The Price of Freedom

Regular readers and visitors to my various social media accounts (these days I’m primarily on Insta) know that my husband and I are working to move to Canada. As I’m a Canadian (actually, dual) citizen I can sponsor his application for Permanent Resident status up north.
He doesn’t automatically get Residency just because we’re legally married.

While every situation is unique I do think our story could be of value to people who seem to believe they can just arrive at a Canadian border crossing and claim asylum based on the current US constitutional crisis. The Canadian requirements for an Asylum claim require strong evidence of direct threat; the real dangers LGBT/Queer folk face living in some parts of the US are generally not enough.

Nor will being legally married to a Canadian guarantee you quick entry (or even entry at all). You must be sponsored, just as with my husband.

In our situation I do have a loving, supportive network of family & friends to attest to our long-standing relationship, long before our legal marriage ceremony. Decades in fact. I’m not an expert on the algorithm behind accepting/ rejecting applications but I’m told that is a very important aspect.

Written letters (yes, signed postal letters not just emails) along with photographic evidence of our presenting ourselves (and being received) as a ‘real couple’ for some time are important.

The next step is to verify each of our identities, and substantiate his ‘good moral character’ worthy of being permitted to live and thrive in the Great North. That requires pages and pages of detailed history– schooling, jobs, past serious relationships, the applicant’s biological family, etc.

Beyond all that are the official documents required- Passport, photograph, medical examination, police report, fingerprints.

Although not mandatory, use of a trained expert (an RCIC Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant) is worth the extra fees compared to the cost of fouling up the application.
Oh yes, the fees. The Canadian government has some, and then the RCIC has theirs. But of course few things in life are truly all-inclusive. We have to have a new photograph of Husband, that meets the Canadian passport specs (not the same as the US specs).

The required “ORIGINAL Police Certificates for country of nationality and all countries where you have lived for more than 6 consecutive months since turning 18 years of age” for Husband is the FBI ‘rap sheet’, available for US$18. Fingerprinting to acquire that report are available at selected Post Offices, for a fee- amount not visible anywhere on the web.

Although his current US Passport Card is valid for entry into Canada when we drive up, he will need to get the more-expensive US Passport Book for the PR Application. Additional fees, a new passport photo, and he’ll be unable to travel up between submitting his new passport application (the Card goes with it) and Receiving the Book.

To be clear, these are all doable- with time and money. Both are in short supply- the 1st because of the deteriorating conditions here and the 6 to 18 month processing window. The 2nd reflects my 2 small pensions and his working in Hospitality as prices of pretty much everything climb every hour.

Update 05/06/25: The USPS fee for electronic fingerprinting that goes directly to the FBI is US$50. Would be less expensive to get a paper set done elsewhere, but we’re gonna support the efficient option.
Also, we are told that the current estimated time to process Jason’s PR application is 22 months from when a complete application is accepted.

This is not primarily a request for financial assistance (although visit Supporting Me if you’re so inclined) as it is making clear the process of moving to another country (even one with adjacent border) is neither quick nor easy.