Becomming a Canadian is HARD! I need advice desparately!

[montitchou1]

I met my Canadian boyfriend online about 8 months ago. We have met in person and are sure we want to be together for the rest of our lives. So I want to move to Canada.
We are not religious so we don’t believe in marriage. We are however willing to, if it will make the immigration process easier. I have been reading about immigration to Canada and it seems nearly impossible for someone like me. Even marriage doesn’t seem to make it any easier. I know I must first become a resident. Will marrying him allow me to stay in Canada at least as a resident? Or will I still have to apply for some other kind of residency. I do not qualify for any residency program that I read about on the CIC website. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp
I am currently a student..... a.... second year freshmen I suppose. I am hoping to obtain a BA in some computer-related field within 3 years. So I am not going to be well established financially and carrer-wise for quite a few years still. And it seems that you have to be in order to become a resident of Canada.
Also, we want children. Not to use my child as a tool or anything, but will having a child with him help our situation? I am 24 years old and don’t want to have to wait until I’m almost 30 to have my first baby. If I had a child with him would they ACTUALLY force us to live apart?
I am really in love with this man and want to be with him. I am willing to wait another two or three years to get my BA but that will be quite long enough. Please, any advice would be great!
p.s. I'm an American

 

[thaiguy]

If you want to immigrate under the family class, you'll need to do one of two things:
1) get married
2) live together for 12 consecutive months and consolidate your affairs to prove sufficiently that you're a common-law couple

If you want to apply under the skilled worker class, you'll likely need to finish your degree and get some experience first.

You said, "If I had a child with him would they ACTUALLY force us to live apart?"

You should rephrase your question to, "Does having a child with a Canadian give me an automatic right to immigrate?" The answer is no.

So all things considered, it sounds like the most convenient way for you to immigrate is to get married.