Spouse Outside Canada

Ohmygosh the letter is here!!!!! PR approved!!!! Time to send the passport to Los Angeles! I can't believe it's almost time to go, and all of a sudden I have a serious wake-up call... we gotta get busy getting our plans solidified! It's one thing when you're waiting and hoping, dreaming about moving to Canada together someday, and then when you get the letter you realize, oh crud, we haven't done this and this and that. Well, it will be a busy few weeks as we scramble to get 2 more photos and send the passport, then pack and wrap up all the loose ends before it gets back.

** Tip: We did not send in our original photos, cards, and letters as proof of our relationship. I was too nervous doing that so I used our all-in-one printer to print and scan photos and photocopy the rest of the stuff. The printed photos weren't necessarily the best quality, either, but good enough to see who we were. The Consulate didn't seem to mind and processed everything the same as other people here who sent originals. (Then again, we've been together more than 11 years now so I was able to send pics from back when we were skinnier and my son was but a little tyke, up until more recent ones where we are heavier and he towers above us. Not real easy to fake. :) ) Anyway, thought this might be helpful for someone who is nervous about sending their irreplaceable mementos through 2 mail systems to a place where they no doubt have countless stacks of documents and photos to keep straight. Sending copies worked just fine for us.


09/29/06 - Got fingerprints done
09/30/06 - Mailed paperwork to FBI and California DOJ
10/03/06 - FBI received fingerprints
10/04/06 - Received DOJ police clearance letter
01/25/07 - Received FBI clearance
02/19/07 - Got fingerprints re-done for DOJ
(they're nearly 5 months old)
02/22/07 - Medical exam
02/22/07 - Received 2nd DOJ police clearance letter
02/23/07 - Mailed application to CPC-Mississauga
03/07/07 - CPC-M received application
03/28/07 - Sponsorship decision made and letter sent
04/04/07 - Received letter - sponsorship approved
04/12/07 - Buffalo started processing Immigrant portion
05/01/07 - Received letter - Buffalo acknowledgement of receipt (mistakenly sent to our old address)
05/08/07 - Received letter - file sent to Los Angeles Consulate (also mistakenly sent to our old address)
07/14/07 - Received letter - applicant approved, request for passport