Overseas Applicants and Canada

Canada: Currently, Canada allows a foreign national married to a Canadian to apply for sponsorship in the country if they are already here legally with valid temporary status, according to The Star. Both inland and overseas applicants have to pass a two-step process: initial assessment of the sponsors eligibility and then an examination of the sponsored spouse, which includes criminal and health clearances and Ottawa has doubled the time it takes to process immigration applications for foreign spouses already living in Canada, prompting fear that the inland sponsorship program would eventually be eliminated. They can also go back to their home countries and apply from there, but most couples prefer the in-Canada route so the Canadian spouses dont have to give up their jobs and careers or be separated from their wives or husbands for years while an application is in process overseas. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.