:?: Please let me know what is the best way out?

Hello ,

I have some detailed immigration doubts and I thought it is best that I present it to you as some of you would be able to clear my doubts.

I am a divorcee and have 2 boys aged 9 and 7. They are under the sole custody of my ex-wife. I wish to migrate to Canada for good and they do not wish to go or have the pr or citizenship. We are all currently Singapore Citizens. I have been attampting for jobs, there. Meanwhile I was filling up my PR application forms for Canada simultaneously. I have not submitted anything yet. I have now got a job in Ontario and my prospective employer is applying for the HRSDC approval. After which they have arranged a lawyer in Toronto to handle my work permit and my PR application later on. I wish to start life a new in Canada. I do not wish for my company to know about my past and for unnecessary questions to be asked. As such when they asked me my marital status, I told them single- which can mean I am not married now. The HRSDC form does not ask for marital status of employee. Now the Work permit asks for current marital status and I can't say single as there is a (never married before phrase attached to it). So I planned to say engaged as that is a option in the work permit form. Now my questions are such:

1. As only I am applying for the PR is the number of applicants 1 or 3 (inclusive of my children) or does children info only have to be filled up under additional family members form?

2. The work permit has to be applied in Singapore at the Canadian embassy. What kind of checks do they do? Would there be problem? Rightfully there shouldn't be as I could have got engaged to anyone now? Am I correct?

3. Can I just get a police report from the Singapore embassy there in canada? How long does that take?

4. Can I submit my application there after I have landed? Do I have to submit in 2 places? Singapore and Canada?

5. Now if I go to the same lawyer for my PR application, I can't hide my divorce status. Can I trust the lawyer to keep my marital status a secret from the company or do you think it is best for me to go to another lawyer to do the pr and declare all truths. Until the work permit i can say that I am engaged as there is a column for that in the work permit. But I could have alway broken my engagement and regained my divorcee status when applying for my PR. My main concern is I dont want the people working with me knowing my past. I can apply for my PR with another lawyer or by myself declaring my actual divorced status. Or should I just tell the company that a friend is applying for me P.R F.O.C and hire another lawyer?

Gary

The scope of the issues that you present here go well beyond what can be resolved in the context of this forum. You will need to present these issues to whomever is representing you in your immigration applications. As a general rule, the potential penalties for misrepresentation far outweigh the requirements for proper resolution of your case.

From the standpoint of the immigration process, it is not advisable to simply omit mention of your ex-spouse and children. The legal custody of your children will determine how your work permit application should be presented. If they are not dependents, then you are not required to include them in the form. The immigration officials do not divulge the extent of background checks conducted in any application.

For a permanent resident application, although you will be only one applicant, you will be required to provide evidence of your prior marriage and divorce, as well as of the births of your children and of any custody agreement. You will also need to include them in your Additional Family Information form. Police clearances would have no bearing on this situation.

Once resident in Canada as a foreign worker, you will be able to submit your permanent resident application to visa offices in either the USA or Singapore. Either visa office will have access to all information about your prior application(s).