American / Canadian immigration questions

[jbond]

Hi folks,
I am an American citizen and plan on getting engaged to a Canadian woman in the next 3 months. I am a consultant by trade, and plan on working in the US, but live in Toronto. My soon to be fiance plans to continue working in Toronto for at least the next 5 to 7 years.
If the plans are to get married in a year or so and make Toronto my residence for at least the next 5 to 7 years:
1. What documents need to be filed to satisfy the immigration laws within Canada?
2. Since we both have assets in each country, can anyone recommend a law firm that could tackle the immigration and financial issues within the US and Canada, related to this arrangement?
3. We are most probably going to settle down in the US, down the road. One of the issues that came up in our discussion was the health plan that is available to Canadian citizens. Can a Canadian citizen who has paid into the health system all her life, use its benefits if she resides in the US?
4. Is it possible to have Dual citizenships?

Thanks for all the assistance.

 

[Leon]

There is no fiancee visa in Canada. You have to get married, then apply for her to sponsor you for permanent residency. You can apply outland (you officially living in the US) or inland (you officially living in Canada on a visa waiver (visitor visa)). With outland, you can visit back and forth and you will get your permanent residency in something like 7-8 months on average, could faster or slower and then you can move to Canada as a PR, work anywhere, get healthcare etc. With inland, you are not adviced to leave Canada while your application is being processed, getting first stage approval with work permit (you have to apply for that too) and ability to get health care would be around 6 months and PR in 1-2 years. With outland you can appeal if you are refused, with inland, you can't but it is in any case important to show some proof that you have a real marriage.

Health care is based on residency, not who has paid for how long. It normally stops covering you 3 months after you move away. You can ask health care in your province about that. If you move to the US without telling health care in your province that you moved, you can probably get away with it for some time coming back and using it but I have no idea if there is a law against this or if you would be liable to pay back if you were found out.

You can have dual citizenships. The US does not encourage it but will not interfere with it either. Canada doesn't care at all. When travelling, you should carry both passports so you can enter the US on your US passport and Canada on your Canadian passport. The US is very strict on using only US passport to travel to and from the US. I think Canada requires it too. You are eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship after living here for 3 yrs. as PR.