Can you turn a visitors visa into a work visa?

This is not very smart. You are commenting on doing something that although I don't know if it's illegal I am sure is at least frowned upon by Canadian inmigration. And you are doing so in a public forum where there's a good chance that somebody from the local Canadian embassy visit. And you have provided here more than enough personal information to keep an eye on you.

I really don't know what to make of this. Good luck anyways.

Once you are married, his chances of getting a visitor's visa are NIL. They are not going to believe that he will return to the DR. Unless you can prove he will return at the expiry of his visitor's visa (and you can't without lying), they will not issue a visitor's visa. Did you know that 95% of visitor's visas (aka Temporary Resident Visas) applications from Dominicans are declined? That's what CIC told me. Bottomline is that I wouldn't mess with CIC. You are treading in dangerous waters if you really want him to eventually live with you in Canada. Also, did you know that the final decision on the TRV is made in Haiti and they have very little accountability to Ottawa. Even you call CIC in Canada, they can't even help you with anything specific to your application. They will direct you to the Haitian office. You can put in a complaint at CIC in Ottawa, but it can take up to 30 days to get someone to call you back. If they decline your TRV, and they will, Ottawa can't do anything about it. Imagine that, eh? It's true. Just for fun, why don't you try calling the Haiti office and see how helpful they are in answering your questions on how you should proceed? Aliya, this is not an easy process but the best way to go about bringing him here is permanent/outside/spousal. On another note, I'm not so sure you need to meet an income requirement if you are married. You may want to check this out. Maybe you can be with him in the DR while you wait.

PeachezNcream84 said:

I wasn't sure then, if you were saying it would make a difference if we try for him to get a VV and him come to Canada for the 6 months (not asking if he CAN get a VV, just assuming he did) and then RETURNS to the DR. Will that affect in ANY WAY him applying for PR when he returns to Dominican?

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No, I don't think it would have a negative effect on his PR application.

PeachezNcream84 said:

I wasn't sure then, if you were saying it would make a difference if we try for him to get a VV and him come to Canada for the 6 months (not asking if he CAN get a VV, just assuming he did) and then RETURNS to the DR. Will that affect in ANY WAY him applying for PR when he returns to Dominican?

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Young and impatient!!! You are NOT listening to the good advice being given to you. Don't waste your time with a VV especially after marriage. We discussed this in emails. You are going to screw this up and will wait more than 6 months to a year by the direction you are taking.

Quote from CIC:
Sponsoring a Relative or Family Member
If you want to sponsor any of the above listed relatives or family members, you may have to meet certain income requirements. If you have previously sponsored relatives or family members who have received social assistance, you may not be allowed to sponsor another person. Sponsorship is a considerable commitment so you should take this obligation seriously.

Sponsoring a spouse or common law partner

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/sponsor/in.html

Learn patience. it's a long life

PeachezNcream84 said:

Hi Anna,
What I was asking is not just about us being apart though. It is also to see if Carlos even wants to live in Canada, and as I said, help me in saving money...etc.

And what I don't understand is, how would him coming here on a VV (just ASSUMING he gets one) and then returning to DR, extend the process past 6 months - 1 year when we do apply? Or are you saying if he applies for a VV and is truned down, that has some impact on his application for a PRV?

I am not trying to disreguard what you and everyone else has told me. I am just trying to check out a few more scenarios that I thought may be helpful for both me and Carlos. And if there is a problem with them..that is what I want to know!

So thank you very much for the advice and comments you have given me so far...and I look forward to the things I haven't heard yet as well

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Once you are married and apply for a VV he will not get one because as Nelly just wrote they know he won't return once he's here. And you can't be applying for a VV and PR at the same time which is what you would have to you in your way of thinking.

The illigal part would be that when you apply for a visitor's visa that's what it's for "only visiting". It's not to come here and look for a job and try to turn it into a work visa which of course there is no such thing. He needs to immigrate to "work" here. You keep saying " if he likes Canada and wants to apply for a PR. Once he has a PR he is free to go back to the DR should he not like Canada.

