PR Application for U.S. wife of Canadian citizen- need advice

[npierce]

Hello

My husband is a Canadian citizen and I am a U.S. Citizen.  We met in the U.S. (he has been here on a work visa since 2003) and have both been living in the U.S. ever since.  We were married in January 2006.

We now found a great job opportunity for my husband in Calgary, and are hoping to move there soon.  We are planning on applying as family sponsorship.  We are confused about a few things:

1.  If we start the application process now, while we still reside in the U.S., does that mean I have to stay here in the U.S. until I get PR status?  OR can we go ahead and move to Canada during the application process?  Our concern is that if we start the process now, while in the U.S., that I may have to stay behind until I become a PR.   

2.  I would like to go to school in Calgary so would it make sense to get a study visa while I am applying for PR? 

3.  Our situation is pretty straight forward, but for those of you who have experienced this process, does it help to have the assistance of an immigration lawyer?  Does it make the process speedier?

Thanks for any help! 
Nikki & Steve   

[Feeling Lost]

I'm in the process right now.  I can't knowledgeably answer your first or second question, but I can address the third from my own experience of doing the paperwork myself...

If your situation is very straight forward (no dependents, no criminal history, no serious medical complications, no previous marriages) and you are comfortable filling out forms, it's worth considering doing it yourself.  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-apply-how.asp  Is the place to start.  They have guides and document checklists and everything.

However if you are uncomfortable with forms or your situation isn't as straightforward as it could be; an immigration lawyer will make the process a lot less stressful. Having an immigration lawyer help you with your paperwork will not make the PROCESSING time faster (although it may make the information gathering stage faster because they know exactly what to do without having to think it through.)

Having done the paperwork myself, I can safely say the wait can be very daunting and self doubt begins to creep in...Did I forget to sign something? Did I include everything?  An immigration lawyer gets a lot of money to make sure that it's complete. 
 
If you trust yourself to handle all the forms, go for it.  If you'd rather spend the money to have someone else make sure that all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted there are literally hundreds of immigration lawyers out there.  It's really personal choice.

[npierce]

Thanks for the reply...how did your situation work out?  Do you have your PR status now?  If so, how long did it take? 

I think my biggest concern is just making sure we are doing everything "by the books" so to speak and I do not want to make a dumb mistake by filling out something incorrectly.  This is such a huge commitment to make and I want to be successful!   

Do you know how much in general immigration lawyers charge?  I know you said you filled out the paperwork yourself, but do you know of someone who used a lawyer? 

One more question...the application requires me to list all my previous addresses since I was 18.  I can name the cities I lived in, but not every single address as I moved a lot in college.  Will that be a problem? 

Thanks!