Grandfather and Grandmother born in Canada in 1892

[lookloan]

Hi,
Looking at family records, my grand parents were born in Canada in 1892. Of the 11 children, half are born in Canada and the other half in Vermont.
My mother was born in 1931 in Vermont to Canadian French parents. My mother passed 10+ years ago so I am not able to have her register as a Canadian citizen. There seems to be various exceptions based on when a grand parent was a Canadian citizen and I was wondering if both of my grand parents from over 100 years ago helps?

I want to buy a condo in Montreal as I like the city but it seems I can only stay for about 6 months, and I read posts that if I visit often back and forth from the US to Canada, I will be flagged (what ever that means). Montreal is a 6 to 7 hour drive from Connecticut and I would prefer to go at different intervals or long weekends and I am not sure if this is allowed.

I was hoping with grand parents born in the 1800s and me being 1/2 French Canadian there should be an easier path to making Canada a part of my life as well as the US. Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[scylla]

Your mother may have qualified for Canadian citizenship. However you as the second generation board abroad do not. Unfortunately this means there's no easy path to obtaining citizenship or living in Canada.

You'll have to be satisfied with visiting Canada. Alternatively, you can look into Canada's economic immigration programs to see if you qualify to immigrate based on your age, education, work experience and other factors. You can find this information here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp

 

[Rob_TO]

Rules around passing on citizenship and generations born abroad have changed over the past century. You can use this tool to see if you perhaps qualify for citizenship: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules/

I believe in your case, the key would be if your parents officially registered your birth in Canada and you have something called a "Registration of Birth Abroad Certificate". Without this I would say there is no chance to be recognized as Canadian, with it there is possibly a chance.

 

[lookloan]

OK so it seems I can buy a property in Montreal but can't be a duel citizen, but I can visit up to 6 months a year.
It seems if I do this for 3 years, there is a possibilty to apply for a PR - Is this true? Thanks

 

[Rob_TO]

OK so it seems I can buy a property in Montreal but can't be a duel citizen, but I can visit up to 6 months a year.
It seems if I do this for 3 years, there is a possibilty to apply for a PR - Is this true? Thanks

No, you can't get PR just by constantly residing in Canada as a visitor, or owning property in Canada. To get PR status you must be sponsored by a family member or qualify as a skilled worker.

Also the 6 months thing is not a firm rule. Upon entry to Canada most US citizens are given 6 months visitor status automatically, although this is always at discretion of CBSA officer. Once in Canada, you can apply to extend that status as often as you want.

Eventually if IRCC feels you are trying to live in Canada, they could deny a visitor extension request. Of if ever CBSA thinks the same, they could deny you entry at some point. End result is if you aren't a citizen or PR, there is no guarantee how long you will be allowed to stay in Canada at any given time.

Many US citizens own property in Canada and visit during the year as seasonal residents. Each time they enter, it's as a visitor and they must follow visitor rules. Similarly many Canadians own property in places like Florida and do the same thing there as seasonal residents in the US. In either case, one just can't try to "live" permanently in the other country. As long as you keep it to seasonal visits and always maintain a residence in USA, you should be fine.