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Good morning Sharon,

I will be getting married this year and I would love it if my wedding could take place in Canada, but my husband-to-be is in Jamaica.

My question is, can I send an invitation for him and we get married here? Or, would it be wise that I just go back home and get married there?

I have done research on this and I am not too sure if it is possible that he could come here and we do the wedding in Canada. From what I have read, with all the proof we must show that this is not a business marriage, I am wondering if it would be at all possible that he could get a visa to come here so that the wedding could take place here?

Worried

Dear Worried:

It is more difficult for your intended to obtain a visa than for you to go to Jamaica and get married there.

Once you are married, then you become eligible to apply for your husband under the Family Class of Immigration as a spouse. This may take up to a year for your application to go through.

In order to sponsor your intended husband, you must be a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident of Canada, and be at least 18 years old. You must show that you are able to provide financial support for your spouse when he arrives and that he will not need financial assistance from the government.

You will be required to meet certain income requirements in order to become a sponsor. If in the past you have been a sponsor, and anyone you have sponsored has depended on financial assistance from the government, you may be ineligible. Your intended husband must also meet certain criteria for sponsorship, such as medical and criminal checks and screening. If your intended husband has a criminal record, he may be ineligible to come to Canada. He must also pass the medical requirements, which will all form part of the application process.

You must show that your marriage is a legally valid marriage in the country in which you were married and that your marriage is genuine. You must have your marriage certificate to show on your application. To be a sponsor, you and your intended will have to sign a sponsorship agreement to support him for at least three years of him becoming a permanent resident, and that he will also make every effort to support himself. Sponsorship is a serious commitment and both of you have to take your marriage and your commitment seriously. Good luck!

Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams is a barrister/solicitor of bars in Jamaica and Ontario, Canada. She is president of the Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation and former counsel at the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Email: info4immigration@gmail.com or editor@gleanerjm.com.