girlfriend of 6 years an daughter are american...i'm canadian

[mbdriver]

hi all, 
  i'm a canadian citizen (was born here) my girlfriend and our daughter are americans. with my job i travel alot i'm long haul truck driver. i want to bring them to canada and eventually we will be married but don't want to do it in a rush. what options do i have for bringing them to canada? i live in southern manitoba and my girlfriend and daughter live in northern north dakota, when i get time off work i have been driving down to stay a few days at a time with them (up to 2 weeks at a time). i would like to know how difficult the process would be and also how expensive this can get. also what type of documentation we will need. our daughter is now 3 yrs old. we want to do this right the first time. she was born in the united states and her parents were also born there as well.

 i appreciate any and all help i can get on this.

[rjessome]

hi all, 
  i'm a canadian citizen (was born here) my girlfriend and our daughter are americans. with my job i travel alot i'm long haul truck driver. i want to bring them to canada and eventually we will be married but don't want to do it in a rush. what options do i have for bringing them to canada? i live in southern manitoba and my girlfriend and daughter live in northern north dakota, when i get time off work i have been driving down to stay a few days at a time with them (up to 2 weeks at a time). i would like to know how difficult the process would be and also how expensive this can get. also what type of documentation we will need. our daughter is now 3 yrs old. we want to do this right the first time. she was born in the united states and her parents were also born there as well.

 i appreciate any and all help i can get on this.

Your daughter is a Canadian citizen because you are.  Apply for her citizenship certificate.  See:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/proof-eligibility.asp

Unless you are your girlfriend are in a common-law relationship (live together for at least 12 consecutive months), the only option for you would be to get married and sponsor her as your spouse.

[Baloo]

hi all,  
  i'm a canadian citizen (was born here) my girlfriend and our daughter are americans. with my job i travel alot i'm long haul truck driver. i want to bring them to canada and eventually we will be married but don't want to do it in a rush. what options do i have for bringing them to canada? i live in southern manitoba and my girlfriend and daughter live in northern north dakota, when i get time off work i have been driving down to stay a few days at a time with them (up to 2 weeks at a time). i would like to know how difficult the process would be and also how expensive this can get. also what type of documentation we will need. our daughter is now 3 yrs old. we want to do this right the first time. she was born in the united states and her parents were also born there as well.

 i appreciate any and all help i can get on this.

You could look at family spousal sponsorship, your girlfriend would have to show she has full custody of the daughter. It is unclear if she is your daughter as you mentioned her parents were born in the USA ( but you are Canadian).

There are a few notes to read here - see the main post from Leon.

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/spousal-sponsorship-t46995.0.html;msg344291#msg344291

It is not "hard" to do, but it does take time, every case is different.

The information pack and form are available here
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/index.asp

[asurania]

if they where born while you where canadian (regardless of where you live)...they are then considered Canadian...
you just need to apply for a Citizenship Card for them

[rjessome]

You could look at family spousal sponsorship, your girlfriend would have to show she has full custody of the daughter. It is unclear if she is your daughter as you mentioned her parents were born in the USA ( but you are Canadian).

It looked to me that he meant his girlfriend's parents and that the child is his. But if he is not the biological father of the child, then yes, the girlfriend needs to have unfettered custody and control of the child.  And he would have to marry his girlfriend.

[Baloo]

I still can't decipher it

[canadianwoman]

If he has been in a relationship with a woman for 6 years, but her 3-year-old daughter is not his biologically, then they're going to have some problems getting accepted!

Maybe the original poster could clarify? The girlfriend's parents are both Americans; the 3-year-old's biological parents are the Canadian poster and the American girlfriend?

[fleo]

It is unclear if she is your daughter as you mentioned her parents were born in the USA

I'm fairly certain "she" in that sentence is the girlfriend, not the daughter

[Baloo]

No doubt the OP will let us know.

[kelKel]

Regradless it doesn't seem that the OP resides with the girlfriend and daughter on a full time basis.  Therefore he will have to establish a common-law relationship or marry her which he doesn't seem in a rush to do. 

[fleo]

I would be really curious to see how CIC treats such cases. I mean, the OP and his girlfriend obviously live in different countries, but at the same time he has a pretty non-standard job, and if he spends most of his free time living with his girlfriend and there is some sort of paper trail to prove this (joint bank accounts, him receiving bills on the U.S. address, statements from her landlord, something) I think they might still be able to prove common-law.

[mbdriver]

If he has been in a relationship with a woman for 6 years, but her 3-year-old daughter is not his biologically, then they're going to have some problems getting accepted!

Maybe the original poster could clarify? The girlfriend's parents are both Americans; the 3-year-old's biological parents are the Canadian poster and the American girlfriend?

lol. this caused a bit of confusion i guess i should have clarified better, my girlfriend and her parents were born in the united states. and i am the father of our 3 yr old daughter.

[Baloo]

lol. this caused a bit of confusion i guess i should have clarified better, my girlfriend and her parents were born in the united states. and i am the father of our 3 yr old daughter.

Thanks for the entertainment 

See rjessome's post "Your daughter is a Canadian citizen because you are".

[Patricksgirls]

My fiance and I are also long haul drivers and it was recommended that we could not apply common law because of too much separation. I do have to laugh though at you not wanting to rush into things when your daughter with her is already three! Anyway you will have to apply for a Canadian Citizenship certificate for her and then PR status for her mother which will mean most likely marriage. Then apply outland and it should hopefully be done in 4-6 months.

[mbdriver]

My fiance and I are also long haul drivers and it was recommended that we could not apply common law because of too much separation. I do have to laugh though at you not wanting to rush into things when your daughter with her is already three! Anyway you will have to apply for a Canadian Citizenship certificate for her and then PR status for her mother which will mean most likely marriage. Then apply outland and it should hopefully be done in 4-6 months.

actually it's not about not wanting to rush into things. we want to do it right by finding the right place and getting both our families together to be there. but thanks for the help.