Privet!
I specifically registered to reply to your post, just had to, because too many people gave you not entirely correct info. And we ourselves had a very hard time to figure this all out, so I am going to make it easy for you:). We were in a similar situation: both PR, the baby was born in the USA, returned to Canada.
First, when you return to Canada with a baby and his/her
American passport, an immigration officer will issue a
Visitor Visa for the baby valid for 6 months and will write on it something like 'the parents are going to apply for PR from within Canada". Yes, the baby is American and he/she can travel to Canada as often as he/she wants and does not need a passport for this. BUT, you are bringing her
to live in Canada, therefore she needs a passport and a visitor visa. Then, you can apply for her immigration either as
a Humanitarian and Compassionate case from within Canada (it's not only for a spouse, and there are application forms, you fill them out from the baby's name and some from yourself
) or you can
sponsor your baby from outside Canada . Now, we first applied as a Humanitarian and Compassionate case for our daughter. After 4 months we received a letter from CIC saying that the application fee we paid was incorrect, the baby is not a family member but a principal applicant, therefore the fee is $550. It took them 4 months to open our envelope and see this!!! The processing time for Humanitarian and Compassionate cases is 14-16 months (check the processing time on CIC website yourself), but it usually
takes 2 years (yep, it is just a baby, I know, but that's how it is). So, we then reapplied
To Sponsor a dependent child from outside Canada. It was an advice from CIC officer, and it is a very good one. So, to sponsor the baby, you pay $150, fill out the application and mail it to Mississauga, Ontario. And then they (not you) send it to Buffalo. We live in Canada, the baby is obviously with us, but you still have to sponsor the baby from outside Canada. The processing time is still very long, but it should be shorter than Hum. and Compas. case.
One more thing, actually the most important one, for us at least. When you sponsor your child, he/she undergoes
a medical exam at the time you apply and when you have a confirmation of his/her medical and proof that you applied for her PR, you can apply for OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance). If you live in another province, I have no idea what their health insurance rules are. In Ontario, the fact that both parents are PR
does not give a baby the right to receive free health insurance coverage. It is still not that easy. We already applied twice for her OHIP, and twice the coverage was denied. And when she finally receives her OHIP, there will still be
a 3 months waiting period for it to became effective.
To sum up, we've been in Canada for 5 months already. We started all this application process right after we moved back to Canada; our daughter still does not have either her PR or OHIP. We bought a visitor health insurance for her (expensive).
Moreover, when you sponsor your child, you must apply to
extend his/her visitor status (remember, the visa that was issued at the border was for 6 months). This is one more application, and yet another fee to pay.
Ok, now have a healthy baby!!!! and if you can start all this application process when you are still in the USA, it will do you good
.
Sorry for English.
Hope this helps
.
