases that may affect how long it takes to look over your package. Nobody likes to read sloppy writing, difficult fonts, or faded printer ink. Fuzzy pics against dark backgrounds make tired eyes grumpy. Longwinded and overly wordy explanations that lack in substance make a bored reader down right irritable. You want the reader to feel compelled to complete your interesting application before coffee break rather than put off a mundane task until Monday morning.
So with these factors in mind, organize your package so that it flows easily without making the CIC officer look all over the place for supporting documentation.
Use a fresh ink cartridge in your printer so that your text is crisp and can easily be read in a possibly dim room. Use 11 or 12-pitch Times New Roman or Arial fonts (easy to look at).
Answer the questions rather than getting side tracked and going off on tangents. Clear and concise is what you are aiming for.
That being said, don?t hesitate to add an explanation to any answer you feel has been left ambiguous.
When you?re feeling tired and frustrated at filling the forms out, take a break and go find a hug. Resume when you feel fresh and inspired. Don?t let negativity reflect onto such an important project.
When you finally complete the entire thing, put it down for a couple of days without even thinking about it. Come back to it as if you were looking at someone else?s application and cruise through it to see if it?s as smooth and coherent as you want it to be.
Anyway, talk about longwinded?
Just my two cents.
[18-07-2005,13:09]
[***.96.184.27]
Mike |
(in reply to: Sponsoring my Wife)
I agree with Mike´s advice and must say it was very well put, especially "Don?t let negativity reflect onto such an important project."
I am sponsoring my wife under Spouse-in-Canada.
We spent a great deal of time assembling the application. We scanned our photos and letters and included a short caption below with explanation of place, date, occasion, etc. We reviewed our application many times to ensure nothing was left blank, signatures where required, and that the application was complete and in order. It was a very tedious process but well worth the effort to ensure things went smoothly (see timeline below).
I would like to add that if you have specific questions about the application process or your application, it´s worth calling the CIC office. It may seem like a hassle, that you will have to scour through an automated telephone system, and that you´ll be put on hold for some time. But throughout the process I have made a few phone calls and was never on hold for very long. I also found the agents to be professional, courteous and even encouraging.
Our timeline:
Sent Jan. 6/05
Began processing Mar. 17/05
Approval in principal June 9/05
Processing completed July 8/05
Appointment at local CIC office - TBA
It says bring your original documents, but doesn´t say anything about an interview, or that I even need to attend, so I´m guessing that it´s just a formality?
does anyone know? - wiz
[19-07-2005,13:44]
[***.100.58.138]
wiz |
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