Her choice does not bar his application, but a spouse and home remaining in Canada are strong indicators that his own residence is abroad, which feeds an abandonment finding; if she applies as a joining spouse, her own fee and gift apply.
A family that stays behind undermines the resident’s own claim to live in the United States
Under the current framework a spouse who joins the application pays a US$15,000 processing fee and makes a US$1,000,000 gift, and the FAQ directs that family members be included in the initial application. A wife who prefers to remain in Cantley need not apply, and her decision does not disqualify him. The immigration consequence arises later: when officers assess whether a permanent resident has abandoned status, the location of the spouse, the family home and the children is central evidence of where the person actually lives.
A husband whose wife and house are in Cantley and who visits the United States for work will find it hard to show U.S. residence. Children who join must be unmarried and under 21 at the relevant time and pay the same amounts.
The family should decide together, before any fee is paid, whether relocation is real. Hypothetical example: a marine-insurance underwriter wants to add an adult daughter after her twenty-first birthday because she is financially dependent. Financial dependence does not replace the program’s age and marital-status rules.
The family should verify each person’s eligibility and payment obligation before any gift is made. Each included family member is subject to an additional processing fee and gift; depending on the program path, an individual or corporate sponsor may make the gift on that person’s behalf. The gift is treated as category evidence, but it cannot cure age, marriage, admissibility, or visa-availability problems.