Feel in love in Asia, now what do I do?

[Blink]

Last year I was working in Korea, where I met and fell in love with a Chinese woman who was a student there.  It happens a lot it seems.  She has since visited me in Canada and I have been back to Korea to see her.  At this point I would like for her to come to Canada to stay with me permanently, but I am not sure how to go about that.  Last time I was in Korea I met a guy from Montreal who married a Japanese woman.  This is what they did - she came to visit him, stayed for 6 months, extended it to 12, and by that point they were considered common law.  They eventually got married because of kids.  This would be preferable to me because I don't have the money at the moment to put on a wedding suitable to my tastes.  I have a well paying job (I'm an accountant) but at the moment I am trying save up for a big downpayment on a house.

So my question is - is this method viable?  And should we be totally honest with the immigrations officer during the interview?

PS: I am a Canadian citizen.