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Paupaaa

Newbie
Mar 27, 2014
3
0
First, thanks to everybody in advance for reading this and any advice help you can get.

Let me set the stage - I am an American Citizen and a teacher with a masters degree. My fiance is a Canadian Citizen (She is actually First Nations) and has the ability to come and go between the two countries as she pleases.

We have lived together in a common law relationship here in the United States for the past seven years. However, she just recently (first of the year) moved back to Canada due to some family having medical issues and her needing to take care of her family. I wasn't able to make the trip up with her, not only because I can't just go and "hang out" in Canada - plus I have a teachers contract that I need to fulfill (it expires in May).

Our long term goal is that I can eventually become a Canadian Citizen. After the three months my fiance has been back up there, she has pretty lost all motivation to move back to the states. I have always enjoyed the summers I have been able to spend up there and would very much enjoy living up there.

As a teacher, I do not believe that is a skilled trade... however pretty much everyone in her family is willing to sponsor me - and they do have the financial means to do so (They all either live in the Yukon or NWT) My goals are this....

(1) Get Married
(2) Be able to be in Canada for more than 90 days at a time (hopefully never having to go back to the states, as I am currently renting an apartment and would like to end that lease when my contract expires).
(3) Eventually find employment - at first it could be working at Tim Horton's, but eventually since I have a Master's degree, I would like it to be in the field of education either working at a college or university.
(4) Stay in the Yukon / NWT for five years and save enough to move to a bigger city buy a house and live the dream.


So therefore, I have a few questions about that.

1.) Would we be better for us to get married in Canada or the United States - or does it even matter?

2.) What would be the best route to stay in the country (Can I be sponsored to stay while waiting on my PR? Do I need a work permit to stay? Can I go to college and learn what I need to learn to teach while waiting on PR?)
3.) Any advice on moving items into the country? I don't own much - just a couple of tv's, some household goods, everything I own will it in my Ford Escape (which is the highest value thing I own)... How does that get handled in the short term - as I would like to bring those items up with me if I am allowed to stay for any period of time.

Also if anyone can provide any other advice, it would be awesome....

Thank you so much again for reading..
 
hi there, I'll give some answers where I can...

1) it really doesn't matter.

2) american citizens are visa exempt. you can stay in canada for up to 6 months at a time as a visitor. if you're waiting for your application to process you can file for a visitor extension if the 6 months is drawing to a close and you don't want to leave. usually an extension is granted for another 6 months or a year. however, as a visitor you cannot work or go to school. if you want to study in canada you need a student visa and to have an acceptance from a canadian school, perhaps something to look into while you're "visiting".

3) I'm not entirely sure, but if you come to border with everything you own in the back of your truck I would think the border guard would suspect you have no intention on leaving canada so it could cause problems. when you're granted PR status you land at a border crossing and bring a B4 form that lists all your belongings so that they can enter duty free into canada. but i don't know how it works if you are planning to enter with all those things before even filing for PR. maybe someone else on the forum can help you with that.
 
marlasinger said:
hi there, I'll give some answers where I can...

1) it really doesn't matter.

2) american citizens are visa exempt. you can stay in canada for up to 6 months at a time as a visitor. if you're waiting for your application to process you can file for a visitor extension if the 6 months is drawing to a close and you don't want to leave. usually an extension is granted for another 6 months or a year. however, as a visitor you cannot work or go to school. if you want to study in canada you need a student visa and to have an acceptance from a canadian school, perhaps something to look into while you're "visiting".

3) I'm not entirely sure, but if you come to border with everything you own in the back of your truck I would think the border guard would suspect you have no intention on leaving canada so it could cause problems. when you're granted PR status you land at a border crossing and bring a B4 form that lists all your belongings so that they can enter duty free into canada. but i don't know how it works if you are planning to enter with all those things before even filing for PR. maybe someone else on the forum can help you with that.

While not the most honest approach, since she is first nation and can travel freely, every item sans my car can be pawned off as hers? Its really not a lot of stuff.. a tv.. xbox.. computer.. kitchen items.. etc stuff a bachelor would need to live on..it would all fit in a SUV not as if I am taking a uhaul accross..?
 
Paupaaa said:
While not the most honest approach, since she is first nation and can travel freely, every item sans my car can be pawned off as hers? Its really not a lot of stuff.. a tv.. xbox.. computer.. kitchen items.. etc stuff a bachelor would need to live on..it would all fit in a SUV not as if I am taking a uhaul accross..?

The reason its risky to bring all your stuff isnt because you might have to pay duty on it, its because it will make the border guard suspect you are moving to Canada instead of "just visiting". So for some types of visitors that is a big red flag to CBSA.

But since the USA is "visa-exempt" they arent too picky about it. If you tell them you will be getting married in Canada and applying for spousal sponsorship, then its usually fine for Americans and other visa-exempt people to come for that purpose. Technically they can deny you, because you arent "just visiting", but in practice, peoples experience has been that they let you thru.

You need to decide if you will be applying Inland or Outland (usually Americans choose Outland because it tends to be faster) and have a basic plan for the sponsoship PR in case they ask you.