Without knowing where you're from it's not really possible for us to tell you how long it will take. If your husband is a Canadian citizen, he could have started the paperwork from where you are now, and that would have hurried things along for you a bit - at least as far as you not having to be separated for so long because the application could have been processing while he was still with you in your home country. But, being he is already made plans for going on ahead, and you're just beginning to fill out the paperwork, you'll be enduring a significant separation.
You will need to fill out
these application forms - there are forms for your husband to fill out (the sponsor), and forms for you to fill out as the applicant. You will have to undergo a medical examination with a Designated Medical Practitioner in your area, and you will have to order and submit clearances from law enforcement agencies in every country you've lived in for more than 6 months since turning 18 years of age to prove that you have never been arrested. You will also need a number of special photos taken, and you will have to submit proof that your marriage is "genuine" - which means that it wasn't entered into in order to get you into Canada. With eight years of marriage, you shouldn't have any trouble - but don't let that deceive you into thinking that you dont' have to submit "proofs" that you are actually in a relationship. You need to include pictures, phone records that show contact during this separation time, letters, emails, chat logs, trip itineraries from visits to see one another, photos of you together and of your wedding and family - holidays, vacations, etc.
The entire completed application, along with proof of the PR fees paid, will be sent first to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga, ON. Your husband will be assessed by officers there as far as his eligibility to sponsor you. That is currently taking a little over a month. If he is approved, he'll get a letter telling him so - and CPC-M will forward the application to the embassy in your home country where they assess your eligibility and the "bona fides" of the relationship. If they are satisfied that the relationship is genuine and that you are not inadmissible to Canada for any reason, they will approve your application and request your passport. They then attach a visa to your passport and send it back to you with a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document. You then travel to Canada and present this paperwork at the port-of-entry for your "landing" interview. Then you're a permanent resident - able to live and work in Canada without needing special permission.
If you let us know where you're from, we can give you information about which embassy will process your application and how long you can expect to wait once they receive the application packet from CPC-Mississauga.
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