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Dec 15, 2013
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I'm a French citizen, living in the US and I'm a permanent green card holder. Obviously I speak both French and English fluently but I don't have any special profession skills or degrees. I'm working as a security officer now and have been working as a sales assistant as well. My girlfriend is a Canadian. Is there any way for me to get a permanent residency in Canada? As a French citizen I could stay in Canada for six months, so if I find a job there in the meantime, could I change my status to get a workers permit without having to leave the country?
 
Canada's immigration programs are listed here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp

Based on the information you've provided, the easiest way would be for your girlfriend to sponsor you as her spouse/common law partner once you are either married or have lived together for at least one full year.

Yes - you can come as a visitor, try to find a job and then convert your visitor visa to a work permit. However in order to do so you'll need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a job and can also obtain an approved Labour Market Opinion. As part of this process the employer has to prove they advertised the job and were unable to find a Canadian to hire for the role. Because of this requirement, the fee and the waiting time - most employers aren't interested in hiring foreign workers. So the most difficult step will certainly be finding an employer.