From start to finish; marriage, visas, immigration

[CanWest66]

I am not sure where to post this but what I would like is to assemble all the necessary information needed for a Canadian(thats me) who wants to marry a Dominicana and to have her join me in Canada to begin our new life together

My Dominican girl friend and I have just become engaged and we are planning to get married in December.

I live in Canada, she in Santiago, and I was wondering the best way to proceed. Is there such a thing as a fiancee visa for Canada? or would it be best to get married in the DR?

As I am not planning on living in the DR, at least not until I retire, we naturally want to be united on a permanent basis a soon as possible.

What can we do at this time to facilitate the immigration process?
and assuming we will be married in the DR what must I do to prepare for this event.

I have read many of the posts re: visas and timelines and marriage in the DR, however I thought it may be useful for me and others who are like me,on the ground floor, to get started and to learn from others who have been through all of this.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Just as a closing comment I do know that this will be a lengthy process with much red tape etc. but I would like to avoid as many pit falls as possible.

Thank you all in advance
CanWest

 

[bob saunders]

The main thing is to start keep receipt of all finacial transactions(money sent) phone calls made, visits, photos....etc because you are going to be asked to provide proof that your relationship is real, and not a marriage of convienience. If you have a great difference in age and education this is going to be more important. If she doesn't speak English - now would be a good time for her to start. PM me and I can be more specific.

 

[sangria]

She will need also need originals of her birth certificate (acta inextensa), your marriage certificate etc all translated into english by a certified translator.

I would suggest if you haven't done so already, downloading or ordering a copy of the immigration application from the cic website.

Application to Sponsor a Member of the Family Class

This will give you a list of all the documents they require in addition to your proof of relationship supporting documents.

It is a detailed process and important to start gathering your evidence & documents early if you are looking to avoid delays.

There is lots of help here with so many of us going through this!

Good luck with the wedding & the application
Sangria

 

[Johana]

There are no fiancee visa's for Canada. You could try for a visitor's visa but it is very unlikely that she would receive one. (If you search the threads you will read that very few Dominican's receive one).

So you will need to either get married in the D.R or in a country that she could travel to without a visa.

To get married in the D.R. you will need a single status affadavit. This will need to be signed in front of a notary public. This affadavit, along with your birth certificate will need to be translated into spanish and legalized at the Dominican Consulate here in Canada. If you are divorced there are extra documents you will also need translated and legalized. I had my paperwork done at DRSI.

You will need to fax/email a copy of these documents in advance so they can be presented to the judge and then bring the originals when you travel for the wedding.

Make sure the judge knows you need the marriage certificate right away (this is for the Immigration papers). We were able to get ours the next day (we got married in Puerto Plata).

As Sangria mentioned, request the complete Immigration package from the CIC website. They have forms online - but not the complete set.
Read them over, then re-read a couple of times. It is not difficult information, it is just they ask for the same information in different ways on different forms.

As Bob mentioned keep receipts, phone cards, photos etc for proof of relationship. This will be needed for your application. The more the better.

By looking over the forms in advance you will know the things you have to do in order to complete the application. I brought the forms with me and we filled them out before I left the country. We had the marriage cert. and birth cert. translated (it's cheaper to have it done there), and the forms filled out before I left. He went for his medical the following week and got his photos and police certificate and sent them to me UPS and then I was able to send in the package.

Hope this helps Congratulations and best of luck!!