Hi everyone :)

[Nath1985]

Hi everyone,

My Name is Nathan. I'm 22 years old and I'm from Canada, born and raised. I’ve been both a Canadian citizen as well as an American citizen my whole life. My father is originally from the USA. Because of this, I have a lot of questions and I want to explore my options as well.

Here's my situation:
March 2006 on a program called PalTalk (a voice chat room program) while having a heated philosophical discussion in a room where we always had good conversations, I met a girl, then 19, from the Philippines. Her name is Nove Ann.

Before I met her I had no knowledge about the Philippines whatsoever or about internet relationships or that it would be so complex (impossible) for her to visit here and so daunting to visit her (considering there are travel advisories). It seems that this whole relationship was a lot more complex than I ever realized it could be but I really believe that it’s for the best of reasons and it just feels right. I am looking forward to the path forward from this point.

After we met in that voice conversation we became regular contacts and we often had good conversations over IM and VOIP/Cam based room chats in that room which usually had good discussions taking place. We became good friends and IM'ed often. Over the years it developed from a really good friendship into what is now a very serious relationship. We talk a lot, maybe 4-5 hours most days of the week when we can, sometimes a lot more, and we've really been there to support each other and we really have grown to care and love each other. In July 2007 it was obvious to us that it had developed into a very serious informal relationship and at that point we both decided to commit ourselves to each other. Even though it seemed like we had already been informally in a serious relationship for a long time prior to that we, I guess, made it “official”.

It’s been two and a half years since I first met her online and just over a year since we've been "dating" or in that committed relationship. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she is the best person I have ever known and the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I love her with all that I am and I am committed to her already in my heart until the day I die and beyond.

Nove Ann was a nursing student when I met her and now she is a nursing graduate studying for the national Philippines licensing exam on her path to eventually getting the credentials to be able to work in North America. I myself am also a college student going into my senior year of a business administration program at a university here in Canada.

At this point we are ready for me to visit her for the first time. I probably won’t be able to go until next June or July (when my last semester ends) but after that I will be making my first trip. We are already planning to get married as well. Ideally we've agreed that it would be nice if I could visit a bunch of times for weeks at a time before getting married but as I am a full time student I currently do not have the means to be able to travel back and forth so many times. So, if we are faced with that situation which is most likely, we'll get married on the first trip, or if I can afford it, the second.

I am American and Canadian so I don’t really know all of my options. Right now though and for my whole life so far, I’ve been living in Canada. I currently have about 10,000 dollars Canadian saved so far that I am specifically planning to put towards making the goal of meeting and marrying her happen. I also have a similar amount in stock investments that I could sell if necessary but I’d rather just work with the amount of money I have so far.
I've heard, but I’m not certain, that if I marry her in the Philippines, I can apply for her to get a visa as my spouse to come to Canada even if I am not making a certain specific level of income. What I mean is that I've heard that there is no need to prove you earn anything or can support your spouse in Canada even though I've heard it is required in the same circumstance for US immigration. I still live at home and my parents have always been proponents of the idea that after getting married their married children may want to live at home for a few years with their spouse in order to get established by saving some money by living without those types of expenses that one would face if they had moved out right after college.

My plan is to marry her, and have her come to Canada and we'd live here and get established and save some money and then go our own way. Nove Ann is also comfortable with the idea but worried that my parents will think of her as a burden, even though that isn’t the case. Also she is focusing on passing all of the licensing exams so hopefully by the time she gets to Canada she will be able to start looking for work as a Nurse as well.
I'm assuming that it will take longer, maybe years longer, if she works to get to Canada herself through her nursing career. Besides, we would rather get married and do things that way.

So, I'm 22, she’s 21. I have $10grand saved for this. I have trip(s) to make and we have our future to plan and I joined this forum to see if I could find any information. I was really happy to see that a community like this exists and I would like to thank the person who started it as well because I'm already sure that it will be an invaluable resource.

I feel like I have a million questions that I'll hopefully find the answers to here such as:
-Is it true that for a Canadian spousal visa no proof of burden is required? (Or whatever the income requirement thing is called)
-Do we need an elaborate wedding or will a civil wedding suffice in order to have an accepted visa application?
-Will one trip be enough to get married and start the application process and if so would it be likely that it would be approved?

Either way, if it gets denied I'll just retry again over and over until the day I die.

It may seem like we're in a rush, but after 2 and a half years of getting to know someone and loving them so much, we are ready to get married. We're ready in an "old school" way, back when people got married regardless of income or current situation but because they were in love and they were committed.

I might be able to get air miles from my parents that they have accumulated and do not use, and I may also be able to use my fathers Marriott rewards points.

Nove Ann is currently back and forth between Cebu but Southern Leyte where she is from and where her family is.

Anyways, thanks for reading my novel sized post if you got this far I really appreciate it

I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the people around here and I hope the best for everyone who is or was in a situation similar to mine

-Nathan

[Dogwood_Poet]

Welcome to the forums!

I am not sure about the Canadian requirements for spousal visa, but don't worry about meeting and getting married on the first trip, that is what Kathlene and I did and we had no problems getting her visa.

As for the travel restrictions, I would not worry about them, just use common sense and you will be fine. You probably got a better chance of getting hit by a bus crossing the street in any major North American city as having problems with terror threats in the Philippines.

You will have to get a certificate from your embassy showing you are legally available to marry, since you are a dual citizen, it should not matter what embassy you use. But to be safe, I would go to the country you are going to get her visa from. We did a civil wedding, but remember to figure in the 10 day waiting period from applying for the wedding license before you can have the ceremony.

It is not as hard as you would think to do all the paperwork, just be patient and get ready for several months of frustration as you wait for the wheels of government to slowly turn!

[rogershover]

Hey!, The wheels of government will seem to take forever but once it's done you will appreciate the efforts you both will have to put forth. DWP is right, don't worry about the travel, get your basic health issues taken care of like vacinations. Enjoy the trip! Good Luck!

Roger