Information on marrying US citizen

[ohmyshine]

I was born and raised here in Toronto. I have a boyfriend that was born and raised in Seattle, WA.
We have been dating for 5 years now and our families have been talking about us getting married.

I have a few questions:
- How could we get married here in Canada? Or how will it work in it was in the states? (Requirements?
- what would be a better choice on where to live? (Preferably I'd like to live here in Canada because of all the benefits but in the future move to Seattle as well)
- what would happen if I got pregnant first before marriage?

If anyone even has general information on marrying a US citizen I would love to know. We are in our early 20s and very much in love. Please help!

 

[amikety]

You can get married in Canada as long as you're free to marry (not already married, underage, etc). I got married in Canada as a visitor. You'll need to check your specific state or province's requirements.

As far as where to live, that's entirely a personal choice. There are lots of pros and cons. My husband and I made our choice based on who has closer to family, weather, healthcare, and who had the better income potential. However, those are just what mattered to us.... There is a pro/con thread. It might help to read it.(We may come across as very pro Canada as this is a Canadian immigration site and we're all immigrating to Canada.)

I'm not sure what you mean by getting pregnant before marriage - unless you're discussing healthcare. In that case, it might be best to maintain your OHIP and give birth in Canada. The child will be a US citizen automatically by his/her father. You will have to apply for citizenship - I think. So your child will be a dual citizen and have the best of both worlds. If the child is male, he may have to register for the draft in order to get a driver's license or register to vote in the US. Anyway, Canada is cheaper for medical care but if you maintain your OHIP, you'll be covered. I'm not sure if you could get medicaid, although my gut says you could if you were married.... there is no common-law in most US states. You won't have those benefits in most of the USA.

You might want to find a site for immigration to the USA. They may be able to advise you better on whether or not you'd get medicaid -which isn't free, btw. You still have co-pays. A US immigration site would also be better to view PROS for the USA.

Good luck!