Nelly said:

Once you are married, his chances of getting a visitor's visa are NIL. They are not going to believe that he will return to the DR. Unless you can prove he will return at the expiry of his visitor's visa (and you can't without lying), they will not issue a visitor's visa. Did you know that 95% of visitor's visas (aka Temporary Resident Visas) applications from Dominicans are declined? That's what CIC told me. Bottomline is that I wouldn't mess with CIC. You are treading in dangerous waters if you really want him to eventually live with you in Canada. Also, did you know that the final decision on the TRV is made in Haiti and they have very little accountability to Ottawa. Even you call CIC in Canada, they can't even help you with anything specific to your application. They will direct you to the Haitian office. You can put in a complaint at CIC in Ottawa, but it can take up to 30 days to get someone to call you back. If they decline your TRV, and they will, Ottawa can't do anything about it. Imagine that, eh? It's true. Just for fun, why don't you try calling the Haiti office and see how helpful they are in answering your questions on how you should proceed? Aliya, this is not an easy process but the best way to go about bringing him here is permanent/outside/spousal. On another note, I'm not so sure you need to meet an income requirement if you are married. You may want to check this out. Maybe you can be with him in the DR while you wait.

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Excellent advice, Nelly and Anna. I especially like the idea of Aliya calling Haiti to know what it's like (well, the sadistic part of me does, anyways ). Let me put in my 2 cents, having gone through the process I'm not exactly an expert, but I do have some thoughts.

(1) Aliya, I know what it's like to have a loved one living in another country. Been there, bought the T-shirt. It was the hardest thing in the world to leave my husband in the DR in September after I married him. It broke my heart, and it just didn't seem right. I had lived with him in the DR, he was my spouse, he should be able to come back with me! It's not his fault he was born somewhere that the Government doesn't trust for Immigration purposes.
We didn't start paperwork until December, because we didn't know which country we were going to live in - the DR or Canada. We decided on Canada, and still dream about living in the DR. However, having 2 kids and one on the way is the big deciding factor, and one that we will stick with for the sake of our children. It took FIVE months after I applied for sponsorship, for my husband to have his visa in his hands. While at the time it seemed like a long time, it went by way too quickly, and I think I needed those months to do some reorganizing in my life. The five months literally flew for both of us, and neither could believe it when the time arrived so quickly. Keep in mind, I was pregnant at the time! So not only was my husband living in another country, I was carrying his child, and he wasn't there to share it with me. That's hard. However, I was not prepared to mess with the Immigration process, because I knew there'd be a chance of him never arriving if they found out. How hard would that be?

(2) I have been told, and actually read, that if you are sponsering your husband, you do not have to meet sponsorship qualification (ie income requirements), because he is your spouse. It's basically a formality of paperwork. He is considered to be an asset to your financial situation once he is allowed to work in Canada. If anyone has doubts, I'd spent most of 2000 in the DR. I only worked 3 months of 2000 in Canada. Therefore, my income was considered "poverty level" at the time I applied, because I had little Canadian income (can't remember, but maybe about $12,000 for the year). My sponsorship was approved, not only for Angel, but for his son. This was in 2000, so things may have changed, but it's worth checking into to put your mind at ease.

(3) You're stuck on this Visitor's Visa idea, although everyone tells you there's not a chance in h*** of him getting it. You raise some points. He owns land and is having a house built. He has a steady job, with a steady income. Well let me break that down for you a little.
(a) land - how much $$$ is that land worth, in Canadian terms? We own a piece of land too, worth about $60,000 RD. How much does that translate to? About $3000 Canadian, not much. Certainly not anything to make us worthy of being favorably looked upon.
(b) house being built - again, I ask you, how much is a house in construction worth in the DR? I see lots of houses in construction in the DR. Actually, buildings, roads, and bridges too. Many projects that have been abandoned. Again, not worthy of a favorable decision.
(c) steady job with a steady income - again, doing what, and making how much? Now translate that salary into Canadian funds, and it will almost be laughable to the Embassy.

So you're beating a dead horse. Sorry to put it to you this way, but I think you need to face some reality. Applying for a Visitor's Visa before a Spousal Visa is only going to hurt your application. Suck it up and do it the legal way like the rest of us, it's not that bad. At the time, yes, it's horrible, but once it's over, it's over. When he has the visa, he can work, live, pay taxes, and use our health care system. Now what's going to happen if, by some miracle, he is granted a Visitor's visa? He will come here, he cannot work, he cannot use our health care system (what if he comes in the winter and gets pneumonia? Then what?), he's going to be cranky because he will be thinking about his family and wanting to help them, and he's going to have to return, anyways. If he doesn't return, he will face deportation and never being able to come back again, even as your spouse. Now is it all really worth it?

