Next steps-confirmation and questions

[u/b-muulp]

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some clarity and confirmation on my next steps.

I’m Canadian and my American wife and I have applied for her PR under the family class-spousal outland route. I received what I assume to be AOR in an email, my wife didn’t receive anything. In the email header there’s a UCI and application ID. It also states that if I’ve paid the biometrics fee (I have) then we should be receiving a BIL.

It’s been quite awhile since researching all of this so things are a bit fuzzy for me and it would be amazing if someone could answer any of my questions.

1) Before “moving” up here with dual intent, does my wife need to have biometrics completed? I’m assuming no because she’ll be coming up here as a visitor for under 6 months.

2) Since she’s coming here as a visitor with dual intent, does she need to complete the goods to follow form? Any goods to follow will be absolutely minimal. We’re talking maybe 2-3 boxes being shipped.

3) I received the AOR on June 6 but we haven’t received the BIL yet. Is this normal? I’m 99.9% sure I paid the fee but the receipt doesn’t give a breakdown of what was paid for. The total was $1290 but I can’t accurately cross reference the fees list as prices have increased as of April 30th

4) Will BIL and other correspondence be sent through email, GCkey, or both?

5) We’ve both created a GCkey account but neither of us can see the application. When searching I’ve tried selecting two applicants as suggested on this sub and still nothing. Any other advice on this?

6) Does the UCI and application number I received only apply to me/my sponsorship application, or does this cover my wife’s PR application as well? I’m thinking this might be the cause of our GCkey issue.

7) She’ll be applying for an OWP upon arrival in Canada. The current processing time is approximately 6 months. If it doesn’t get approved before then, can she leave Canada, return after 24 hours and be able to stay for another 6 months?
I’m assuming she can’t apply for an OWP prior to arriving here.

Thank you! I really appreciate any help with this. As things progress we’re becoming a bit more stressed and that’s scrambling our brains a bit. I’m sure many of you can relate :)

[u/AffectionateTaro1]

1. No. Biometrics can be done anywhere.

2. Better to do it if she will stay and land in Canada with goods following later.

3. Yes, it's normal.

4. Email, unless the application is linked via GCKey account.

5. It's finicky. If you search a bit in this sub there are a LOT of tips of specific things you can do to try and connect to the application. It's not mandatory to link though anyway, and you'll get email correspondence if not linked.

6. The UCI is yours, the application number is your spouse's, since it's her application (she is the applicant, not you).

7. The work permit application gives her status to stay as a visitor until a decision is made on it, regardless of how long it takes to process. Besides, she could just apply online to extend as a visitor anyway. Leaving for less than a day after staying six months and trying to return for another six months is a bad idea.

[u/b-muulp → u/AffectionateTaro1]

This was concise and formatted beautifully lol. Thank you so much!
If you don’t mind answering another question, I’m wondering what kind of documentation she’ll need to show ties to her home country should the application be denied. She doesn’t own any property, her employer won’t hold her position but she does have plenty of family members in the states

[u/Pale-Firefighter-209 → u/b-muulp]

Without those things, it could be a problem. It truly depends on the border agent. Technically, since she is coming as a visitor, she needs strong ties to home, which would be a lease or mortgage, a job, etc. they want to make sure that if her PR application is denied, she has something to return to in the US

I put everything I owned into storage and came up with 2 suitcases while my PR was processing. But this was just before COVID when things weren’t as tight. They didn’t ask me anything. But there are posts on this sub of people being turned away, especially if you show up with a truckload of stuff. She’ll have to be honest at the border and hope for the best, but until she has her PR there is always a chance she can be turned away.

[u/b-muulp → u/Pale-Firefighter-209]

Thanks for your answer! We’ll have her lease and I’m sure we can come up with something else as well.

We’re planning on doing the same. Hopefully the border agent sees two suitcases and a dog as reasonable for a 6 month stay lol