Giving birth outside Canada. Advice needed!

[taranjotwani]

Hello Everyone,

I am just looking for some advice here as to where would it be better for my wife to give birth. We are currently in India and my wife is pregnant. She has had some complications which are making me afraid for wanting her to travel back to Canada. The doctors might give her the go ahead to travel, but since our families are here, I would be more comfortable if she could have her delivery here.

Now, I am a Canadian citizen and my wife is a PR. So I am assuming, from what the best I have read on the CIC website that I can apply for the canadian citizenship for the child. I am looking for advice if anyone has gone through this and how much effort and time does it take for the child to get the travel documents after the birth, coz I don't want to live without them for long period.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[steaky]

Hello Everyone,

I am just looking for some advice here as to where would it be better for my wife to give birth. We are currently in India and my wife is pregnant. She has had some complications which are making me afraid for wanting her to travel back to Canada. The doctors might give her the go ahead to travel, but since our families are here, I would be more comfortable if she could have her delivery here.

Now, I am a Canadian citizen and my wife is a PR. So I am assuming, from what the best I have read on the CIC website that I can apply for the canadian citizenship for the child. I am looking for advice if anyone has gone through this and how much effort and time does it take for the child to get the travel documents after the birth, coz I don't want to live without them for long period.

Any advice would be appreciated.

So you lives in Canada and your wife lives in India? How did you became Canadian citizen?

 

[taranjotwani]

So you lives in Canada and your wife lives in India?

We both live in Canada. Came to India for some family needs. And she got pregnant here.

 

[steaky]

We both live in Canada. Came to India for some family needs. And she got pregnant here.

How did you get Canadian citizenship?

 

[taranjotwani]

How did you get Canadian citizenship?

Naturalization. Its been more than 2 years since my citizenship.

 

[armoured]

Look up apply for citizenship for child born abroad. There are multiple threads here.

General: you prepare applications for certificate of citizenship for the child AND application for temporary passport. Check with consulate/high commission how to proceed, there seem to be slight differences in ways that consular sections* approach.

Either you will send the certificate of citizenship app to Canada for processing, and then take a copy of that plus temporary passport app to consular section, OR they may ask you to bring both to the consulate. Essentially they issue temporary passport before the citizenship certificate is finalized on the basis that they child is a presumptive citizen (based on birth certificate showing parentage and your proof of citizenship).

The key delays in this process are getting the docs required to apply: meaning birth certificate and whatever else will be acceptable to show the child's identity. (Honestly would advise getting local passport as well but practices vary on how difficult for an infant to get a local passport).

If everything is in order, the consular sections can issue a passport fairly quickly - really a question of how urgent you wish to travel. The local docs are more often the issue.

That said: keep in mind that for significant travel eg India to Canada, I think it's fairly rare that parents want to subject the child to that travel before several months, so shouldn't be the major concern. And I presume in most cases parents want to get the core vaccinations also before travel. So unless there are huge issues, the temp passport should be available in time.

The temp passport will have to be replaced after a couple years and citizenship certificate needed for new passport. But infant passports have limited validity anyway.

*You must ask / inquire at the CONSULAR section, not the visa office at the consulates/high commissions. The child is a Canadian.