If your friend and the ex-wife are fully divorced, there is no issue here. He just needs to submit a copy of the divorce certificate (with a traslation, if necessary).

However, if he is still married, whether it’s in Colombia or Bangladesh, he cannot get married in Malaysia. Even if Malaysia were to somehow allow this, Canada would not recognize the marriage as legitimate and therefore not allow the sonsorship.

For a time.

Once your husband is a PR he has to meet the residence requirement (2 years in Canada out of every five) unless you go live with him overseas.

Here are the differences:

• inland sponsorship (he’s here in Canada with you): he needs a visitor visa to come here (which is unlikely) and then you cannot appeal any rejection
• outland sponsorship (you marry in the Philippines, he stays there until get gets PR): he does not need to apply for a visitor visa (unless he wants to come visit you – again the approval is unlikely), you can appeal any rejection.

Many people start with their partner applying for a visitor visa. If it’s approved the partner tries to come to Canada to get married. If it’s not, they marry abroad and go the “outland” route.

You can marry him and sponsor him onnce you have landed in Canada and had your status confirmed.

Conjugal sponsorship applications are not intended for situations like this. They are usually intended for same-sex couples who cannot marry in the country where the foreign partner lives. If you two can marry – in Canada, in the Netherlands, somewhere else – you should not use this type of application; it will be rejected.

Get married and then you can sponsor him as a spouse.

Submit the application with any proof of the marriage you have and include a letter saying you are waiting on the marriage license from the provincial Vital Statistics office. If you have written correspondence about the delay, include copies of that with your application.

You can travel together.

For the Port of Entry, your husband should bring proof of his return flight. If you want to really be safe he bring proof of property he owns/leases in Benin as well as proof of employment. Without proof of a return flight he may be denied entry.

This is not your fault.

There is nothing you can do if he withdraws the sponsorship application or breaks up with you.

The law has since been changed to prevent things like this from happening. Unfortunately for you, it was changed right around when you lost your PR.

He needs to apply for a visitor visa. You cannot sponsor him unless you are married or have been living common law for at least a year.

If you marry after his marriage has been annuled, you will be able to sponsor him for permanent residence. However, if you marry while he is still married, Canada does not care what religion he is (or both of you are). Bigamy/polygamy is illegal in Canada and Canada does not recognize those marriages, even if they may be legal in Saudi Arabia.