All of the people offering this advice to you have been in your shoes (or have someone close to them that has gone through this process), faced the same dilemna, and had the same thoughts as you do. We also now have our spouses with us in Canada, and wouldn't change the way we proceeded getting them here.

It is your life, and you need to choose what is the most important to you, in the long term. Patience is a virtue. The rewards will be much sweeter once he is here, legally, with all the benefits of living here.

Good luck!

I gave you a number to call in another thread. I'm assuming you didn't call so I just did. 1-888-242-2100

Nelly and Trina are right. You don't need an income reqirement to sponsor your spouse and here's the good part. He also said you don't need to be in Canada while waiting. So there you go. You can live over there while you are waiting.

Good luck.

Wanted to add. Please call for yourself and double check.

They said as long as you are not on welfare. Please call and have patience till they answer. I did.


PATIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck

Visa application

Yes the process has changed dramatically from 2000. YOu do not have to prove financialy you can support him. BUt, if he has children, with him or not, you will have to be financially able to sponsor them. Go to the website and read all the information. Speak to your MP's office about this too! They are very good sources of information.

Trina is correct - the assets and financial income he has will not help your application at all. Neither will a letter from his employer. The reality is they mean nothing at all. Most of the time the information is not believed! You can have all the supporting documents you want - the reality is that very very very few visas are issued. And there are thousands of applicants.

Your best bet might be to get married here, live here, work here and see if it works with you both. Then after a period of time, start the process. It will take many months. At least you will be together!

my two pesos worth....

I commend you on your perseverence and trying every possible angle.
Temporary Resident visas can be had. I am 6 for 7 in applying for members of my wife's family. BUT, the only one that was declined was for my wife, after two years of marriage and living together in the D.R. We had a house , bank accounts, etc in the D.R. We met with the Consul and he told us the best way is to apply for permanent landed immigrant status, even only to visit, they would not issue a Temp Resident Visa. We followed his advice, waited 9 months for the application to be approved and now live in Canada.
Piece of cake.

The temp visa applications that were successful were very , very complete.

Applicants should have ALL of the following :
Long employment history and a letter from the employer granting leave
House and car in the applicants name
Bank account with a good balance , credit cards

The titles, accounts must be years old. Not a few weeks old only for the purpose of the application.
Married with children
The older the applicant the better

Fact: Many, many visitors Do Not return to the D.R and become a future burden to the Canadian Gov't. The Consul told us that each one that stays illegally will cost the government on average $200,000., in the form of benefits, deportation costs etc. They must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will return. That doesn't mean a verbal guarantee. They see thousands of applications from people that would do anything, anything to get out of the country. Do not take it personally, look at the big picture.

LISTEN to all the great friendly advice given to you by these fine people. Get married ( if thats what you want to do) and apply for permanent status. Focus on this and forget all the other ideas , you will be wasting effort, Time and money.
Think very carefully about what you are doing. If you believe that a regular marriage is an important step , not to be taken lightly, this 100 times the commitment and the responsibility.

I wish you all the best.

PeachezNcream84 said:

WHOOO HOOOO!!!! GUESS WHO IS GONNA BE MOVIN TO DR NEXT YEAR!?! lol
Of course, I guess that means I have to start saving my money even more now, and I just booked a flight there for December. Oh well!

I can't wait to tell Carlos, he will be sooo excited!

Thank you Anna for making that call. I have called there a few times and never got through. I must have been calling at the wrong time.

But the point of having an income is to prove that your spouse or you will not be going on wellfare, right?
Trina...did you have some sort of leave, or a gaurentee of a job when you got back?
Because despite the fact that they say you don't need to meet any income requirment, I cannot see them approving me as a sponser, if I have no job in Canada...
How would that work?

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You have been earning an income to this point, right? If not, I'd find a job before February comes, when you are about to apply to sponsor him. Once you have qualified financially, the future doesn't matter to them for the purposes of the PR application. You have already signed the declaration that you are financially liable for this person. If Ottawa has approved you when you submit the sponsorship application after you're married, you don't have to worry about this step anymore. I am glad you've decided to live there. I'd encourage anyone who has met someone in the DR to live with them before deciding to trust someone who has the possibility to become a future burden or hardship for you. Even that bears no guarantees, but it does give you a little better sense of who this person is before you make a very life-changing decision.

Again, good luck!

PS,
Marlie, I cannot believe you're still going through this! It is all so unfair...