Wanting to be with boyfriend in Montreal.

[dillymie]

Hi everyone,

My friend google helped me find this site, and all you knowledgeable people. I was hoping I might be able to get some advice.

I'm an American citizen, I'm currently living near Washington DC.  I live 11 hours from my boyfriend (of 7 months) in Montreal. We've known each other for 3 years, but it wasn't until I took the plunge and went up to visit him last August that we decided to give the relationship thing a go. We've visited each other 4 times since then, and we'd like to live together for a while to really get an idea of making this last. I'm 23, he's 28. Neither of us have been married before, so we are unsure, but we love each other very much.
 
Our plan is to live together at his place for a couple months in Montreal.. (I'm pretty sure that I saw somewhere that as am American citizen I am allowed to stay in Canada for up to 6 months as a visitor.) And after living together for a while, evaluate how we feel, and either get married.. or I'm not really sure that there is another option at that point for me to stay legally in Canada.

I also do not know how to go about making sure I will be able to stay there for the full six months. What if the boarder guard says "Okay, you can stay for 6 weeks, then you must return back to the US"  

We've read up on the option of him to sponsor me as a common law partner, but we've hit a wall there. We don't have a lot to prove we've been dating since August other than the stamp in my passport, a few receipts, hotel reservations.

I'm going up there to visit him next week, and we'll try to set up another joint account there, so at least after a year we'll be able to have that as proof of 'setting up a household' together.

I guess I'm just throwing this out there to see if anyone has any better ideas of how to do this.

Thanks in Advance,
I left my heart in Montreal.

[pinklady]

You will likely be allowed to stay for the full 6 months. Before the 6 months is up, you can apply by mail or online to extend your stay http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/visitor.asp

If you get married, great, you can send a spousal application. In order to qualify for common law you must live together continuously for 1 year, which is where the extending your stay thing comes into play.

Cross the border and see what happens. If you are allowed 6 weeks, or 3 months or whatever, just apply to extend your stay, then decide if marriage or common law is the way you want to proceed.

Him sponsoring you is a big commitment, he will be responsible for you for 3 years, so don't enter into it lightly, be sure its right.

Good luck!

[dillymie]

Thank you so much, this confirmed everything that we have read, and that's a great feeling!
XOXO!