Obtaining Permanent Residence Without Issue Through Family Class as a Same-Sex (LGBTQ+) Couple｜Client G

Thanks to having the application handled on my behalf, my worries about the process were resolved, and my partner and I never had to argue about it!

Immigration Consultant

Yumiko Sakurai

Born in Japan. Worked in tour planning and led international tours at a major travel agency, visiting dozens of countries. After immigrating to Canada in 2003, she worked at a software company in Montreal focusing on the Japanese market. She studied Immigration Consulting at Vanier College and became a licensed immigration consultant. Wanting to support the Japanese community more actively, she relocated to Vancouver where she currently resides and works.

Why did you decide to immigrate to Canada?

While staying in Canada on a Working Holiday Visa, I started dating my same-sex Canadian partner. After returning to Japan because of COVID, we got engaged long-distance and planned to marry in Canada and apply for permanent residence under Family Class in order to move there. Feeling anxious about the same-sex marriage aspect and about entering Canada on a visitor visa, I found Ms. Sakurai at Shiraishi VisaJP Canada online and asked her for full-service support to obtain permanent residence.

What made you choose Shiraishi VisaJP Canada?

The reason I chose full-service support was that I was worried about the application taking longer because of mistakes when filling out forms, and about how much time it would take since there was so much that my partner and I, as non-experts, didn’t understand. Since it meant getting support from a permanent residence application professional who would prepare and submit the documents on our behalf, I felt I could leave it to them with peace of mind, so I asked Ms. Sakurai.

What was the most memorable part of the process?

From the document-gathering stage, there were so many things I didn’t understand, and I contacted Ms. Sakurai many times for answers, but thanks to her, gathering all the documents went smoothly. For filling out the forms, we were given samples, so we quickly understood how to complete them, and both my partner and I were able to get through it easily without wasting time.

If I had tried to research all of this and gather the documents and apply on my own, it would have taken an enormous amount of time, and I think I would have been constantly stressed, worrying about whether what I was doing was really correct. I still think choosing full-service support with Ms. Sakurai’s help was the right decision.

How was your experience using Shiraishi VisaJP Canada’s services?

Also, whenever my partner and I disagreed about something related to the permanent residence process, our shared catchphrase was, “Let’s ask Ms. Sakurai first!” — and thanks to that, we were able to get past the hurdles of the permanent residence process without things turning sour between us. It was very fast — only 3 months from application to the “approved” decision.

Future outlook and a message for those planning to travel to Canada

After that, it took 4 months for the final Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR) to arrive, but Ms. Sakurai’s reassurance that “other clients wait about that long too” eased our worries. Even setting aside opposite-sex couples, there are very few examples of LGBTQ+ individuals obtaining marriage and permanent residence in Canada, even when I searched, so I was very anxious at first. But the heartfelt support from Ms. Sakurai and the staff blew all that anxiety away, and I am truly grateful.

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