I am in Canada as a visitor and I filed an overseas spousal sponsorship – can I stay in Canada with my spouse?
Many of our clients wish to stay in Canada while their spouses are sponsoring them. If you are a foreign national and you wish to stay in Canada while the spousal sponsorship application is in process overseas, you can do so as long as you always maintain valid visitor status. Usually, unless indicated otherwise by the immigration officer, you can stay in Canada as a visitor for up to 6 months. After this period of 6 months, if you wish to stay longer, you can either submit an extension application or exit and re-enter Canada. If you decide to exit and re-enter, you will need to convince the officer at the port-of-entry that you are entering Canada as a visitor and meet all the requirements. Our office provides a package which you can carry with you and present to the officer in the event of questioning.
