Family Reunification / Orange Card

Hello,

you have 2 choices:

doing the family reunion visa right at the same time you request your visa D through your single permit.

doing the family reunion / resident permit for your husband from Belgium.

Both have pro & con (you'd be apart for a while the time for you to settle your thing: A card, accommodation, ...) or he won't be able to travel for 12 months...

In the case you want to do it from Belgium without being apart from each other:

As you're both Canadians and don't need a visa C for a tourist visit 90d max per 180, your husband should join you once you receive your "A card / resident permit" (to not lose from his 90d counter!). That can take 2-5 weeks easily, it depends on the commune and if you find a place to stay FAST (which is not easy at all).

Once you have your resident permit, he can join you and you can start the family reunion process from your commune. (At that time you'll have already an accommodation, first salary/payslip, ...)

Of course, your file is absolutely perfect & ready: every official document has been translated, apostilled/legalized, ... and not older than 6 months (technically 7 months in most of the commune)

At some point (after the police check), he'll get his orange card that will be renewed every 3 months.

The family reunion process will take up to 12 months and then he'll get his A card too.

In the case you want to do it from Canada:

you'll go first in Belgium, secure a place to stay, start working, got your A card.

He'll join you once he got the visa D: from 15d to 4 months

@AlexFromBelgium Thanks so much Alex for taking the time to respond, much appreciated!

One thing I'll add is that the Belgium Consulate confirmed that my husband and I could submit our Visa applications together and that for the proof of lodging I could submit either the registered rental lease OR a 30-day hotel booking.

yup, that's part of the 2 scenarios that I told you

But 30 days hotel booking is insanely expensive, you should rather get an accommodation fast, you'll save money!

@Zaza00 Hi Zaza, may I know how your application went? Also, they allowed a 30-day hotel booking? Haha

@AlexFromBelgium Hi alex, based on your comment, is it possible for us to do the 2nd option of applying for family reunion process while in belgium if my spouse (yes we are legally married in my home country) is a belgian citizen? If yes, how?