Met a girl... wanting to move to canada... help!

[Patricksgirls]

I would simply state that you are visiting your girlfriend. No need to mention marriage since people come to Canada and decide to get married all the time.

[binahblue]

My story is very similar to yours and I'm landing this week. Don't give much energy to the fearmongering because it'll only make the process more stressful than it needs to be. Definitely take many pics and even save emails and IM chats. Photos of you with her family are icing on the cake. Create a pile you can keep adding to so once you're married and living in Canada (as a visitor) and ready to apply, it'll be easier. Add dates, descriptions and identify people in the photos. Come back here with any questions - there will be many!

I consulted with a local organization for newcomers to Canada and they helped me quite a bit. Check to see if there's anything local where you'll be living.

As far as entering Canada, I always simply said I was visiting friends - I highly doubt it will come back to haunt you.  

Best of luck to you!!

[Baloo]

I plan on going to Canada on a tourist visa and getting married... Would it work against me or be refused entry if I said I was visiting my Canadian fiancée. If I said I was just visiting friends would that be a lie that would come back to haunt me when we applied for sponsorship? All advice would be much appreciated or is this being blown out of all proportion. Do they even ask the reason for your visit and could i just say 'visiting'? Do i need to have a return flight booked?

Apologies if I come across as a bit ignorant or you've been asked these questions a 100 times but there is so much scaremongering on a number of forums that i don't know what to believe. This forum seems much more balanced. Many thanks in advance.

Don't panic, a return flight is a good idea as it is reasonable proof that you will leave Canada, some airlines will not allow visitors to travel to Canada on a single ticket.