Parent Sponsorship to Canada

Hello Lexi,
I was just looking into the sponsorship process for my wife's mother. I was shocked to see that the processing time for the sponsorship portion alone is 32 months(that is the longest process for anything in Canada) then another 16 to 25 months in Haiti? Wow, that is an incredibly long process!!! In our case Deya's mom would like to come and live with us and we would love to have her here but a lot can change in 5 years. You certainly would not want to do the medical until the process is well underway in Haiti. I haven't told my wife yet, we assumed it would take a year or two, I don't look forward to telling them either. CIC says they are committed to bringing families together and that they understand how important that is, well, I wonder what they are committed to do to tackle the unwieldy log jam in CIC Mississauga?

We started the process in late 2003 and my mother in law arrived in August 2005. It took approximately 2 years for my mother-in-laws papers to go through. This was mainly because they spotted a dark spot on her lung that they thought was TB. IT turned out to be a positive for TB but with further tests they determined she had exposure but not TB, so lots of medical tests(money) second medical, wait for an answer from Trinidad...etc.
My brother was able to bring his mother-in-law here for 6 months from Cuba using the pregnancy of his wife as the reason, and she has now come several times on a visitors visa.
I would try to visitor visa route first as you have an answer very quick, and if negative you can start the other process.

Hey Lexi,
One of the guys that I work with immigrated here with his wife from the Philipines about ten or so years ago. After five years of being here he decided to sponsor his mother to come and live here. He said the whole process from start to her arrival in Candada was about 4.5 years. He said it was a very trying process, but she has been here just over a year and she loves it (!) I didn't really press him for info about her health and other things, so I'm not sure what the hold-ups were.
I know the Dominican Republic and the Philipines are not the same place, but it seems that it takes a while from 'third world' countries, esp. for families members that are not spouses.

I wish you all the best
Please keep us posted!

lexi said:

It looks like we should get started I guess...I just think it is awful to not even be allowed to visit and that the only other option is a 5 year wait. I understand that there is a reason for it but the timeline is ridiculous!

I don't even want to bother with the visitor visa as his Mother doesn't have a lot of money - she does own her own house - and doesn't work. So chances are basically nil for them giving her the visa.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

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My brother's mother in law from Cuba doesn't have a house or a job, so I would say no chance, perhaps low chance. I would write an invitation letter for her to the Canadian Embassy explaining, why you want her to come, that you'll be responsible....etc. Yris and I have brought 3 relatives for visits this way. Her brother got turned down though.

If what you really want is for her to visit, then go the visitor visa route. Since applications are handled in Haiti, there will be no interview, so you have to make a strong case on paper.

What you'll need are the following:
- A strong invitation letter that states that you will be covering all food, shelter, incidentals, health insurance. The letter should also state the intended duration of the visit, purpose of the visit, and if you find it necessary explain your Mother in law's ties back home, i.e children, grandchildren, etc.
- A copy of your and your husband's tax return, which shows income, a bank statment showing your savings, and what property you own. etc.
These documents may need to be certified.

If after paying the $75 for the visitor visa does not work the first time, perhaps hire an immigration consultant or lawyer to act as your representative.

The policy is to be more flexible with parental visits - however you need to satisfy the Officer that the person has strong ties. As I say, there is no interview, so creating a good case on paper is the best way.

Its worth a try, and just might work, and only $75.