US Citizen here on a visitors visa...what is my next step??

[ALLY06]

Hello,

I am a US citizen from California who has been in a relationship with a canadian citizen for a little over a year.  After doing long distance, I decided to move to Victoria for the past summer to visit, but ended up enjoying it so much I stayed.  I have been in canada for about 4 months now (I have gone over US/Canada border a few times in between to visit family).  I want to know what my next step is to staying longer.  Should I apply for a visitors visa extension come December based on "exploring relationship?" I would just like to feel like I belong here/show proof I am allowed to be here, instead of being questioned at the border.

I want to eventually work here legally, so what are my first steps to applying for a PR (if that is my next step?) I want to get that process going if it is going to be a long one!

Any words of advice what I should do? Any guidance would be much appreciated! Thank you

[matthewc]

To qualify for PR on the basis of your relationship, you need to be married or legally common-law, i.e. lived together continuously for minimum 1 year. It doesn't sound like you qualify from what you said. Just "exploring relationship" isn't sufficient to get permanent status / be able to work.

This site has useful info: http://us2canada.com

[ALLY06]

Thanks for the reply - couple more ?'s...since we dont qualify as common law quite yet, is there another way I can gain PR status? Either way, I would need to apply for a visitor visa extension come the end of this month, correct?

Do/would the border officials/immigration get "suspicious" of someone like myself staying in canada for this long? (for example, think I am working illegally or living here?) I want to go about this process as legally and right as possible.

[matthewc]

since we dont qualify as common law quite yet, is there another way I can gain PR status?

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/index.asp