dependent child

[mlm]

I am an American citizen, married to a Canadian that has landed immigrant status and we reside in the states.  We plan on moving to Canada, but have questions about the time line for a dependent child.  We have one child together and have the paperwork to get her certificate of citizenship, about how long does it normally take to get this?  Would it be a good idea to go ahead and try to start my paperwork for pr status outside of Canada while awaiting  her certificate?  Next question: does she have to have this certificate to have health insurance in Canada or would she get coverage after the 3 month waiting period?  I know we will have lots of questions and I appreciate all responses with these questions.  Thanks to you all who take the time to help others!

[rjessome]

First question is how long has your spouse lived outside of Canada?  Since they are a PR and not a citizen, then need to live in Canada for 2 out of every 5 years in order to maintain their status unless they are working for a Canadian company in another country or living with a spouse that is a Canadian citizen.  Also, as a PR, your wife must reside in Canada to be qualified as a sponsor.

[Leon]

rjesome: I think mlm means that the spouse is a Canadian citizen but has landed immigrant status in the US, otherwise they would not be applying for a certificate of citizenship for their child.

mlm: While applying for certificate of citizenship for a child, you can talk to the Canadian embassy about getting the child a temporary Canadian passport.  That should be enough to get the health coverage.  To start a PR application from outside Canada, you need to prove that you will all be moving to Canada when you get your PR.  Proof of moving to Canada can include having rented or bought a house, having a job offer, acceptance to college etc. but if you have none of those, letters of support from relatives in Canada, saying they know of your plans, saying you can stay with them while you look for a place to live etc. will help.  You can also write something about your plans, job search etc.

[mlm]

Thank you for the replies...It would be nice to all go up together, but it may work out to where he goes up with her and we wanted to try and get the healthcare question asked and see what options are there, w/o costing alot of money.  If I am reading correctly I can visit as American citizen for up to 6 months at a time while filiing for pr outside?  I hope that is correct, like I said, just starting out and confused a little, but it does seem a lil easier than what we went through with him coming to the U.S.!  It seems to be the case that it goes by faster if you file outside of Canada?  We were thinking that if it takes 10 months for her certificate to come through, why not just file from outside and hopefully we can go up together!  Thoughts?  I think you understand just how helpful this site is! Thanks again

[rjessome]

Duh!  Sorry mlm.  Read through your post too quickly!

The healthcare will also depend on the province where you intend to reside.  You may have to buy temporary insurance to cover the waiting period if there is one.  Google "healthcare coverage (province name)" and read about the programs.  They are all provincially legislated so different for every province.  I know in BC and Ontario, there is a 3 month waiting period to be eligible after you move to one of these provinces.

Yes, as an American you can "visit" for up to 6 months.  If you plan to do that, have a copy of your PR application ready to show at the border when you arrive if you are questioned by CBSA.  And yes, outland processing for Americans is faster than the inland route.  Besides, you have to be living in Canada to be able to apply inland.