Hi guys
I'm a newbie on this site and this is my first post. It seems that many of us here are in the same boat: one of uncertainty and hope! Having read quite a few posts so far, I have to wonder if my girlfriend and I stand a chance to actually get into Canada. A little about our backgrounds...
I met my lovely woman in Cambodia while traveling June 2012. She is Canadian and I am South African. We continued to travel together until January 2013 after which we moved back to South Africa. I have been working full time here since February 2013. My girlfriend has been back to Canada (March to June 2013) to pack most of her things, as our intentions were to settle back here in South Africa. I went over in April to visit her in Vancouver and also to meet her friends and family. In June she came back to visit me in South Africa for 3 months and then left again to travel Europe until mid-December. As I've seen most of Europe (I worked and lived in London for 9 years), I stayed behind in South Africa to work and save money. We wanted to get rid of our travel bugs before settling down and start a family. Just for the record, I do not have any criminal records, I'm in good health and a qualified electrician. As I've been away from South Africa for almost 12 years, I decided to give it a year and see how I feel about the country. Unfortunately, I found that it is not the same place I left behind and with the high crime and uncertainty going on, we decided to rather move to Canada. Plan B now is to give Canada a year and then decide on plan C - Australia (I will be able to qualify on the points system and my girlfriend could come over with me).
My concerns at the moment would be providing proof that we are a couple. As we've been traveling for so long, we don't have a lot of paperwork to proof that we are a couple (other than being together in lots of photos). I own a house in South Africa so we have no lease agreements with any landlords, neither do we have a shared bank account, joint bills, etc...Currently, I have a visitors visa for Canada which is valid until November 2017. So, other than lack of proof is also the concerns about funds to support me if I had to move to Canada and being dependent on my girlfriend. I traveled for 2.5 years while she toured for 1.5 years which mean that we've spent most of our savings doing so. A flat in Vancouver can be anything from $800 to $2000 a month which she will then have to cover with her salary, as well as support me! It goes against my grain having being dependent on someone as I have a good profession and would like to contribute to our future together. Therefore I would like to work asap (if that is an option)...
Now that you know a little of our relationship and current situation, what do you think? There are currently so many thoughts running through my mind like:
Do we even stand a chance to get me into Canada as a common-law partner?
If not, would it help if we get married and apply as a spouse?
Should be rather apply out of country or in Canada itself (which would mean me not earning a salary for a long time!)?
Are there any other forms of proof that we can submit like certified letters from people knowing we are in a relationship, life insurance (mine in South Africa with my girlfriend as a beneficiary), etc?
When can I apply for a work visa?
Those are actually just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to questions, although I would rather like to ask you guys to put yourself in our shoes and advise us on the best plan of action. Other than my woman, I also fell in love with Canada as a country - it is truly beautiful! I had to opportunity to paddle the Nahanni River, do a solo canoeing trip on the Churchill River, do fly fishing in the Skeena, live aboard a floating fishing lodge in Northern BC, ride a Harley with a Calgary cowboy, eat a McLobster meal on Prince Edward island and lots more... I'd love to be able to make it my country for the rest of my life. I would really appreciate any tips and info on what to do.
Kind regards
I'm a newbie on this site and this is my first post. It seems that many of us here are in the same boat: one of uncertainty and hope! Having read quite a few posts so far, I have to wonder if my girlfriend and I stand a chance to actually get into Canada. A little about our backgrounds...
I met my lovely woman in Cambodia while traveling June 2012. She is Canadian and I am South African. We continued to travel together until January 2013 after which we moved back to South Africa. I have been working full time here since February 2013. My girlfriend has been back to Canada (March to June 2013) to pack most of her things, as our intentions were to settle back here in South Africa. I went over in April to visit her in Vancouver and also to meet her friends and family. In June she came back to visit me in South Africa for 3 months and then left again to travel Europe until mid-December. As I've seen most of Europe (I worked and lived in London for 9 years), I stayed behind in South Africa to work and save money. We wanted to get rid of our travel bugs before settling down and start a family. Just for the record, I do not have any criminal records, I'm in good health and a qualified electrician. As I've been away from South Africa for almost 12 years, I decided to give it a year and see how I feel about the country. Unfortunately, I found that it is not the same place I left behind and with the high crime and uncertainty going on, we decided to rather move to Canada. Plan B now is to give Canada a year and then decide on plan C - Australia (I will be able to qualify on the points system and my girlfriend could come over with me).
My concerns at the moment would be providing proof that we are a couple. As we've been traveling for so long, we don't have a lot of paperwork to proof that we are a couple (other than being together in lots of photos). I own a house in South Africa so we have no lease agreements with any landlords, neither do we have a shared bank account, joint bills, etc...Currently, I have a visitors visa for Canada which is valid until November 2017. So, other than lack of proof is also the concerns about funds to support me if I had to move to Canada and being dependent on my girlfriend. I traveled for 2.5 years while she toured for 1.5 years which mean that we've spent most of our savings doing so. A flat in Vancouver can be anything from $800 to $2000 a month which she will then have to cover with her salary, as well as support me! It goes against my grain having being dependent on someone as I have a good profession and would like to contribute to our future together. Therefore I would like to work asap (if that is an option)...
Now that you know a little of our relationship and current situation, what do you think? There are currently so many thoughts running through my mind like:
Do we even stand a chance to get me into Canada as a common-law partner?
If not, would it help if we get married and apply as a spouse?
Should be rather apply out of country or in Canada itself (which would mean me not earning a salary for a long time!)?
Are there any other forms of proof that we can submit like certified letters from people knowing we are in a relationship, life insurance (mine in South Africa with my girlfriend as a beneficiary), etc?
When can I apply for a work visa?
Those are actually just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to questions, although I would rather like to ask you guys to put yourself in our shoes and advise us on the best plan of action. Other than my woman, I also fell in love with Canada as a country - it is truly beautiful! I had to opportunity to paddle the Nahanni River, do a solo canoeing trip on the Churchill River, do fly fishing in the Skeena, live aboard a floating fishing lodge in Northern BC, ride a Harley with a Calgary cowboy, eat a McLobster meal on Prince Edward island and lots more... I'd love to be able to make it my country for the rest of my life. I would really appreciate any tips and info on what to do.
Kind regards